Howard says Eagle training beautifully in advance of Mineshaft

William S. Farish’s homebred Eagle makes his 5-year-old bow on Saturday in the Grade III $125,000 Mineshaft Handicap for trainer Neil Howard and looks to improve upon a tough loss to Majestic Harbor after a stretch-long battle in the 2016 edition of the 1 1/16-miles event.

 

“I feel like he’s trained beautifully for this race and he’s ready to go,” Howard said. “It’s a high-end race to come back in, but with these kinds of horses that’s what you have to do. I feel like he really turned the corner early last season and came a long way. He became a model citizen. It’s always a little bit tough to come back, though.” 

 

Last seen finishing fourth in the Grade II Suburban Handicap at Belmont on July 9 in what was his 11th race in 10 months, the son of Candy Ride (ARG) has trained forwardly, including a sharp six-furlong drill in 1:12.40 on Feb. 13. Blessed with the ability to rate, set the pace or close from well back, the maternal grandson of Howard-trained Horse of the Year Mineshaft drew well in post two and has the return services of Brian Hernandez, Jr. as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the well-matched field of eight older horses. He will be be facing rival International Star for the sixth time in their careers, having finished ahead of said Mike Maker trainee in three of their five meetings. 

 

“These are good horses, but I like how he’s training,” Howard said. “He usually doesn’t get too far back and I think we got a little unlucky on a couple of occasions last year where he got hung wide more than a couple times. I think that might have cost him a race or two, but you never know, as it’s all hindsight. If he can save some ground, that’s the part that will help a little bit. It’s a first start back and I think getting a later start could help develop his season and give us a chance to be around in the fall. We’ll get through this race first and try to get a series of three or four races in.”

 

Howard confirmed that an early season goal for the Grade III winner is the Grade I Stephen Foster Handicap, a race he was unlucky to lose in 2016 when a flying second, beaten a half-length by Bradester. 

 

“He’s just been a very genuine horse,” Howard concluded. “I was glad to get him for one more season.” 

 

 

 

While much, if not all of the focus in the Grade II $200,000 Rachel Alexandra will be on favorites Farrell, Shane’s Girlfriend and Valadorna — and rightfully so — one filly who appears to be on the proper trajectory is Lee Mauberret’s Wicked Lick. With six races under her belt, the Brendan Walsh-trained Maclean’s Music daughter has three runs on the dirt, including a runner-up effort to Farrell last out in the Listed $145,000 Silverbulletday Stakes on Jan. 21.

 

“I really like how she’s doing,” Walsh said. “She keeps improving and she looks well. She’s a nice, good-looking filly and her race last time was very good.” 

 

Closing from second-last in the Silverbulletday, the chestnut charge looked like a possible winner when wheeling off the turn full of run, but could not get to Grade II-winning victress Farrell that day, falling less than three lengths short over the muddy going. One race prior, she was second in allowance company to fellow Rachel Alexandra starter Untapped after having to wait on the far turn. 

 

“The thing about her is that I know she will try,” Walsh concluded. “She’s a tough filly who will give it all she has.” 

 

A homebred out of the Dehere mare Here Music, she has the return services of Brian Hernandez, Jr., on Saturday and breaks just outside Valadorna in post six of seven. With an expected strong pace to be spearheaded by Gris Gris, who breaks directly to her outside, the dynamics of the race seem to favor the late-running pair of Valadorna and Wicked Lick. 

 

 

 

William Stiritz’s pride and joy of the barn, Hogy, keeps on producing for trainer Scott Becker. The son of Offlee Wild is, at least on numbers, performing at a career-best at age eight and keeps putting forth big efforts. The crux is that different situations have prevented the late-closing nearly black gelding from getting his picture taken in five of his last six starts, including a quartet of runner-up efforts — three in stakes company. 

 

“He’s firing every time, but that’s just how it goes,” Becker said. “He’s doing great and everything is good with him. The shorter field this time hopefully means less traffic and not going as wide. The good thing is that everything is the same with him. He’s a great one to have and everyone in the barn loves him.”

 

A graded stakes winner and victor in 15 of 40 career starts, including 30 on-the-board finishes, the earner of $818,347 breaks from post two in Saturday’s $50,000 Colonel Power Stakes and will take on favorite Green Mask, to whom he finished third two back in the $75,000 Bonapaw Stakes Dec. 17. Sandwiched between that race and his upcoming run was a heartbreaking runner-up effort in the $75,000 Turf Sprint at Sam Houston, where he was forced to swing six-wide. Florent Geroux, who was aboard that day, gets a second chance and a longer stretch to work with this time.