Saint Liam proves too tough in Clark

Saint Liam proves too tough in Clark

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

was bumped soundly at the start of Friday's $558,000 Clark H. (G2)

and in tight quarters on the rail as the field made their way

through the first turn. Jockey Edgar Prado never panicked,

though, aboard the Richard Dutrow-trained four-year-old, easing

out to establish a perfect tracking position on the backstretch

and moving to the fore leaving the far turn. Saint Liam opened a

clear lead in upper stretch and gamely withstood all rivals

through the lane for a 1 1/4-length victory in Churchill Downs'

centerpiece event of the fall meet.

A close runner-up to eventual Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)

champion Ghostzapper (Awesome Again) in his last outing,

September's Woodward S. (G1), Saint Liam returned off the 76-day

layoff as the 6-5 favorite in the Clark and rewarded his many

backers with payouts of $4.40, $3.40 and $2.60. He completed 1 1/8

miles over the fast track in 1:50 4/5.

Seek Gold (Touch Gold), who created problems at the start when

breaking awkwardly into the winner, closed from last at 42-1 to

grab second by a nose in the final jumps from Perfect Drift (Dynaformer).

Place was worth $25.60 and $7.60, and Perfect Drift, who was sent

off the 3-1 second choice and offered a serious challenge into

the stretch, was good for $2.60. The exacta returned $100.60, the

trifecta $365.80 and the $1 superfecta (2-3-9-6), with 39-1 Suave

(A.P. Indy) another 1 1/4 lengths back on the bottom, totaled $1,654.40.

Next across the finish line came Eurosilver (Unbridled's Song),

Lundy's Liablility (Brz) (Candy Stripes), Pies Prospect (Crafty

Prospector), Colonial Colony (Pleasant Colony) and Sir Cherokee (Cherokee

Run). Fantasticat (Storm Cat) was scratched.

"The other horse (Seek Gold) almost knocked me off my

horse," Prado said of the rough beginning. "I'm lucky

it didn't happen."

Bred in Kentucky by Edward T. Evans, Saint Liam earned his

first graded win following runner-up finishes in the Woodward and

New Orleans H. (G2) and a third-place showing in the Oaklawn H. (G2)

earlier this year. The bay colt also finished second in the 2003

Iowa Derby. He now owns a 14-5-5-1 mark with $760,035 in earnings.

Saint Liam is the second foal from the stakes-winning and

Grade 2-placed Quiet Dance (Quiet American), who is also the dam

of this year's Bay Meadows Derby (G3) hero, Congressionalhonor (Forestry).

She also has an unnamed yearling filly by Honour and Glory.