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All Pletcher in Pegasus Turf as Colonel Liam Defends Title

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL–Heading into this year's GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S., defending champ Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) was clearly the one to beat despite coming back off a 239-day layoff. The Robert and Lawana Low runner once again proved he was all class when coming from off the pace to best stablemate Never Surprised (Constitution) in Gulfstream's marquee test on the turf.

While best known for his dirt runners, trainer Todd Pletcher once again showed he not only knows how to prepare top turf runners, but also underscored the influence of his former top-shelf trainees who have gone on to stamp themselves as stallions, including Colonel Liam's sire Liam's Map and Constitution, sire of Never Surprised.

Colonel Liam broke well and was eased into a stalking fourth as stablemate Never Surprised rushed to the front from post 12 to set an opening quarter in :25.43. Still drafting between rivals through a slightly swifter half in :49.39, the grey began to make a move for the front through following three quarters in 1:13.31. Narrowly behind last-out Tropical Park Derby winner Never Surprised straightening for home, Colonel Liam surged ahead midstretch and shook clear late to best his barnmate by a length. Space Traveller (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), far out of it in the early going, closed with purpose up the inside to finish a neck back in third.

“He didn't lose a step,” said winning rider Irad Ortiz Jr., who also took the day's feature of the day, the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational with Life Is Good. “He's healthy and he's strong. He did everything right. I asked him a little early and when I asked him to go, he just went on.”

Added Pletcher of the race favorite, “I was actually pleased with how well he was traveling early on. You could see he got in a good position and had a lot of horse. He moved to Never Surprised early and kept finding more, and Never Surprised dug in. It was great race for both horses.”

As for the race setup, Pletcher explained, “It unfolded the way we expected it to. It looked like the fractions were reasonable. Colonel Liam was traveling really well in behind. You could see he was going well. Irad kind of went after Never Surprised in the middle of the turn and both horses fought on gamely. I'm proud of Never Surprised. He fought back.”

Colonel Liam, a $50,000 KEESEP yearling that flourished in a $1.2-million OBSAPR juvenile, won three of five starts in 2020, including a victory in Gulfstream's Tropical Park Derby. The grey kicked off his 4-year-old campaign with a neck win over stablemate Largent (Into Mischief) in last year's Pegasus Turf before following up with a confident score in the GII Muniz Memorial Classic S. at the Fair Grounds in March. He made it four straight with a dead-heat win with Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the nine-furlong GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Turf Classic S. in May. Given plenty of support at 7-2 in his most recent start in the GI Resorts World Casino Manhattan S. in June, he faded to finish a well-beaten eighth. He had eight works since arriving in South Florida for his return.

“You just hope you've done enough with him. He has talent,” Pletcher said. “We need everything to go exactly as planned. We didn't have time for a prep race. We put all of our chips in this race. I'm glad it worked out.”

Pedigree Notes:
When Colonel Liam won this race last year, it was his first graded win, but he was the third Grade I winner for his young sire. Saturday, a more accomplished Colonel Liam was capturing his third career Grade I event, while Liam's Map has since added another GISW to make it four for his sire career and has also added three more graded winners in the past year for a total of seven. Overall, Liam's Map has had 13 black-type winners in his three crops to race thus far. Two of those Grade I winners–Colonel Liam and 'TDN Rising Star' Wicked Whisper–are out of Bernardini mares. The late Bernardini, who died last year at 18, has 61 stakes winners out of his daughters.

A $1.2-million OBS 2-year-old in 2019 after working a quarter in :20 4/5, Colonel Liam is one of two winners out of his unraced dam, whose 2-year-old Arrogate colt was a $70,000 RNA at Keeneland September. Amazement has a yearling colt by Copper Bullet and was bred back to Liam's Map. She is out of MGISW Wonder Again, who raced for the Phillips family of Darby Dan.

