Noble Bird to show the way in loaded Clark Handicap

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 143rd Clark Handicap appears to set up rather simply: Noble Bird will be on the early lead, and the rest will have to come get him.

“The plan is to break good and then leave him alone,” said Julien Leparoux, who will ride Noble Bird on Friday in the Grade 1, $500,000 Clark, the annual showcase race of the Churchill Downs fall meet. “If they think we’re not going fast enough and they try us, that might hurt their chances, too.”

The last two winners of the 1 1/8-mile Clark, Hoppertunity (2014) and Effinex (2015), will be among those in hot pursuit of Noble Bird, along with Shaman Ghost, Gun Runner, and five others.

Noble Bird (post 6), owned by John Oxley and based primarily at Churchill with trainer Mark Casse, was an impressive wire-to-wire winner of his last two races, the Oct. 1 Lukas Classic at Churchill and the Oct. 29 Fayette at Keeneland. The 5-year-old horse is a millionaire with one Grade 1 victory, the 2015 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill, to his credit.

“Noble Bird proved he can go fast early and still finish fast,” said Leparoux. “My job is to be very quiet and very relaxed. You can’t fight with him. You have to stay out of his way and get him to relax as much as he can without having a big hold of him. If I can do that, we should have a big chance.”

Otherwise, the scramble is on.

Hoppertunity (post 9, John Velazquez), the 124-pound highweight under the handicap conditions, most recently was fourth in the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Classic for Bob Baffert. The 5-year-old horse was flown here early this week from California and into the temporary care of fellow Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

While his traveling assistant, Jimmy Barnes, will be here Friday to saddle Hoppertunity, Baffert joked he will watch the race from “my Grade 1 couch” at home. Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, Hoppertunity has earned more than $3.8 million while consistently registering triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures.

“We’re expecting a big effort,” said Baffert.

From New York, trainer Jimmy Jerkens has sent the uncoupled duo of Effinex (post 2, Junior Alvarado) and Shaman Ghost (post 4, Javier Castellano). Effinex was a distant seventh in the BC Classic, while Shaman Ghost was scratched from the same race because of a minor illness from which he quickly recovered. Both are Grade 1 winners.

“They’re two good horses, and they’ve shown they’ve got a lot of class and you’ve got to give them a try,” said Jerkens, who arrived here Tuesday.

In stark contrast to his 24-length drubbing earlier this month, Effinex was a strong second to American Pharoah in the BC Classic last fall at Keeneland prior to winning the Clark.

“It looks like he’s perked up some” since his last race, said Jerkens.

Gun Runner (post 1, Florent Geroux), the only 3-year-old in the lineup, also is back from the Breeders’ Cup after finishing second to Tamarkuz in the Nov. 4 BC Dirt Mile.

The longer shots in the Clark are Are You Kidding Me (post 3, Alan Garcia), Hawaakom (post 5, Miguel Mena), Breaking Lucky (post 7, Luis Contreras), Mr. Z (post 8, Ricardo Santana Jr.), and Prayer for Relief (post 10, Robby Albarado).

The Clark is the 11th of 12 races on a card that also includes the Grade 2, $200,000 Mrs. Revere (race 10), the $80,000 Dream Supreme (race 8), and two allowances (races 6 and 9). First post is 1 p.m. Eastern, with the Clark being run under the lights at 5:56.

Other than years when the Breeders’ Cup is run here, the Friday after Thanksgiving perennially draws the biggest crowd of the fall meet. The weather forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high of 55.

KEY CONTENDERS

Hoppertunity, by Any Given Saturday
Last 3 Beyers: 103-104-101

◗ Scratched from the 2014 Kentucky Derby as the second program choice to California Chrome, he has gone on to an outstanding career that includes five graded stakes wins, the most recent coming in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in October.

Noble Bird, by Birdstone
Last 3 Beyers: 106-96-89

◗ Clues as to why his form has been alternately brilliant and dull can often be uncovered in how those races set up and whether or not he had an alert start and relaxed sufficiently as the races unfolded.

Effinex, by Mineshaft
Last 3 Beyers: 84-103-103

◗ Bred and owned by the Tri-Bone Stables of Russell Cohen, this 5-year-old New York-bred has earned more than $3.3 million while ranking in the top echelon of the handicap division for nearly two years now.

Shaman Ghost, by Ghostzapper
Last 3 Beyers: 106-94-99

◗ His most recent start resulted in a 9-1 upset of the Grade 1 Woodward on Sept. 3 at Saratoga when treated with the anti-bleeding medication Lasix for the first time.

Gun Runner, by Candy Ride
Last 3 Beyers: 101-102-102

◗ Consistent colt has gone toe-to-toe with the best of the 3-year-old class and now makes just his second start against older horses.