Liam's Pride wins Gold Fever Stakes

Liam’s Pride was stabled at the San Luis Rey Training Center before trainer Doug O’Neill sent the colt to race in Arkansas and points east. On July 10, Liam’s Pride won the Gold Fever Stakes at Belmont Park, which is in the Long Island town of Elmont.

“He beat a really good field of stakes horses,” O’Neill said. “Very proud of him.”

The win was the second in eight career races for Liam’s Pride. His only California race was a 5 1/2-furlong turf contest Jan. 4 at Santa Anita Park in which he finished third.

He made his Oaklawn Park debut Feb. 6 and raced five times at the Hot Springs, Arkansas, track. The third of those races was a six-furlong dirt race, March 7, in which Liam’s Pride finished 2 1/4 lengths in front of second-place Dust Devil.

His fifth Oaklawn Park race April 24 resulted in a fourth-place finish, and O’Neill then shipped him to Kentucky where he raced May 23 at Churchill Downs and finished last among the 13 horses in the War Chant Stakes.

“He’s done a lot of traveling,” O’Neill said.

Liam’s Pride had nine timed workouts at San Luis Rey between Nov. 5 and Jan. 16.

“He was over there and was a happy camper,” O’Neill said.

The War Chant Stakes was the first stakes race for Liam’s Pride. It was also his first turf race since his debut at Santa Anita, and the distance of 1 mile was the longest of his career. Liam’s Pride also popped the gate during the pre-start in his Louisville race.

“Sometimes you do worry,” O’Neill said.

Although the Gold Fever Stakes was the first race for Liam's Pride in 48 days,

“He was fresh and ready to go,” O’Neill said.

The Gold Fever Stakes is run on dirt. The six-furlong race for 3-year-olds had six horses. Liam’s Pride overcame Wondrwherecraigis in the stretch after Wondrwherecraigis led for the entire race until being passed by Liam’s Pride.

Liam’s Pride had the sixth post position.

“He was breaking from the outside post,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill along with jockey Dylan Davis chose to go for the lead at the end of the race rather than at the beginning.

“Dylan Davis had a lot of confidence in the horse underneath him,” O’Neill said.

Liam’s Pride broke fourth and was also fourth after a quarter of a mile. Half a mile into the race, which for Wondrwherecraigis occurred 44.66 seconds after the starting gate was opened, Liam’s Pride and Davis were in third place but only half a length behind Wondrwherecraigis and 4 1/2 lengths in front of fourth-place Hopeful Treasure. Long Weekend was in second, a head in back of Wondrwherecraigis.

The three frontrunners entered the stretch in a three wide formation. With about 1 1/2 furlongs remaining in the race, Wondrwherecraigis bumped Long Weekend, who in turn bumped into Liam’s Pride. Wondrwherecraigis and Long Weekend bumped again with about a furlong remaining with Liam’s Pride being bumped lightly.

Wondrwherecraigis entered the stretch 57.17 seconds into the race with a half-length lead over Long Weekend, who led Liam’s Pride by a head. In the stretch, Wondrwherecraigis once again bumped Long Weekend, who bumped slightly into Liam’s Pride. Liam’s Pride was able to keep a straight course in his lane and passed both Wondrwherecraigis and Long Weekend. Liam’s Pride had a winning time of 1:10.70.

“He really responded,” O’Neill said.

Liam’s Pride finished a head in front of Wondrwherecraigis, who was half a length ahead of Long Weekend. A steward’s inquiry reviewed the contact between the top three finishers.

Liam’s Pride was determined not to be at fault for the contact while Wondrwherecraigis was determined to have interfered with Long Weekend. Wondrwherecraigis was disqualified from second place and given third while Long Weekend became the official second-place finisher.

Liam’s Pride was foaled in Kentucky March 2, 2017. He was sired by Liam’s Map out of Indian Snow, and his maternal grandsire was A.P. Indy, who was at the San Luis Rey Downs Thoroughbred Training Center in the early 1990s.

The race had a purse of $80,000. First place paid $44,000, which brought the career earnings for Liam’s Pride to $118,740.

O’Neill is targeting the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, to be the next race for Liam’s Pride. That Aug. 1 race has a seven-furlong distance.

Joe Naiman be reached by email at [email protected].