Noble Bird works in preparation for Whitney

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Mark Casse is back at Saratoga this summer after a three year hiatus, and he’s brought a barn full of runners with him, led by Noble Bird, who won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster in his last start and is on target for the Grade 1 Whitney here on Aug. 8.

Noble Bird got his first real feel for the racetrack on Sunday, working five furlongs over a dull strip in 59.96 seconds before galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.06.

“I thought he worked pretty good and galloped out decent,” said Casse. “We tried to give him a target, but the target only lasted a quarter of a mile, and he is a son of a gun. He tries to pull himself up when he makes the lead. He does it working, and he does it in his races, too. The most important thing is that it appears he likes this track, which is good since some horses just don’t seem to handle it at all.”

Noble Bird, who is owned by John Oxley, has won three of his last four starts, with those victories coming by a combined margin of less than a half-length.

“I told Mr. Oxley when he was a 2-year-old that we were going to win the Kentucky Derby with this horse,” said Casse. “But he came up with one issue after another, so it’s really gratifying to finally see him doing what he’s doing as a 4-year-old. A lot of people say it’s surprising he’s gotten so good, but it doesn’t surprise me.”

Among Noble Bird’s competition in the Whitney will be Liam’s Map, who worked five furlongs in 1:00.62 over a very dead track on Saturday. Liam’s Map will be seeking his fifth straight victory in the Whitney, his Grade 1 debut.

“He worked really well on Saturday, he’s doing great,” said Todd Pletcher, who trains Liam’s Map.

Casse will be in action in two Grade 1 races on opening weekend, with Tepin in the Diana on Saturday and Conquest Eclipse in the Coaching Club American Oaks on Sunday. Conquest Eclipse also turned in a sharp work on Sunday, going a half-mile in 47.88 seconds.

Casse said he thought Conquest Eclipse worked better than Noble Bird, “because she did it so easily.