Donn

Saint Liam blazes to win in Donn (Joseph DiOrio/Horsephotos.com)

Mr. and Mrs. William Warren Jr.'s SAINT LIAM (Saint Ballado) really came on

at the end of 2004 with a neck runner-up finish to Horse of the Year Ghostzapper

(Awesome Again) in the Woodward S. (G1) and a 1 1/4-length score in the Clark H.

(G2), and the Richard Dutrow trainee opened up his five-year-old campaign in

sensational fashion on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, drawing off to an

authoritative 3 3/4-length victory in the $500,000

Donn H. (G1). With Edgar

Prado up, the bay horse went up to duel on the lead with Breeders' Cup Classic

(G1) runner-up Roses in May (Devil His Due) entering the backstretch. Following

contested splits of :23 3/5, :47 1/5 and 1:11, Saint Liam began to draw off from

his rival leaving the far turn.

Saint Liam traveled wide into the stretch but remained in complete control.

He clocked the mile split in 1:35 4/5 and was under a hand ride to the wire,

finishing nine furlongs in 1:48 2/5 over the fast track. Sent off the 9-5 second

choice, he returned $5.60, $3 and $2.20. Roses in May, the 6-5 favorite, wilted

under pressure from the winner but managed to hold second by three parts of

length to Eddington (Unbridled). Place was worth $2.60 and $2.10, and show gave

back $2.20. The $1 exacta paid a paltry $5.70, the $1 trifecta $10.20 and the

5-4-2-1 superfecta, with Seek Gold (Touch Gold) another 8 1/2 lengths back in

fourth, totaled $12.80. Pies Prospect (Crafty Prospector) and Wishingitwas

(Sandpit [Brz]) rounded out the order of finish.

"I hope we haven't seen his best race yet. I'm looking forward to his next

race," Dutrow said. "I really wouldn't mind going to Dubai (for the $6 million

Dubai World Cup [UAE-G1] on March 26), but I don't know if the owners want to do

that. I'm not particularly eager to run against Ghostzapper (Awesome Again) just

yet. Bobby (Frankel, Ghostzapper's trainer) told me to have my fun now, because

he (Ghostzapper) would be back soon."