Darby Dan has a long association with Colonel Liam's family, going all the way back to his seventh dam. Darby Dan's founder, John Galbreath, entered into a partnership on 13 broodmares–one of which was the 1947 French-bred mare Skylarking II (Mirza {Fr})–with Prince Aly Khan, then purchased her outright when the Prince was killed in a car accident. Her daughter, Soaring (Swaps), became a foundation mare for Darby Dan and is Colonel Liam's sixth dam. Generations of Darby Dan principals bred each of Colonel Liam's first six dams, as well as Colonel Liam himself.

Saturday, Gulfstream
PEGASUS WORLD CUP TURF INVITATIONAL S. PRESENTED BY BACCARAT-GI, $982,300, Gulfstream, 1-29, 4yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:47.48, fm.
1–COLONEL LIAM, 123, h, 5, by Liam's Map
               1st Dam: Amazement, by Bernardini
               2nd Dam: Wonder Again, by Silver Hawk
               3rd Dam: Ameriflora, by Danzig
($50,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP; $1,200,000 2yo '19 OBSAPR).
O-Lawana L. & Robert E. Low; B-Phillips Racing Partnership
(KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $531,000. Lifetime
Record: 10-7-0-1, $1,810,565. Werk Nick Rating: A+++.
*Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Never Surprised, 123, c, 4, Constitution–Tiz Dixie, by
Tiznow. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($30,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV;
$200,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable; B-Golden
Pedigree LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $177,000.
3–Space Traveller (GB), 123, h, 6, Bated Breath (GB)–Sky
Crystal (Ger), by Galileo (Ire). (85,000gns Ylg '17 TAOCT).
O-Clipper Logistics; B-El Catorce Partnership (GB);
T-Brendan P. Walsh. $88,500.
Margins: 1, HF, NK. Odds: 1.60, 3.60, 12.20.
Also Ran: Atone, Cross Border, Sacred Life (Fr), Doswell, Hit the Road, Channel Cat, Field Pass, March to the Arch, Flavius.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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‘Colonel’ Looks for Pegasus Turf Repeat

As is the case in the day's feature event on the main track, Gulfstream's GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational highlights a returning champion in the form of Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam (Liam's Map). Following a neck win in the 2021 renewal of the nine-furlong test, the Todd Pletcher trainee added a win in the GII Muniz Memorial Classic at the Fair Grounds in March before finishing on even terms with Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs in May. In his latest start, he finished eighth in the 10-furlong GI Manhattan S. at Belmont June 5.

“He seems to look good and energetic coming into this,” confirmed Pletcher. “Is he going to be ready to fire his best shot off the lengthy layoff? But every indication he is he's ready.”

A winner of this race in 2019 with ultimate Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar, Chad Brown is represented by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Mike Caruso's Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). Fourth in this race last year, the French-bred won the GIII Knickerbocker S. last October before finishing a head back in second behind the re-opposing Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid) in Del Mar's GII Seabiscuit S. Nov. 27. Jose Ortiz gets back aboard.

D K Racing, Radley Equine Inc., Taste of Victory Stables, Rick Gold, Tony Maslowski and Dave Odmark's Hit the Road (More Than Ready) reeled off four consecutive wins between May 2020 and March 2021, including Santa Anita's GIII Thunder Road S. and the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile in March. He is coming off back-to-back thirds in the GII Del Mar Mile in August and GII City of Hope Mile Oct. 2. The 5-year-old was purchased by trainer Dan Blacker and Australian bloodstock agent Craig 'Boomer' Rounsefell after he RNA'd for $200,000 at Keeneland September.

“He's the best horse I've ever trained,” said Blacker. “Hopefully, there'll be more like him to come, but, he's a really special horse. It meant a lot that myself and Craig Rounsefell bought him ourselves at the sale and watched him develop into a great horse. I always had a confidence that he could be a top-level horse, but you never know. To have him go and win a Grade I, it was more than I could have hoped for, a real thrill. I'm just thankful to the owners to give me the chance to buy horses like him.”

