CYPRESS, Calif. (Dec. 7, 2025) — Odds-on favorite Liberation, headed in mid-stretch by maiden winner Cecilia Street, pulled away from her rival in the final strides to win Sunday’s $100,000 Soviet Problem Stakes for Golden State Series-eligible 2-year-old fillies at Los Alamitos.
Liberation is by Omaha Beach, out of the Lonhro mare Ponytail, was bred by Richard Barton Enterprises, is owned by Hall Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, Edwin Barker and Jeffrey Levinson and trained by John Sadler. She has three wins and earnings of $177,600.
Liberation ran the mile in 1:38.68 at odds of 3-10 in a field of five. Cecilia Street was second and Tiger Lady.
“I thought that was a real gutsy performance considering she had a lot of pressure the whole way,’’ said Sadler’s assistant trainer Juan Leyva. “She showed her class, dug in and prevailed.
“We figured we would be on the lead, but not pressured the way we were, but in the end she got the job done. She’s a gutsy filly and it’s really a pleasure to train her.’’
Jockey Juan Hernandez , who increased his record total to 25 victories as the all-time leading stakes winning jockey during the daytime thoroughbred meets at Los Alamitos, also didn’t expect the kind of pressure he received early from Eighties, who was coming off a victory at eight furlongs on the turf down south.
“She broke real well and (Eighties) came up outside us on the first turn and that’s why we went a little quick, but she took it well,’’ said Hernandez. “Around the quarter pole she kind of lost concentration and slowed down a little bit, but I think she was waiting for company.
“Once (Cecilia Street) came to her, I started working on her and she came back and won the race.’’
The Soviet Problem completed a Sunday double for Sadler, who also won the seventh race with Capo. Jockey Geovanni Franco also had a pair of winners, taking the fourth with Ya’ll Come and the ninth with Keep The Pavels.
Racing resumes Friday at Los Alamitos. Post time is 12:30 p.m.