by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — A few months ago, Dr. Scott Woogen and Brenda Messenger purchased a promising, lightly raced New Zealand pacer, King Liam N, by the American-bred stallion Lislea, and the 5-year-old gelding appears to be everything that the duo hoped he’d be.

Racehorsephoto.com photo

King Liam N won his fourth straight U.S. start on Tuesday.

On Tuesday (April 24) at Monticello Raceway, King Liam N notched his fourth consecutive U.S. victory when Gary Messenger (Brenda’s hubby) reined the gelding to an impressive 1:57.3 victory in an event for non-winners of seven races lifetime. All of King Liam N’s other U.S. victories were sub-2:00 miles — in the 1:59 range — with Tuesday’s clocking being the pacer’s current standard.

King Liam N was also victorious in one of two New Zealand starts this past January prior to coming to America and now has five wins in six seasonal starts.

During 2006, King Liam N started but three times, winning one and finishing second in the other two, and now has nine lifetime races under his belt.

As he did in their last two races, Messenger put King Liam on the front end and proceeded to make every pole a winning one. He got his pacer over to the half-mile marker in 1:00 flat and then King Liam N kicked in a :57.3 final half to score a neck victory over Stand Sharp BJ (Jordan “the Kid” Stratton), a 1:55.3 winner at Saratoga Raceway last year, though a non-winner in four 2007 starts.

“In the stretch they were coming and I got after him a bit and he dug in and wouldn’t let anyone head him,” Messenger said of King Liam N’s triumph. “He really impresses me, so much so that I plan on breeding two of my mares to his sire Lislea.”

Messenger also trains King Liam N, who paid $5.60 for win.

Also on the card, in the featured $14,300 Preferred Handicap Pace, Magnum and driver Stephane Bouchard sat a two hole pocket trip behind pace-setter Umoja N (Ron Cushing) until the top of the stretch and then rallied down the passing lane to overtake the leader and score a 1:56 victory. Tough Customer, who had won two of the last three Preferred Paces here, finished third for driver Mike Forte, three lengths behind the winner.

Magnum, a 5-year-old Cambest stallion owned by J and J Como, Jr. Inc., returned a $7.30 win payoff.