Preakness profile: Liveyourbeastlife

Liveyourbeastlife has come a long way since his debut in a $62,500 maiden claiming race at Belmont Park last fall — so far that he has emerged as a contender for the Oct. 3 Preakness (G1) at Pimlico.

Slow but steady improvement has been the name of the game for Liveyourbeastlife, a stoutly bred son of Ghostzapper, produced by the stakes-winning Kris S. mare Ellie’s Moment. A half-brother to the talented turf filly Time and Motion, winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1), Liveyourbeastlife was bred in Kentucky by Phillips Racing Partnership and sold for $200,000 as a 2-year-old.

Racing in the colors of William Lawrence, Liveyourbeastlife debuted six months after his sale. He romped to victory by 4 1/4 lengths Sept. 18. Trainer Jorge Abreu was quick to try the dark bay colt against stakes company, but Liveyourbeastlife could only finish sixth in the Nashua (G3) at Aqueduct, the first of five consecutive defeats through the winter, spring, and summer.

Competing primarily in allowance races, Liveyourbeastlife finally returned to the winner’s circle in a 1 1/8-mile event Aug. 12 at Saratoga, his first start around two turns. With a rally from a pace-tracking position, Liveyourbeastlife rolled home by 2 1/4 lengths, with a career-best 95 Brisnet Speed rating.

Proving the performance wasn’t a fluke, Liveyourbeastlife outran expectations when he stepped up in class for the 1 1/8-mile Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga. Reserved at the back of the pack early on, Liveyourbeastlife unleashed a late charge down the homestretch to finish second, less than a length behind fellow Preakness contender Mystic Guide.

Since Liveyourbeastlife’s pedigree is geared toward improvement with maturity and distance, it is easy to understand why he’s rocketed forward since he stretched out over the summer. In the Jim Dandy, he had a career-best 104 Brisnet Late Pace rating, with a 95 Brisnet Speed rating, which hints he hasn’t reached his peak and can continue to improve through the fall and beyond.

Keep in mind, Ghostzapper was a Grade 1-winning 3-year-old, but he peaked as a 4-year-old, when he dominated the 1 1/4-mile Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in the stakes-record time of 1:59.02. If Liveyourbeastlife follows the path of his sire, his best is surely still to come.