Noble Bird Secures BC Bid with Foster Victory
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John Oxley's Noble Bird claimed his first stakes victory in style June 13, outlasting favored Lea at the wire in the $500,000 Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I) at Churchill Downs to punch his ticket to the Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I).
The 4-year-old Birdstone colt, in just his second stakes start—he was second in the Alysheba (gr. II) at Churchill May 1—tracked early leader and longshot Paganol, who set fast early fractions of :23.39 and :46.81 through a half-mile, while Lea sat three lengths back in fourth.
Off at 9-2 odds, the Mark Casse trainee took over the lead as Paganol tired harshly, hitting six furlongs in 1:10.93, then withstood a drive from the 9-5 favorite to win by a neck. He hit the wire in 1:47.94 under jockey Shaun Bridgmohan in the 1 1/8-mile dirt test.
"This horse is a very nice horse," Bridgmohan said. "Obviously, he's won three out of four and got beat in a heartbreaker on (Kentucky) Oaks day. I thought, if he tried as hard as he has been, he'll be tough to beat ... When he made the lead, he was just idling, waiting for the other horse, waiting for command, and he gave it to me when I asked."
"Every time I came to (Noble Bird), he just kept on going," Lea's jockey, Joel Rosario, said. "My horse ran well and he did everything well, but every time I began to get to the winner, he would respond. For a second I thought I would get there, but every time I came to him, he would just keep on going."
With the Stephen Foster a "Win and You're In" event for the Breeders' Cup Classic Oct. 31 at Keeneland, the colt now has a guaranteed spot in the gate if his connections choose to enter him in the $5 million race.
"I really think a lot of this horse and he got to prove it today," said assistant trainer Norman Casse. "He beat a quality field... (We're) going to keep doing what we've been doing—keep him happy. He's just a really happy, sound horse right now."
Noble Bird delivered $11.40, $5, and $3.20 across the board. Lea paid $3.40 and $2.40, while Hoppertunity, a 5 1/2 lengths back in third, brought $3 to show.
Majestic Harbor was fourth, followed by Cat Burglar, Commissioner, and Paganol, to complete the order of finish
Bred in Kentucky by Jack Swain out of the Tiznow mare Anyhow, Noble Bird has a 4-3-0 record from 10 starts and pushed his earnings to $531,278. He has three wins and a second in dirt races of at least one mile in distance.
Prior to the Alysheba, Noble Bird won back-to-back allowance/optional claiming events—both by a nose—at Oaklawn Park and Keeneland. He broke his maiden, on his fifth attempt, at Del Mar in August of last year.
"I've been around a lot of good horses and he was working about as good as I've ever seen, week after week," Norman Casse said.