Kirk Wycoff's Three Diamonds Farm offers a two-pronged attack with Cross Border (English Channel) and the aforementioned Field Pass. Their trainer Mike Maker, who won this race with Zulu Alpha (Street Cry {Ire}) in 2020, is also represented this year by Jordan Wycoff's Atone (Into Mischief) and Mike and Jules Iavarone, Abbondanza Racing and Donald Durando's Flavius (War Front).

Cross Border, winner of the GII Bowling Green S. at Saratoga in July, took the Prairie Bayou S. over Turfway Park's all-weather surface Dec. 18. Winless with a second and two thirds over Gulfstream's turf, Cross Border gets the services of Reylu Gutierrez from post 11.

Victorious in the GIII Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup in July, Field Pass later finished runner up in the Knickerbocker before taking the Seabiscuit. He won in his only previous try over Gulfstream's grass course in the 2020 Dania Beach S. Umberto Rispoli rides from post 9.

Joseph Allen's homebred Doswell (Giant's Causeway), runner up in the 2020 edition of the GII Ft Lauderdale S., finished third in his next three starts, including the GIII W. L. McKnight S., also at this venue. Sent off a 9-2 while trying to go one better in last month's Ft. Lauderdale, he went wire-to-wire to score by 1 1/2 lengths over Atone Dec. 18.

“He came out really, really well,” said trainer Barclay Tagg. “Not a blemish on him. He's happy, eating well and he hasn't missed a breeze since. We feel good about him. If he can get to where he can relax and be up close, then I think it'll work out fine.”

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Mating Plans: Glencrest Farm

With the 2022 breeding season right around the corner, we will feature a series of breeders' mating plans over the coming weeks. Today we have John Greathouse III of Glencrest Farm.

INCREDIBLE YOU (m, 4, Uncle Mo–Zoftig, by Cozzene), to be bred to Charlatan

Incredible You is one of my best-bred mares. She is out of Zoftig, who successfully raced under the Glencrest colors before being sold and having an even better career as a broodmare. Incredible You is currently in foal to Authentic due at the end of January. We have chosen to send her to Charlatan this year. He was a special racehorse and he has looks to go with it. I think both horses suit each other nicely.

Incredible You's family has crossed well with the Gone West line in the past, producing Zaftig, winner of the GI Acorn. I thought it made a lot of sense from a physical standpoint as well. She's a bigger two-turn looking mare. I think he will add some hip and shoulder to her foals.

COPPER BAY (m, 4, Fast Anna–Free Spin, by Olympio), to be bred to Maclean's Music

Copper Bay is another mare we are excited about. She is a half-sister to Tapiture and is in foal to Munnings, making the foal a three-quarter to Finite. We wanted to continue to go to proven stallions with her at this point so we chose Maclean's Music. He continues to throw fast horses year after year and he's absolutely gorgeous.

She will hopefully add some leg to the foal while he will put top line and speed into her prospective foal. I think Maclean's Music has a chance to be a special sire with the start he's had so far at stud. He should only get better and better with the quality mares he will be getting the next couple years.

FLAT MEADOW (m, 7, War Chant–Figure of Beauty, by Street Cry {Ire}), to be bred to Mendelssohn

Flat Meadow is a mare we purchased in November in foal to Dialed In. Since her arrival at the farm, she's had two significant updates by two half-sisters. Both won stakes in their last races. We decided to send her to Mendelssohn. I've always felt like he was born to be a sire. He's incredibly well bred and is probably one of the best-looking horses I've ever seen. Flat Meadow has some turf in her family and I think he will add precocity to her foal. I'm excited to see what his foals can do on the track.

DELIA O'HARA (m, 5, Khozan–Starlet O'Hara, by Discreetly Mine) and VICTORIA BARKLEY (m, 4, Uncle Mo–Stanwyck, by Empire Maker), to be bred to Liam's Map

I have two maiden mares going to Liam's Map. Liam's Map was an extremely fast horse and I felt like he was one of the best value plays going into this breeding season based on what he's done so far at stud. He's bred a solid book of mares every year and I think his numbers will only improve going forward.

