04/12/2012 5:03PM

Santa Anita: Ultimate Eagle gets extended vacation

By Steve Andersen
Email

Ultimate Eagle, the winner of the Grade 2 Strub Stakes but the beaten favorite in the Santa Anita Handicap last month, has been taken out of training until late summer, trainer Mike Pender said on Thursday.

A winner of 5 of 10 starts and $467,800 for owner B.J. Wright, Ultimate Eagle was being considered for Saturday’s Charles Town Classic in West Virginia when the decision was made, Pender said.

“He’s getting a little rest,” Pender said. “I’d like to get him revved up and ready to go with an eye on the Breeders’ Cup.”

Ultimate Eagle had three workouts in late March and early April, including a six-furlong breeze in 1:14 at Hollywood Park on April 3, before the decision was made to take him out of training.

The Breeders’ Cup meeting will be held at Santa Anita on Nov. 2-3.

Pender said that Ultimate Eagle could return to training by late summer. Ultimate Eagle has won three stakes in his career. Last fall, he won the Grade 2 Oak Tree Derby and Grade 1 Hollywood Derby, both on turf.