Colonel Liam ($215.000 Purse)
GP- For Three Year Olds
One Mile on the Inner Turf
March 1, 2025
It’s another party for Martyparty in the Colonel Liam, as the trainer picked up his second win in the race, last year using Crickets and this year bringing Bear Head. This gelding has just recently been moved to the grass, winning the Texas Turf Mile five weeks ago, and now going 2-for-2 on the surface here in the Colonel Liam. Bear Head will be a name to remember as he shows his prowess on the grass, and overall, he had hit the board six of seven times now, so we may have a budding superstar in this division now. For now, Martyparty will enjoy his second win in this stake, as well P Lopez. The jockey last won in 2016 with a Drunken Skunk. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:32.79, which is the quickest of the four editions of this race held at this distance. Let’s take a look at it now:
(1/4 Mile- :23.42)- A group of four horses are out front early from the gate and early into the opening turn. With a neck in front here is Smokin Access, for Red Fox Farms while running in the second lane. On the rail, Hail Justice is next for Team 7 Illusions and the two keeping pace with them in the outer lanes Read Neck and Spin Zone, from Wood Duck Stables and Mb Stables, respectively. In the fifth spot and stalking the pace closer to the rail is where we find the Nakamura Stables- trained Alpine Rescue. Our eventual winner from Martyparty, Bear Head. who was also the post time favorite and our second choice, is in the middle of the pack, just a length and a half from the lead as he takes the lane right behind Read Neck for now. Last King (Riggins Racing) is next, and at the back is massive longshot, Cross Traffic (D J C Racing Stables).
(½ Mile- :46.69)- Rounding the turn, it looked like Smokin Access might pull away from the other three he was running with, but that never materialized. He still leads by a neck over a pair, Hail Justice and Read Neck, who run on each side of him and equal to one another. Spin Zone lost ground to them and is now a full length behind. Also running evenly now are Alpine Rescue and Bear Head, and we can call them about two lengths from the lead. There’s a big gap now setting up to the two trailers, Last King and Cross Traffic.
(Top of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- About midway into the turn, Read Neck began to get the upper hand on both Smokin Access and Hail Justice, and as he approached the top of the stretch, he was clear by a length and looking to bring it on home. This was good news for Bear Head, as the gelding had run in the lane behind him the entire race to this point and could now continue to advance without needing to break stride. As he entered the stretch, enough of an opening was being created for him to make his run on Read Neck while taking that one to the inside. Alpine Rescue was not as fortunate but may not have had the run anyway. Spin Zone gradually lost ground, and neither of Last King nor Cross Traffic were showing signs of making a run anytime soon.
(Finish- 1:32.79)- Read Neck is in good form during the stretch, but is unable to fend off Bear Head, as that one made gradual progress with every stride. They would leave the rest of the field in the dust at this point, pulling away by three over third. However, when it came to deciding the race between the two of them, Bear Head would not be denied and goes on to win by about half a length. A clear second for Read Neck, with the distant show photo seeing Hail Justice get the spot over Smokin Access and Spin Zone. Alpine Rescue is next, followed by Last King and Cross Traffic.
About The Winner- Bear Head, trained by Martyparty and ridden to victory by P Lopez, is a three-year-old gelding by Indistinguishable and is out of Paris In Spring. He was bred in New York as a second quarter two-year-old by Martyparty, the only trainer for which he has ever known. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fourth in seven starts and third stake win. His career earnings are now $373.000.
| ## | Horse Name | Owner Name | Jockey | Odds | Fin | Time | SRF | ||
| 7 | Bear Head | Martyparty | Lopez P | 1.65 | 11/2 | 1:32.79 | |||
| 3 | Read Neck | Wood Duck Stables | Ortiz I Jr | 11.55 | 22 | 1:32.93 | |||
| 1 | Hail Justice | Team 7 Illusions | Zayas E J | 6.40 | 3no | 1:33.51 | |||
| 2 | Smokin Access | Red Fox Farms | Berrios Hector | 4.65 | 4hd | 1:33.53 | |||
| 8 | Spin Zone | Mb Stables | Velazquez J R | 3.20 | 51 | 1:33.56 | |||
| 6 | Alpine Rescue | Nakamura Stables | Gallardo A A | 31.20 | 61/4 | 1:33.78 | |||
| 4 | Last King | Riggins Racing | Geroux F | 5.95 | 7nk | 1:33.86 | |||
| 5 | Cross Traffic | D J C Racing Stables | Curtis B | 3,030.10 | 8 | 1:33.91 |
Track: Firm
Time: :232 :463 1:094 1:323
$2 Mutuel Prices:
| 7 – Bear Head | 5.30 | 3.30 | 2.60 |
| 3 – Read Neck | 9.10 | 6.00 | |
| 1 – Hail Justice | 4.30 |
$1 Exacta: 7 – 3 Paid 21.80
$1 Trifecta: 7 – 3 – 1 Paid 248.20
Scratched: None
— NS
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded