Liam’s Map – smart sort
Brilliant US 4yo Liam’s Map, a grandson of Drakenstein Stud’s resident sire Trippi, is one of 20 horses nominated for the G1 Donn Handicap, to be run at Gulfstream Park on February 7th.
Trippi sired the impressive Inara, winner of the Gr1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday.
Other likely runners in this year’s Donn include last year’s winner Lea, G1 Belmont Stakes hero Tonalist and G1 Clark Handicap hero of last year Hoppertunity.
The Donn Handicap, run over 1800m for a purse of $1 million and regarded as one of the great races in the North American calender, will be run for the 60th time this year and is often used a prep for the Dubai World Cup. It has been won by such racing legends as Forego, Deputy Minister, Cigar, Skip Away, Saint Liam and leading young sire Quality Road, to name but a few.
A son of Unbridled’s Song and out of the Trippi mare Miss Macy Sue, Liam’s Map has won three of his four career outings to date. Last time out, the lightly 4yo made a winning stakes debut when he captured the Harlan’s Holiday Stakes – over the same track as the Donn itself.
His dam, Miss Macy Sue, was an outstanding racemare in her own right. The daughter of Trippi won 11 of her 25 outings and amassed over $800 000 in the process. Her wins included five stakes races, and she ran third to Maryfield in the 2007 Breeders Cup F&M Sprint.
Miss Macy Sue has also gotten off to a fast start at stud, with two of her first three foals being stakes performers. Not only is she the dam of the exceptionally promising Liam’s Map, but Miss Macy Sue’s 3yo filly, Taylor S (by Medaglia D’Oro), ran third in last Saturday’s G2 Forward Gal Stakes, and looks a contender for some of the bigger races for fillies this year.
extract – www.capebreeders.co.za
