Eagle attempts to become fourth back-to-back winner of Ben Ali

W.S. Farish’s Eagle will face seven rivals Saturday as he attempts to become the fourth back-to-back winner of the $200,000 Ben Ali (G3).

The 87th Ben Ali, run at 1 1/8 miles on the main track, will go as the seventh races on Saturday’s  11-race program with a 4:24 p.m. ET post time. First post time Saturday is 1:05 p.m.

Trained by Neil Howard, Eagle enters Saturday’s Ben Ali off a fourth-place finish two weeks ago in the New Orleans Handicap (G2) at Fair Grounds. Robby Albarado has the mount and will break from post position two.

Howard has won the Ben Ali five times and Albarado four, with the two of them teaming up for victories in 2003 with Horse of the Year Mineshaft, 2004 with Midway Road and 2005 with Alumni Hall.

The most recent horse to repeat in the Ben Ali was Aspro in 1983-1984.

Another Ben Ali entrant, Scuba, brings a three-race win streak into the Ben Ali with all victories coming by open lengths. The 6-year-old Tapit gelding, trained by Brendan Walsh, won the 1½-mile Greenwood Cup (G3) at Parx by five lengths, the 1 5/8-mile Temperence Hill at Belmont Park by three lengths and then the 1¾-mile Marathon by 4¼ lengths.

Kendrick Carmouche, who has been aboard for all three of those victories, has the call Saturday and will break from post position four.

The field for the Ben Ali, from the rail out, is: Blofeld (Florent Geroux, 118 pounds), Eagle (Albarado, 118), Watershed (Paco Lopez, 118), Scuba (Carmouche, 120), Taketothestreets (Channing Hill, 118), Bird Song (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), Conquest Enforcer (Joel Rosario, 118) and Frammento (Nik Juarez, 118).  

Stonestreet Stables, George Bolton and Peter Leidel’s European champion Lady Aurelia, a Group 1 and 2 winner last year in Europe, will make her 2017 debut Saturday against older fillies and mares in the 21st running of the $100,000 Giant’s Causeway.

The Giant’s Causeway, run at 5½ furlongs on the turf, will go as the eighth race on Saturday’s 11-race program with a 4:57 p.m. ET post time.

Trained by Wesley Ward, Lady Aurelia debuted at Keeneland April 21 with a 7½-length romp. Two months later she moved to the grass and won the Queen Mary (G2) at Royal Ascot in England and two months after that won the Group 1 Darley Prix Morny at Deauville in France.

Lady Aurelia closed 2016 with a third-place finish in the Cheveley Park Stakes (G1) at Newmarket in England.

The only 3-year-old in the Giant’s Causeway, Lady Aurelia will be ridden by Julio Garcia and break from post position seven.

Also making her 2017 debut is defending champion Exaggerated.

Owned by Lael Stables, Exaggerated will try to become the first repeat winner of the Giant’s Causeway.

Trained by Arnaud Delacour, Exaggerated will be ridden by Flavien Prat and break from post position four.

The field for the Giant’s Causeway, from the rail out, is: Ruby Notion (Joel Rosario, 120 pounds), Triple Chelsea (Wilmer Garcia, 120), Nobody’s Fault (Jose Valdivia Jr., 120), Exaggerated (Prat, 120), Rapid Rhythm (James Graham, 120), Come to Mischief (Perry Ouzts, 120), Lady Aurelia (Garcia, 117), Lots o’ Lex (Jesus Castanon, 120), Bibby (Jose Lezcano, 120), Pretty Perfection (Paco Lopez, 125), Lajatico (GB) (Florent Geroux, 120) and  Miss Katie Mae (IRE) (Jose Ortiz, 120). Also-eligible: Marquee Cal Gal (Jack Gilligan, 120) and Super Saks (Declan Cannon, 120).

Thursday’s Appalachian (G3) Presented by Japan Racing Association marks the 2017 debut of e Five Racing Thoroughbreds’ New Money Honey, a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) in November.

“I’ve had a lot of luck (in the Appalachian),” trainer Chad Brown said. “I think it’s a good race to get her started.”

Brown has two wins in the Appalachian with Dayatthespa in 2012 and Lady Eli in 2015. In 2012, Dayatthespa returned to Keeneland’s Fall Meet and won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1). In consecutive races in 2014, she captured the First Lady (G1) at Keeneland and the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) at Santa Anita, and received the Eclipse Award as the year’s champion female turf runner.

Lady Eli, who won the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita, made her 3-year-old debut in the Appalachian. On Saturday, Lady Eli will make her first start of 2017 in Keeneland’s Jenny Wiley (G1).

Before shipping to Keeneland, New Money Honey was at Palm Meadows in South Florida, where on April 1 she turned in her final serious work for the Appalachian: five furlongs on firm turf in 1:00.50. On Saturday at Keeneland, she worked four furlongs in :50.20 on a fast dirt track for what Brown called “a little maintenance breeze.”

In the Appalachian, New Money Honey’s rivals include three fillies who ran behind her in the Breeders’ Cup: runner-up Coasted, fourth-place finisher Lull and sixth-place finisher La Coronel. The field of 12 includes four fillies exiting stakes wins: Herecomesthebride (G3) winner Dream Dancing, Ginger Brew winner Bellavais, Melody of Colors winner Morticia and Bourbonette Oaks (G3) winner Purely a Dream.

‘She’s coming into the race terrific,” trainer Chad Brown said about New Money Honey, a graduate of Keeneland’s 2015 September Yearling Sale.

“We’re excited to get the year started. (The Appalachian has a) tough field. She’s going to have to come with a good race right off the layoff, but she’s training real well.”