Liam’s Map Wires the Woodward

Liam’s Map, the 6-5 betting favorite, found the winner’s circle and got his first grade one victory in the Woodward after coming so close and losing to the hard-charging Honor Code by a neck in the Whitney (G1). Today at Saratoga the Todd Pletcher trained son of Unbridled’s Song was able to take this field gate to wire, covering the mile and an eighth in 1:47.44, the fastest time since the race moved to the Spa in 2006.

"The Whitney was as tough a loss as you'll experience,” said Pletcher. “He ran an unbelievable race that day and everything he indicated to us from that time until today was that he was ready to come back over and put forth another big effort. I'm just happy to see him get that grade one that he deserves so much."

Out of the gate jockey Javier Castellano was able to get Liam’s Map on an easy 2 ½ length lead and with his three stable mates filling the next three spots he was able to put down easier fractions [23.69, 47.49, and 1:10.94] than in the Whitney.

Pletcher praised his front running colt, "The opening fractions were very much in his favor, and he has that style where he can get into a cruising speed and just keep carrying it. The thing that he did after he went that 47 and 1 is he came back with another 23 and change to go 1:10 and change and then 1:34 and change. He just gets into that rhythm and he just runs horses off their feet."

Turning for home, second choice Effinex tried to make his usual closing move along the inside, but came up empty after having trouble in the starting gate. Effinex was fractious at the gate and had to be backed out and have his saddle readjusted. Out of the gate he broke awkwardly and ended up finishing a distant fourth.

In the end, the winning margin for Liam’s Map would be 4 ¾ lengths over Coach Inge. That marks the first time that a trainer has taken first and second place in the Woodward. The Pletcher-Pletcher exacta of Liam’s Map and Coach Inge paid $35 for a $2 bet. Having also won the Spinaway, the Pletcher-Pletcher daily double with Rachel’s Valentina and Liam’s Map paid $13.00.

Liam’s Map brought home $600,000 for the owners, Teresa Viola Racing Stables and he upped his career stats to 7: 5-2-0 with earnings of $1,048,940.

Pletcher seems to be considering the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Dirt Mile for Liam’s Map, “I’m not sure which direction we will go off of this. We have a couple of options. I think he is a brilliant miler, he can also maybe consider stretching him out to a mile and a quarter, but he has the ability to lay down some very fast fractions and keep going and that’s dangerous.”