Fleet Beau Liam Enters Stud at Airdrie

Stonestreet Stables' graded-placed winner and homebred Beau Liam has been retired from racing and will stand the upcoming breeding season at Brereton and Elizabeth Jones' Airdrie Stud as a partnership between Stonestreet, Spendthrift Farm, and Airdrie. The 3-year-old son of Liam's Map will stand for $6,000 with a stands and nurses guarantee. Beau Liam got off to a fast start this year, winning his first three races for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. His debut May 29 at Churchill Downs produced a 7 1/2-length romp, going six furlongs in a time of 1:08.62, which represented the fastest recorded clocking of any maiden at the distance in the history of the racetrack. His maiden win earned him a 115 Equibase Speed Figure and, by comparison, his Ragozin Sheet number of 5 3/4 in the race was faster than the winning figure in this year's Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). In his second start, Beau Liam earned a 113 ESF and a 106 Beyer Speed Figure when taking a well-publicized seven-furlong allowance raced by a nose at Saratoga Race Course. His lofty Beyer trailed only multiple grade 1 winner Jackie's Warrior's 107 and equaled the 106 figure earned by grade 1 winner Life Is Good among the fastest 3-year-olds of the year at seven furlongs. His third start yielded a six-length victory at Saratoga in which Beau Liam stopped the clock for 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.05 and a earned a career high 107 Beyer and a 112 ESF. Beau Liam went into the Ack Ack Stakes (G3) at Churchill as the 2-5 favorite. He finished second by a length to multiple graded stakes winner Plainsman, who completed the mile in 1:33.85. The colt was being pointed toward the Cigar Mile Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) when a training injury forced his retirement. He won three of his four starts and earned $229,888. Stonestreet Farm offered Beau Liam at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale through Gainesway's consignment, where his final bid of $385,000—the highest hammer price of any Liam's Map yearling that year—did not meet his reserve, so Stonestreet welcomed him into its stable. The colt is out of the grade 2 winner and multiple stakes producer Belle of Perintown (Dehere). The mare won the Silverbulletday Stakes (G2) at 3 and captured the Pocahontas Stakes at 2. She also placed in the Fair Ground Oaks (G2) on her way to earning more than $265,000. As a broodmare, Belle of Perintown has produced grade 3 winner Strike It Rich, multiple graded-placed stakes winner Tomlin, and stakes-placed Sumptuous, who is the dam of grade 1-placed, graded stakes winner Great Stuff. The female line traces to grade 1 winner Jeanne Jones and grade 3 winner Beautiful Glass, who are both multiple stakes producers. "Beau Liam is a brilliantly fast horse by one of the most exciting young stallions in the industry," said Airdrie's Bret Jones. "He is gorgeous and from a top-class family. There is no shortage of important stallions with a similar race record to this horse and their unifying characteristic has almost always been brilliant ability. We believe running the fastest maiden sprint in Churchill Downs history on debut and then following with 106 and 107 Beyers absolutely merits that distinction. We have been given a tremendous opportunity by Barbara Banke and the great team at Spendthrift Farm to stand this horse and we will be supporting him heavily to ensure he has the opportunity we all believe he deserves." "This horse was an absolute freak," said Stonestreet Farm bloodstock adviser John Moynihan. "Everyone saw what he did as a 3-year-old, but he showed us that talent at 2 as well. I would have the same belief in Beau Liam's stallion potential as when we retired Maclean's Music. He's that kind of special. He will get a great chance at Airdrie Stud." "He's just a freakishly fast horse," said Asmussen. "I wish we'd had the opportunity to get a grade 1 next to his name, but anyone who saw him run knows he was of that talent level."