Colonel Liam Stakes

Purse $175.000 – For Three Year Olds

One Mile – InTurf

Gulfstream Park – February 28, 2026

Formerly run as the Palm Beach Stakes, this race was renamed in 2024 to honor the three-time Grade 1 turf winner Colonel Liam. The most notable winner over the years is Clockwork Chai, who went on to capture Horse of the Year honors in 2017 along with Champion 3-Year-Old Male and Champion Turf Male. The Colonel Liam Stakes has been a showcase of young horses with rising turf talent. Are we going to see another Horse of the Year in the making? Let’s take a look at this year’s field!

1. Simple Man – (Aer Stables, T. Gaffalione) Has only raced on dirt in his 4 career starts and now tries turf for the first time. He was a daylight winner at Belterra Park going a mile, winning by 4 lengths. His owner tried to take advantage of the impressive win and took a shot in The Swale Stakes. It was a 6th place finish but take it with a grain of salt because it was a cut back in distance and the track was not fast. Simple Man certainly has some upside; there are just some question marks if the turf is going to bring out the best in him.

2. Phantom Thunder – (Ajm Stables, Edg. Perez) A habitual deep closer, Phantom Thunder routinely drops to the rear early before unleashing a powerful late rally. However, he’s been struggling to find the perfect setup: a fast pace and a clear lane to run. He ended his 2-year-old campaign in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf, finishing 6th. Current ownership acquired him after that race and ran him in the Kittens Joy at Gulfstream Park. If there are quick early fractions, this guy is going to be closing fast.

3. In The Drink – (Pan Farms, L. Dettori) This son of Cherokee Thriller broke his maiden last race against California-Breds at the same distance and surface as this race. First time out he sprinted on the dirt but didn’t do much running. So, he’s coming into the Colonel Liam with a lot of momentum. Being drawn toward the inside, he’ll be able to save a lot of ground and sit a good stalking trip. In The Drink will need to take a step forward against this group, as there are horses with more experience.

4. Final Sunset – (Riggins Racing, J. NavMarin) Final Sunset started off his career at Penn National where he ran on a sloppy dirt track. After not showing much promise, his owner added Lasix, dropped him in class, and put him on the turf hoping for some improvement. He ended up waving goodbye to the field in the stretch winning by 2 lengths. Last race he went two turns for the first time and passed the test with flying colors. Final Sunset made his move at the quarter pole and blew by the field as if they were standing still. He’ll still need to find another gear to beat this field.

5. Perfect Game – (La Canada Racehorses, A. Jimenez) Another horse that is coming off their maiden victory, but Perfect Game was the most impressive of them all. He sat behind the speed and when jockey Glenn Corbett asked him to go, he exploded in the stretch winning by 4 lengths! I can’t blame the owner for taking a shot in this race, especially working the bullet in his most recent work. Perfect Game will move into deeper waters against this field, but I wouldn’t count him out.

6. No Prince – (Mb Stables, J R. Velazquez) A recent $200.000 acquisition for Mb Stables, No Prince brings a good amount of stakes experience to the field. Before changing trainers, this 3-year-old son by Prince George ran five times and never finished worse than second. His most recent win was in a two other than allowance at Del Mar, where he won handily. Now with a new trainer, this colt will look to add a stakes win to his resume as he continues his 3-year-old campaign. He will be my top pick in this race.

7. Insanity Prevails – (Nakamura Stables, L. Salles) The running lines have been spotty for this colt as his trainer is trying to find where he fits best. Although we won first time out on the turf, Insanity Prevails put together a career-best effort last race on the dirt. His other turf races have just been ok running against allowance company. This is a very demanding spot after winning a dirt sprint, but maybe the trainer sees something that we don’t?

8. Smokin Future – (Red Fox Farms, P. Lopez) This horse deserves some attention as his past races might fly under the radar. His maiden win was at Del Mar last November and had no problem going wire-to-wire. He then entered in the Eddie Logan Stakes where he was caught extremely wide the whole way around the track and finished 5th. It was a sneaky good effort because if he was anywhere near the inside, I think he would’ve won. Tactics were changed in his last race trying to make every pole a winning one but fell short losing by a length. Watch out for this one.

9. World Class – (Mo Mentum Farm, J. Bravo) Blinkers are removed as this colt stretches out around two turns and experiments with turf for the first time. He’ll also be a first-time gelding. There’s not much turf in his pedigree, however World Class has two decent public turf works. He misfired in his last race at Turfway Park, so the trainer is trying to give him a wakeup call. This son of The Martian is definitely swimming at the deep end of the pool, but might be a speculative option.

– AJM

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded