Ultimate Eagle to enjoy a shortened ride in the Sir Beaufort Stakes at Santa Anita on Boxing Day.
Michael Pender is looking to use up all the luck, Ultimate Eagle is riding on lately, and don’t want the colt’s supreme run go to waste, which is why the conditioner has presented Ultimate Eagle with another challenge, worthy of his ability and talent.
Fresh from his Grade 1 Hollywood Derby win, when sent at 14 to 1 odds, Ultimate Eagle is now pointed towards the Grade 2, $150,000 Sir Beaufort Stakes, that will be held on the Santa Anita Park meet’s opening day on 26 December, 2011.
The Kentucky bred will attempt to extend his winning streak to five races when he takes on a formidable competition of 9 colts and geldings, over a distance of 1 mile on turf.
The race will be exclusive for 3-year-old males. The 3-year-old gelding, Comma to the Top, will add more spice to the lineup, if he goes on to start in the Sir Beaufort Stakes.
The Peter Miller trainee is cross entered for the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes as well, which is also a part of the big opening day stakes' races at Santa Anita.
Comma to the Top is coming off a victory in a seven furlong long allowance test at Hollywood Park on 11 December, 2011, over the venue’s cushion track, covering the distance in 1 minute and 21.63 seconds.
Exiting a fifth place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile on 5 November, 2011, at Churchill Downs, Mr. Commons is also entered in the Sir Beaufort Stakes, and this time he would like to get his mile range spot on.
The son of Mizzen Mast, out of mare Letithappencaptain by Captain Bodgit, Ultimate Eagle will be cutting back in distance after exiting a race which stretched out to 1 ¼ miles in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby.
“We have certain goals to meet every year and within those goals, we can call some audibles, and this is one of them,” said Pender. He said that he was originally pointing Ultimate Eagle for a start on dirt in either the San Fernando Stakes (gr. II) or the Strub (gr. II).
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