Liam’s Law holds off stablemate Bold Leadership to capture G3 With Anticipation
Lawana and Robert Low’s Liam’s Law made every pole a winning one under Ricardo Santana, Jr. to make the grade in Saturday’s Grade 3, $225,000 With Anticipation, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf route for juveniles, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the Colonel Liam bay proved best over stablemate Bold Leadership in a compact field of three after the defection of the Lows’ Pletcher-trained High Official to Sunday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Spendthrift Farm Hopeful here and the Saturday morning scratch of New York-bred maiden winner Howard’s Hope.
Pletcher said it was special to see the Lows secure the win with a son of multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Colonel Liam, who he trained for them through a 12-7-0-1 career led by top-flight scores in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational in 2021-22 at Gulfstream Park and the Turf Classic in 2021 at Churchill Downs. In victory, Liam's Law became the first stakes winner by Colonel Liam.
“He’s by Colonel Liam, and they own part of him as a stallion standing at Ocala Stud, so getting a graded stakes win is great,” Pletcher said.
The Manny Franco-piloted maiden Bold Leadership went to post as the 1-2 mutuel favorite but trailed the field into the first turn after leaping in the air at the break. Santana, Jr. and Liam’s Law took advantage and showed the way through splits of 24.49 seconds and 49.11 over the firm footing with Perfect Dream stalking 1 1/2-lengths back from second position under Chantal Sutherland.
Bold Leadership advanced into contention along the fence approaching the far turn as Perfect Dream ranged up to pressure the pacesetter with three-quarters elapsed in 1:13.65. Franco tipped Bold Leadership off the rail through the final turn and loomed the main threat for Liam’s Law, but there would be no reeling in the frontrunner, who scored by a neck in a final time of 1:42.59. It was 4 1/4-lengths back to Perfect Dream in third.
The victory marked the fifth stakes win of the meet for Santana, Jr., who won the Grade 1 Forego here last weekend with Hymn.
“Three horse field, my horse was fast enough. I never thought that horse [Bold Leadership] was going to pass me no matter what, if he broke good or not, because at the sixteenth he looked like he was going to go by me, and when my horse, he was waiting for the horse all race, so when he feels him, he fights back,” Santana, Jr. said.
Franco said Bold Leadership, who missed by a nose in his August 8 debut here, was anxious in the gate.
"He wasn't mentally focused,” Franco said. “Hop at the start doesn't help. After that, he couldn't pass the winner.”
Pletcher said Bold Leadership remains a top prospect for the barn.
“I still think there’s a lot of talent there, we just have to get him a little more focused,” Pletcher said.
Liam’s Law finished fourth on debut in an off-the-turf 5 1/2-furlong maiden sprint contested over sloppy and sealed footing on May 24 at Belmont at the Big A. He stretched out to 1 1/16-miles on July 12 here over firm footing and led gate-to-wire to graduate by 1 1/4-lengths over And The Runner Is, who returned to run a head second to Chief of Peace here August 23.
Pletcher indicated Liam’s Law could make his next start in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2, $250,000 Pilgrim on October 3 at Belmont Park, a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
Liam’s Law, out of the winning Kitten’s Joy mare Quickasakitten, was a $120,000 purchase from the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training where he worked in 21.2.
Bred in Florida by Ocala Stud, Liam’s Law banked $123,750 in victory while improving his record to 3-2-0-0. He returned $4.82 for a $2 win bet.
Live racing resumes Sunday at the Spa with a 12-race card headlined by the Hopeful in Race 10 and supported by the Grade 3, $225,000 Prioress in Race 4 and the restricted $150,000 Disco Partner in Race 11. First post is 12:05 p.m. Eastern.
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