Liberty Rings Bounces Back in $100,000 Scandalous Act Win

Florida-Bred 2YO Filly Becomes Stakes Winner on Two Surfaces

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – David and Teresa Palmer’s Liberty Rings, back home after a disappointing outcome in the first road trip of her young career, rebounded in a big way with a decisive three-length victory over pacesetting Mon Coquette in Saturday’s $100,000 FHBPA Scandalous Act at Gulfstream Park.

The Scandalous Act for 2-year-old Florida-bred fillies sprinting six furlongs on the main track was the headliner as the Royal Palm Meet resumed with a 10-race program that included a moment of silence following Race 2 in honor of retired jockey Robby Albarado, who passed away unexpectedly Tuesday at the age of 52.

Ridden by Miguel Vasquez for trainer Nicholas Palmer, Liberty Rings ($19.20) covered a fast main track in 1:12.63 to become a stakes winner on two different surfaces after capturing the May 9 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies over Gulfstream’s turf course. In between, the chestnut daughter of Awesome Slew finished seventh in the June 28 Debutante on dirt at Churchill Downs.

“We threw the last race out because she just didn’t handle the track that day,” Palmer said. “This was really big, major for us to know that she’s back to form and going in the right direction.”

Mon Coquette, returning in three weeks off a 2 ½-length debut triumph over Florida-breds July 18, broke alertly under Samy Camacho and quickly established herself on the lead in a sharp 22.04-second opening quarter-mile. Liberty Rings tussled with longshot Colombina for second as 3-5 favorite Hot Rod Honey settled in fourth, just outside Arindel homebred Boots.

The half went in 45.33 seconds with Mon Coquette still and front and Colombina taking a clear second as Hot Rod Honey, the previously undefeated winner of Gulfstream’s Sharp Susan over open company July 3, ranged up alongside Liberty Rings on the far turn. Though Mon Coquette straightened for home with the lead, Vasquez and Liberty Rings were in pursuit and quickly closed the gap before surging past.

“My plan when I spoke to Miguel in the paddock was to try to get her engaged right out of the gate, but if she didn’t want to go up and take the lead then that was OK – just keep her in the bridle and make one run in the stretch,” Palmer said. “I was very happy with that.”

Mon Coquette was three lengths better than Hot Rod Honey in third, followed by Boots, Colombina and Jost a Chance Yadi. Bred by Janet Erwin and purchased for 27,000 at OBS last fall, Liberty Rings earned her second win from four starts after running third by a half-length in her April 19 unveiling sprinting 4 ½ furlongs on Gulfstream’s main track prior to graduating in the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies.

“It’s great to have options, especially with a Florida-bred. I hope to keep her here and keep campaigning her here,” Palmer said. “She’s such a young horse and we’re figuring things out each race.

“Obviously today she won the stakes race and that’s great,” he added. “There were some things we saw in the race that I think we could improve on, so we’ll just kind of go back to the drawing board and see what’s next.”

Scandalous Act, bred and owned by the late Gil Campbell and trained by Kathleen O’Connell, was the fourth and most recent horse to sweep the Florida Sire Stakes Series for 2-year-old fillies with victories in the 2013 Desert Vixen, Susan’s Girl and My Dear Girl, competing in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). She was retired with four wins and one second from nine starts with $341,806 in purse earnings.