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Cinderella Liberty is the Belle of the Ball | |
8/20/2005
70th running of the
$250,000 Longacres Mile, Gr. III
August 21, 2005
Cinderella Liberty cruising her way to the Ball
AUBURN, WASH. – Cinderella Liberty danced down the homestretch to take the Northwest Stallion Series Knights Choice Stakes for two-year old fillies.
The bay filly made it her second consecutive win in three starts. The daughter of Liberty Gold made her first two starts at Pleasanton and Santa Rosa for trainer Jeff Bonde before being shipped to trainer Bud Klokstad.
“She came up in good condition and we got to train her the way we wanted to,” said Klokstad. The filly's win marked the 40th stakes win at Emerald Downs for Klokstad.
“I'm glad her air is a little better than mine,” joked Klokstad. “She kicked it in and finished good.”
It was the first time any of the fillies in the race had run the 6 ½ furlong distance.
Jockey Gallyn Mitchell piloted the filly to her first stakes victory.
“Bud said we're in the perfect post position, see where you are and go from there,” said Mitchell. “When the four horse opened up, I let her look and she just went on.”
Cinderella Liberty defeated the favorite Nite Moon by 2 ½ lengths. Fergie's Fantasy got up for third.
The filly stalked fractions of 22 and 45 2/5 before finishing the 6 ½ furlongs in 1:17 4/5. The final time was 2/5 of a second off the fastest time in the Knights Choice Stakes, set in 1996 by Zulu Time.
Cinderella Liberty is by Liberty Gold out of the mare Notjustanyknight, by Knights Choice. Owned by the Estate of Don MacKenzie or Chuck LeFevre, the Washington-bred honored her grandsire by winning the stakes race named for him.
Cinderella Liberty returned $8.00, $3.20 and $3.20. Nite Moon paid $2.40 and $2.20. Fergie's Fantasy returned $3.40.
