Liam’s Map preps for Whitney
ELMONT, N.Y. – Halfway through the year and trainer Todd Pletcher has won a dozen stakes – eight graded – for older males on dirt with eight different horses.
And arguably the best horse he has in that division hasn’t even run yet in 2015.
Liam’s Map, who showed brilliance – and some determination – in winning his last three starts of 2014, makes his 4-year-old debut Friday in a $90,000, fourth-level allowance race at Belmont Park. For good measure, Last Gunfighter, a seven-time stakes winner, makes his seasonal debut and first start for Pletcher in the same one-mile race.
This stakes-caliber race goes as the sixth on a nine-race card that begins at 3 p.m. Eastern. It is the first of three consecutive Friday cards billed as “Party at the Park” that will include a post-race concert.
Liam’s Map, a son of Unbridled’s Song, lost his debut to Three Alarm Fire last summer at Saratoga. Since then, he’s been perfect in three starts, winning one-turn-mile races at Belmont and Aqueduct by a combined 21 lengths before shipping to Gulfstream, where he won the Harlan’s Holiday by a half-length over the battle-hardened Valid.
Liam’s Map was being pointed to the Grade 1 Donn Handicap in February at Gulfstream but was sidelined due to an upper-respiratory issue, Pletcher said.
Pletcher won the Donn with Constitution. He has high hopes for Liam’s Map as well, hoping to get him to the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 8.
“Very impressive horse to watch train,” Pletcher said. “I thought his races were quite good. He reminded us a lot of Cross Traffic and Graydar, horses that were by Unbridled’s Song that had shown some brilliance and were able to step up into stakes-level races pretty early in their careers.”
Last Gunfighter, who won nine races from 16 starts and more than $1.2 million when with Chad Brown, was transferred by owner John Gunther to Pletcher over the winter. Though he is 3 for 3 at a mile, Last Gunfighter has enjoyed stakes success at longer distances.
Stakes winners North Slope and Saratoga Snacks as well as Confrontation and Wealth to Me also were entered in this spot.
KEY CONTENDERS
Liam’s Map (Last 3 Beyers: 112-100-98)
◗ Returns from a six-month layoff in a race seemingly written for him.
◗ He is 2 for 2 in one-turn-mile races, including a 9 1/2-length maiden score here last September.
“He’s training really well, acting well,” Pletcher said. “We feel he’s a Whitney-caliber-horse. Hopefully, this goes well, he comes out of it well, so we can point for that.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 5 Liam’s Map. Trainer Todd Plecther is 60-22-7-10 with a $2.16 ROI over the past five years with last-out winners returning from a layoff of 180 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Last Gunfighter (Last 3 Beyers: 83-97-91)
◗ Makes first start in nine months, since finishing seventh in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup. This race was scheduled to go a week ago but failed to fill.
◗ Pletcher is hoping to run Last Gunfighter in this spot and then the Suburban on July 4.
“I think he would want added ground, but we just needed to get the season started,” Pletcher said. “We’ll see how this goes.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Last Gunfighter. Trainer Todd Pletcher is 11-4-2-4 with a $2.03 ROI over the past five years in dirt routes following a trainer switch and a layoff of 180 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Confrontation (Last 3 Beyers: 104-103-100)
◗ Has been second in four of his last five starts – three of those at a mile – including a runner-up finish to Tonalist in the Grade 3 Westchester here May 2.
◗ Has a 3-2-0 record from five starts over Belmont’s main track.