Santa Anita: Ultimate Eagle work takes two days to finish

ARCADIA, Calif. – It took two tries, but the multiple stakes winner Ultimate Eagle finally completed a workout over the weekend.

Last Friday, Ultimate Eagle was about a half-mile into a workout at Hollywood Park when an iron broke, forcing an exercise rider to pull up the 4-year-old, trainer Mike Pender said. On Sunday, Ultimate Eagle worked five furlongs in 1:00.60.

“You add those two together, and he’s worked about nine-eighths,” Pender said.

Pender plans to start Ultimate Eagle in the $200,000 Strub Stakes for 4-year-olds over 1 1/8 miles on Feb. 4. Owned by B.J. Wright, Ultimate Eagle won the Grade 2 Oak Tree Derby and Grade 1 Hollywood Derby in the fall. He was third in the Grade 2 Sir Beaufort Stakes on turf here Dec. 26.

The Strub Stakes will be Ultimate Eagle’s ninth start, but first on dirt. He has raced three times on a synthetic track and five times on turf.