With a fancy pedigree and a flashy debut win, Liberation has ideal credentials to win her stakes debut in Sunday’s $100,000 California Thoroughbred Breeders Association Stakes at Del Mar. The CTBA Stakes is for California-bred 2-year-old fillies at five furlongs.
Liberation is the rare California-bred by Omaha Beach, who is based in Kentucky and ranks among the nation’s top 20 stallions in progeny earnings.
Trained by John Sadler, Liberation won her debut in a maiden race for statebred fillies at 4 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita on May 24, stalking the pace before taking the lead in the stretch. She won by 1 3/4 lengths as the 3-1 second choice in a field of eight.
“She looked good in her first race,” Sadler said. “I’ve always thought she’ll go on. The fact she won at 4 1/2 furlongs is encouraging.”
Liberation is part of a successful family. Rashmi, a half-sister, won the Grade 3 Megahertz Stakes at a mile on turf in February.
Owned by the partnership of Hall Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, Edwin Barker, and Jeffrey Levinson, Liberation is part of a field of eight in the CTBA Stakes, the 10th race on an 11-race program that begins at 2 p.m. Pacific.
Liberation drew post 6, which should fit her style if she is ridden as a stalker. Hector Berrios, who was aboard for the win on May 24, retains the mount. Liberation was purchased for $130,000 at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton California yearling sale.
Seven of the eight fillies in the CTBA field won their last starts, notably Tapatia Mia, in a maiden race at 4 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita on May 2; Lino’s Angel, who won her second start in a maiden race for statebred fillies at 21-1 going five furlongs at Del Mar on July 18; and Jasmina, a five-length winner of a maiden race for statebred fillies at Los Alamitos on June 28 in her second start.
Runners such as What’s a Good Name, who won a maiden race for statebred fillies at Del Mar on July 19, and My Love Carolina, a winner at Santa Anita on June 14, are likely to be near the front, which could help Liberation’s chances from slightly off the pace.
Jasmina, trained by Simon Callaghan, will not be far from the front. She chased a fast pace in her maiden win before taking a commanding lead through the long stretch at Los Alamitos.
“She’s got some speed,” Callaghan said. “She’s the sort of filly that does what you ask from her.”
Trainer Steve Knapp, who won the 2024 CTBA Stakes, has two runners in Tapatia Mia and the maiden Mustang Knicky. Tapatia Mia chased a runaway leader in her debut before closing steadily to win by a length.
The same sort of trip in the CTBA Stakes would put Tapatia Mia in contention and possibly leave her a winner, provided she can hold off a late challenge from a highly promising filly in Liberation.
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