Colonel Liam, Never Surprised need help in Pegasus Turf prep

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher’s attempt to get in important prep races for Colonel Liam and Never Surprised for next month’s $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational hit a bit of a road bump when both horses were drawn on the also-eligible list for Thursday’s featured seventh race, a $73,000 allowance carded at 7 1/2 furlongs on the grass.

Colonel Liam, the two-time defending Pegasus Turf champion, and Never Surprised, who finished second, just a length behind his stablemate, in the 2022 renewal of the race in January, drew post positions 13 and 14, respectively, in Thursday’s headliner and will need some help at scratch time to run.

Colonial Liam rallied to win the 2021 Pegasus Turf by a neck over stablemate Largent and used similar tactics to run down and edge clear from the pacesetting Never Surprised this year. He has not started since finishing ninth, beaten 7 1/4 lengths, in the Group 1 Dubai Turf on March 26 at Meydan.

“It’s disappointing both didn’t get into the race,” Pletcher said Saturday. “Colonial Liam came back from Dubai in good order, he’s had a nice work tab prepping for his return. I’m looking to get a race into him. If he doesn’t draw in Thursday, he’ll probably go in the Fort Lauderdale,” a Grade 2 race on Dec. 31.

Never Surprised, who won the Tropical Park Derby by 6 1/4 lengths as a prelude to his big effort five weeks later in the Pegasus Turf last winter, has not started since finishing fifth as the 2-5 favorite in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf on March 5. He also has been working regularly for his return at Palm Beach Downs.

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Pletcher said he entered Never Surprised in an allowance race on Wednesday at Tampa Bay Downs that did not fill.

If neither of the Pletcher runners get in, the public may have a hard time settling on a favorite among an evenly matched field of turf specialists in Thursday’s feature.

Hot Blooded, fourth behind Never Surprised in the 2021 Tropical Park Derby, figures among the leading candidates coming off a second-place effort under similar conditions over the Tapeta course Nov. 6.

Another leading contender is Max K. O., whose 98 Beyer Speed Figure earned for a one-mile allowance win Sept. 1 at Kentucky Downs is easily the highest last-out number posted by any horse drawn into the body of the race. However, Max K. O. is poorly drawn in post 11.

Chuck Willis, perfect in two starts over the course, returns to South Florida after a successful season at Woodbine for trainer Mark Casse. A winner of half his 14 career starts, Chuck Willis captured a one-mile overnight handicap in wire-to-wire fashion here in May and is one of two horses Casse entered in the race along with Proven Strategies, who seeks his first victory since capturing an allowance race in front-running fashion here in March.

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