Gulfstream stakes roundup: Colonel Liam makes case for Pegasus Turf

Robert and Lawana Low’s Colonel Liam overwhelmed nine rivals in Saturday’s $75,000 Tropical Park Derby, making an emphatic case for being extended an invitation to the Grade 1, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park.

The Tropical Park Derby, a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds, highlighted Saturday’s 11-race program along with the $75,000 Tropical Park Oaks, a 1 1/16 turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies, and the $75,000 H. Allen Jerkens, a two-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds and up.

Colonel Liam, the 6-5 favorite ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., was making his first start since Aug. 20 but showed no rust at all while pulling away to a 3¼-length victory.

“He’d been training exceptionally well leading to this. We’re happy to get him back,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “Hopefully, that earns him a spot in the Pegasus Turf.”

The son of Liam’s Map rated several lengths behind the early pace while clear on the outside. Don Juan Kitten cut fractions of 24.30 and 48.51 seconds for the first half mile under Edgard Zayas and continued to show the way heading into the turn for the homestretch, as Colonel Liam launched a breathtaking outside sweep that would carry him to the lead at the top of the stretch. The Kentucky-bred colt powered away from the field without much urging from Ortiz.

"I had a good trip, I broke out of there and tried to get a good position,” Ortiz Jr. said. “After the three eighths pole, I tried to move on because I have probably the best horse and let him pick it up and he responded very well. He's a very nice horse."

Don Juan Kitten held second, a neck ahead of Summer to Remember.

Colonel Liam ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.05 to record his third victory in five career start. The $1.2 million purchase at the 2019 OBS April sale graduated via the disqualification of the first-place finisher in his April 11 debut over Gulfstream’s main track before finishing third in an optional claiming allowance at the Hallandale Beach track May 20. Two months later, Colonel Liam scored an impressive 2¾-length allowance victory in his turf debut at Saratoga, before enduring a nightmare trip in a fourth-place finish in the Saratoga Derby, in which he was beaten by less than a length by victorious Domestic Spending.

“He’s really taken to the turf. We saw that in his allowance at Saratoga. He got in a little trouble in the Saratoga Derby,” Pletcher said. “He came back great. I thought it was an impressive race. He kind of made a little bit of an early move and kept on going.”

Colonel Liam gives Pletcher three prime candidates for the Pegasus Turf, joining Largent, who captured the Fort Lauderdale (G2) at Gulfstream Dec. 12, and Social Paranoia, a multiple graded-stakes winner and recent optional claiming allowance winner at Gulfstream.

“Obviously, anytime you can get your name thrown into the hat of any of those Pegasus races, you’ve got to get excited,” stable manager Jacob West said. “Todd had kind of hatched that plan weeks ago. He said if he runs well we might point to that. Obviously after today’s performance we’ll point to that.”

Sir Anthony Stages Another 25-1 Upset at Gulfstream

Déjà vu at Gulfstream Park.

Richard Otto Stables Inc.’s Sir Anthony, winner of the 2018 Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday at odds of 25-1, ran down the pacesetter Conviction Trade to win Saturday’s $75,000 H. Allen Jerkens at two miles.

Odds for Sir Anthony in the Jerkens? 25-1.

A 5-year-old by Mineshaft winless in four previous attempts on the turf, Sir Anthony covered the rare two-mile distance in a track record 3:19.48 under jockey Julien Leparoux. The Jerkens was Sir Anthony’s first victory since winning the 2019 Cornhusker (G3).

“We’ve been trying for a race for him on the dirt and it’s been a while since he won. I was really looking for a confidence race for him and to get a race past a mile, which is tough to do,” said trainer Anthony Mitchell. “The opportunities out there were really for longer races on the turf, so we gave him a couple of runs on the turf in Arlington and it looked like he was OK on it, so we had that in the back of our mind. Moving forward we were looking for a race past a mile and an eighth. The opportunity to go two miles was out there and we presented it to the owner. He agreed, so we took a crack at it.”

Conviction Trade and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. took the field of 11 through fractions of .26.06, .51:57, 1:17.05 and 1:41.81 and held the lead entering the stretch before Sir Anthony and Leparoux took over inside the eighth pole.

“I said it after he won the Harlan's Holiday, they don't give him the respect he deserves,” Anthony said. “The owner is a pure champion of a man. He's been good to me and our relationship has been 26 years now. He bred this horse, along with a lot of other graded stakes winners that I've had. Full credit to Mr. Otto.”

Vigilantes Way Steals Away to Victory in Saturday’s Tropical Park Oaks

Phipps Stables’ Vigilantes Way stole away to victory in Saturday’s $75,000 Tropical Park Oaks at Gulfstream Park after jockey Julien Leparoux took things into his own hands with a well-judged front-running ride.

The Tropical Park Oaks, a 1 1/16-mile turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies, highlighted Saturday’s 11-race program along with the $75,000 Tropical Park Derby, a 1 1/16 turf stakes for 3-year-olds, and the $75,000 H. Allen Jerkens, a two-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds and up.

The Shug McGaughey-trained Vigilantes Way ($7) broke alertly to take the lead heading into the first turn and never looked back, resisting mild early pressure from longshot Blue Mistress and pulling away to a 2¼-length victory in 1:40.61 built on fractions of 23.91 and 47.66 seconds for the first half-mile.

A half-sister to Mr. Speaker, who captured the 2013 Dania Beach (G3) over the Gulfstream turf, Vigilantes Way was the second stakes winner of the day for Julien Leparoux, who guided Sir Anthony to an upset victory in the Jerkens.

“Nice day today, beautiful to win two stakes. The horses ran great, so we're happy with that, it's been a great day,” Leparoux said. “I was not expecting to be on the lead, but she broke very sharp and she was doing it very nicely. She relaxed for me on the backside and from there she was very comfortable the whole time. When I asked her in the stretch, she won nicely.”

Ask Bailey closed to finish second, a nose ahead of Speaktomeofsummer.

Vigilantes Way registered her first stakes victory Saturday in four starts on turf, which include an allowance win and two stakes placing.

“She’s a half-sister to Mr. Speaker and he liked the grass, so we always had that in mind,” McGaughey said. “She’s been a pleasant surprise. As a yearling, she was a little bit of a small, immature filly, and she’s still small. But she’s matured out and her races have all been very good.”

McGaughey said Vigilantes Way would be pointed toward another stakes at Gulfstream.