Old Forester Turf Classic the target for Pegasus World Cup Turf winner Colonel Liam

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The Grade 1 Old Forester Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day, May 1, has been pinpointed as a target for Colonel Liam, whose victory as the favorite Saturday in the Pegasus World Cup Turf at Gulfstream Park suddenly finds the colt as a major player in the North American older turf-horse division.

“We don’t have a firm plan just yet,” said Todd Pletcher, who trains Colonel Liam for Robert and Lawana Low. “The question is what we’ll do with him between now and the Derby Day race.”

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Colonel Liam, a 4-year-old, earned a career-high 99 Beyer Speed Figure in the Pegasus Turf, his first stakes start versus older horses. He outran his Pletcher stablemate Largent in the final furlong of the $981,700 Pegasus Turf for his first graded win. The Pegasus Turf followed a 3 1/4-length jaunt over 3-year-olds in the Dec. 26 Tropical Derby over the Gulfstream turf.

“He came out of the race in super condition,” Pletcher said. “We’re really pleased not only with the way he ran, but how he came out of it. He had two races pretty close together, so we always have the option of just training up to the Derby Day race. We’ll give it a couple of weeks, see how he’s doing, and take it from there.”

In the post-Pegasus media conference, Robert Low speculated on the possibility of sending Colonel Liam to Saudi Arabia or Dubai for a major race, but deferred that decision to Pletcher. Low paid $1.2 million for Colonel Liam as a 2-year-old. Colonel Liam is a Liam’s Map colt bred by the Phillips Racing Partnership.

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Social Paranoia, a third Pletcher runner, ran fourth in the Pegasus Turf, with Cross Border being the lone interloper in a 1-2-4 finish for the trainer.

Cross Border is trained by Mike Maker, who sent out one-two finishers Tide of the Sea and Temple in the race preceding the Pegasus Turf, the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight.

All-sources handle on the 12-race card, anchored by the $3 million Pegasus World Cup won by Knicks Go, was more than $40.7 million, third-highest since the event was inaugurated in 2017.