Liam's Map poised for big week

The young stallion Liam’s Map is poised to have strong representatives in two of the biggest stakes in the coming week at Churchill Downs. The Unbridled’s Song stallion, who stands at Lane’s End Farm, will be represented by his daughter Crazy Beautiful in the Kentucky Oaks. The filly earned her way in by capturing one of the final major prep races, the Gulfstream Park Oaks.

One day later, Colonel Liam will run as the likely favorite in the Grade 1 Old Forester Turf Classic, the race immediately preceding the Kentucky Derby. Colonel Liam is looking for his fourth consecutive victory after taking the Tropical Park Derby in December, the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf in January, and the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic in March. Colonel Liam is the third career Grade 1 winner for Liam’s Map, joining Basin and Wicked Whisper, who achieved their top-level victories as juveniles in 2019.

“Liam’s Map is off to a phenomenal start,” said Todd Pletcher, who trained Liam’s Map to win multiple Grade 1 events in 2015, including the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, and who now trains his son Colonel Liam. “The amazing thing is, he’s getting runners of all kinds – colts, fillies, turf, dirt, short, long, precocious 2-year-olds. It’s great to see him getting off to such a good start.”