Eagle, Noble Bird clash again in Alysheba
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Round 2 of what may prove to be a season-long rivalry between Eagle and Noble Bird will take place Friday, when the two locally based handicap stars square off in the Grade 2, $400,000 Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Eagle ran down the pacesetting Noble Bird to register a 1 1/4-length decision in the Grade 3 Ben Ali three weeks ago at Keeneland. Both horses will wheel back on short rest, this time over their home course, while also breaking alongside one another from posts 4 and 5 in the 1 1/16-mile Alysheba.
Eagle earned a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure while registering his first graded stakes win in the Ben Ali, a race trainer Neil Howard believes was the best yet for the consistent son of Candy Ride who is owned by his breeder, William Farish.
“He’s doing well,” Howard said. “It seems like he’s really held his form over a period of time and actually getting better as he’s gone along, mentally more so than anything. The race is here, and we thought since he’s always run well on this racetrack, it made sense to bring him back in this spot. My one concern is that he also went into the Ben Ali off only three weeks, so that means we’re doing it two times in a row, although the way he’s trained, I couldn’t feel better about him.”
Eagle shares the high weight of 120 pounds in the Alysheba with Midnight Storm, who is not likely to start after being cross-entered in Saturday’s Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic.
Noble Bird surprisingly got loose on the lead in the nine-furlong Ben Ali but could not withstand Eagle’s late charge while making just his second start since the Grade 1 Whitney last August at Saratoga. Noble Bird won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster here last spring.
“Coming back in three weeks was always the plan,” said Mark Casse, who trains Noble Bird for John Oxley. “He loves Churchill Downs, and I really don’t see how he couldn’t move forward off his last race. I guess Eagle is the one to beat again, although the horse from California also looks tough,” he said, referring to Cat Burglar. “It’s not an easy spot.”
Cat Burglar is another who continues to improve with age and is coming off arguably his best performance, a two-length victory in the Santana Mile at Santa Anita, where he earned a career-high 102 Beyer.
Alysheba, Race 9
Key Contenders
Eagle, by Candy Ride
Last 3 Beyers: 101-96-99
◗ Howard said he fears Noble Bird in the rematch. “With that last race under his belt, he’s going to be tough,” Howard said. “I hope he isn’t allowed to make the lead as easily this time as he did at Keeneland.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Eagle. Trainer Neil Howard is 34-3-7-7 with a $0.93 ROI over the past five years in graded stakes following an in-the-money finish in the previous start (11-0-3-2 with last-out winners). Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Noble Bird, by Birdstone
Last 3 Beyers: 99-74-73
◗ “I didn’t expect to see him on the lead last time,” said Casse. “I wanted Julien [Leparoux] to get him into the race. He broke running, and Julien really did the right thing letting him go to the front.”
Cat Burglar, by Unbridled’s Song
Last 3 Beyers: 102-101-99
◗ Has been in peak form since returning from a five-month layoff in January but did finish a distant fifth behind Noble Bird when they last met in the Stephen Foster.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Top Billing. Trainer Shug McGaughey is 26-7-4-2 with a $2.46 ROI over the past five years in dirt routes in the third start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan