Liam the Charmer back from break in allowance

ARCADIA, Calif. – After a disappointing trip to the Middle East in February, Liam the Charmer will have his third start of the year in an allowance race with an $80,000 claiming price Friday at Santa Anita.

The one-mile race is shorter than trainer Michael McCarthy would prefer but serves as a prep race for stakes this summer at Del Mar, a venue that launched Liam the Charmer’s season in 2018.

Liam the Charmer won an optional claimer there last August in his first start of the year and later won the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita for his first stakes win. The Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes on July 21 at Del Mar and the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 17 are goals this summer.

In Friday’s race, Liam the Charmer is part of a very good field of six that includes three other stakes winners – Blended Citizen, Double Touch, and Ritzy A.P. Higher Power, fifth in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita on May 27, will have his turf debut, while Souter is a contender based on consecutive wins in optional claimers here in January and April.

KEY CONTENDERS

Liam the Charmer, by Smart Strike
Last 3 Beyers: 99-4-99

◗ Liam the Charmer was 12th as a 75-1 longshot in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs last November but rebounded to finish third in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes on turf here Jan. 5. In the $1 million Emir’s Trophy in Qatar on Feb. 23, Liam the Charmer faded to last of 14 behind French King, who won a Group 2 race in Cologne, Germany, on May 5.

◗ Liam the Charmer, who races for Madaket Stables, resumed workouts in late April. McCarthy said he considered starting Liam the Charmer in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes on May 25 but passed.

“I thought he could use an easier spot,” McCarthy said. “I wish this race was a tad farther. The mile is a bit sharp for him. The works are good, and the works are aggressive. He’s showing me what I want to see.”

Ritzy A.P., by English Channel
Last 3 Beyers: 67-88-90

◗ Ritzy A.P., who won the Joseph Grace Handicap at Santa Rosa last August, will have his first start on Friday since a sixth behind Liam the Charmer in the John Henry Turf Championship. Ritzy A.P. is one of two runners in Friday’s field for trainer Dan Blacker, along with Double Touch, a minor stakes winner at Del Mar last August.

“Ritzy is the most live of the two,” Blacker said. “The pace scenario should be better.”

◗ Blacker expects Ritzy A.P. to be near the front in a race that lacks a confirmed front-runner.

“He’s always been a very straightforward horse to train,” Blacker said. “He ran a bad race in the fall, and I felt he needed a break.”

Souter, by Poet’s Voice
Last 3 Beyers: 75-91-91

◗ Souter surprised trainer Mark Glatt with a ninth-place finish in the Grade 2 San Francisco Mile on turf April 27 at Golden Gate Fields.

“He didn’t handle the turf course even a little bit,” Glatt said. “I did not suspect it would be that big of a transition.

“I’m optimistic he’ll rebound and get back to his consistent self and make a big run.”