Delia O'Hara is a maiden half-sister to Winning Map that we bought privately. She's stakes-placed and [a] medium-size mare. We decided on Liam's Map because of her brother and hope he's as good as advertised. It never hurts selling foals that are three-quarters to good horses.

Victoria Barkley is an unraced daughter of Uncle Mo out of Stanwyck, a graded stakes half-sister to Giacomo and Tiago. We loved her physically and I think she suits Liam's Map perfectly. She's a mare we plan to keep long-term at the moment and we wanted to give her a solid start to her broodmare career going to a good proven stallion on the rise like Liam's Map.

FAY NA NA (m, 11, Majestic Warrior–She's Roughin It, by Forest Camp), to be bred to Yaupon

Fay Na Na is one of my favorite mares and I'm sending her to Yaupon. All she's done is throw good foals for me. She throws big strong foals, all of which have been good looking. Yaupon is one of the best-looking sons of Uncle Mo I've ever seen and had the speed to go with it. Couldn't be more excited about this mating.

MISSOURIA (m, 7, Bellamy Road–Nebraska, by Street Cry {Ire}) and BANDED (m, 13, Bandini–Rebalite, by More Than Ready), to be bred to Bolt d'Oro

I'm also breeding two mares to Bolt d'Oro. His foals and yearlings have really impressed me. They all look like runners. One of the best yearlings I have on the farm is by Bolt. I think he's got a real shot at becoming a successful sire long-term. The hip and shoulders that he puts on his foals is incredible.

Missouria is a granddaughter of Honest Lady by Bellamy Road. Her first foal was a nice Nyquist colt that I'm told is pointed toward Miami. She has a solid Kantharos yearling and is in foal to Frosted. She's out thrown herself so far and we thought that Bolt would pretty her foals up since she's a little plain. The family is deep and we think she could be a special mare for us if she can produce a solid runner.

Banded is the other mare going to Bolt. She has a Frosted yearling and is in foal to Practical Joke. The mare herself was stakes- placed and a half-sister to Race Day. She needs a little size bred into her and I think Bolt is perfect for that.

SWEET TALKIN (m, 10, Candy Ride {Arg}–Irene's Talkin, by At the Threshold), to be bred to Essential Quality

I'm sending one of the farm's best mares to Essential Quality. Sweet Talkin had a beautiful Tapit colt sell in Saratoga last year, making this foal a three-quarter to him. She continues to throw herself and we thought Essential Quality had all the qualities she was lacking. He was obviously very talented on the track but he has the looks to go with it. Very excited to see what she produces.

As a commercial breeder, it's not the easiest thing projecting which stallion is going to be popular in two or three years time. I'm really excited about my matings this year, though. I think all are attractive horses that we are breeding to and all were very talented on the track. I think something that gets overlooked when mating mares is how the two horses match up physically. People put a lot of stock in nicks, which is a useful tool to help mate them. But I find the physical part to be maybe even more important. Nicks change, physicals really don't. So I try to focus on starting with the physical and making the nick match it.

Let us know who you're breeding your mares to in 2022, and why. We will print a selection of your responses in TDN over the coming weeks. Please send details to: garyking@thetdn.com.

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GSW Rushie to Pleasant Acres Stallions

Rushie (Liam's Map–Conquest Angel, by Colonel Jonh), winner of the GII Pat Day Mile, arrived at Pleasant Acres Stallions in Ocala, Florida, where he will stand the 2022 season. The deal was brokered by Jacob West.

“We are very pleased to have Rushie join our roster of exceptional stallions in Florida. Right now, there are only three stallions by Liam's Map being offered to breeders in 2022–two are standing in Kentucky at Spendthrift and Airdrie Stud, and Rushie is here at Pleasant Acres Stallions,” said Joe Barbazon. “Being able to expand the Liam's Map bloodline to our Florida breeders is very exciting!”

Conquest Angel, a $300,000 OBS April 2-year-old in training purchase, is from the family of Grade I-winning Peace at War.

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