Kentucky-bred Colonel Liam made his Graded stakes debut a winning one, taking down top prize in the Pegasus Cup World Cup Turf (G1) Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park for owners Robert and Lawana Low.
The least experienced contender in the richest grass race of the winter season, Colonel Liam powered home to defeat stablemate Largent by a determined neck in the $1 million event, becoming the third Kentucky-bred in as many runnings to win the lucrative race. Bricks and Mortar won the race in 2019 and Zulu Alpha captured last year’s renewal. Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Colonel Liam completed the 1 3/16-mile turf affair in 1:53.09 for trainer Todd Pletcher.
By Liam’s Map out of the Bernardini mare Amazement, Colonel Liam was a $1.2 million OBS April sale graduate in 2019. He was bred in Kentucky by Phillips Racing Partnership. In his previous start, Colonel Liam was a dominant 3 ¼-length winner of the Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream. With his latest victory, Colonel Liam now boasts earnings of $690,965 and has a record of 6-4-0-1.
“This is just unreal. It’s fantastic,” Robert Low said. “We just had a great combination. We had the horse, we had the trainer, we had the rider, and they got it done. We’re just very thankful and very grateful. It’s a wonderful feeling.”