“I was confident because the jockey [Manny Franco] looked so comfortable on him,” said winning trainer Christophe Clement. “When Carmouche [Kendrick, aboard No. 3, Bustin Pietre] came to him at the three-eighths, I was a little anxious, but at soon as he shook him up at the quarter-pole, I thought he looked comfortable and he won going away. He's a nice horse.”

Franco added, “He's a very nice sprinter. I wanted to break good and then he did the rest. My plan was to go to the lead and slow down the pace if I could. That's how he likes to run. As soon as I made the lead, I didn't feel too much pressure. I was able to slow down the first part and I knew after that I was going to be tough.”

Senbei opened his career with a 4 3/4-length victory going 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga July 18 and followed up with a 2 3/4-length win in the 6 1/2-furlong Funny Cide S. at the historic upstate oval Aug. 27. He suffered his first loss when second in the seven-furlong Bertram F. Bongard S. at Finger Lakes Sept. 26, but cut back to six furlongs and returned to the winner's circle in the Oct. 18 New York Breeders' Futurity last time out.

As for what is next for Senbei, Clement said, “He'll have a break now. We've been squeezing him a little bit. He's had five starts. He's a good horse and a fast horse. It will be interesting to see if he can come back next year and stretch his speed a little bit.”

Sweet Aloha has a yearling colt by Union Rags who sold for $60,000 at last month's Fasig-Tipton October sale. The mare was bred to Twirling Candy last spring. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

 NOTEBOOK S., $97,000, Aqueduct, 11-21, (S), 2yo, 6f, 1:11.49, ft.
1–SENBEI, 122, c, 2, by Candy Ride (Arg)
                1st Dam: Sweet Aloha, by Western Cat
                2nd Dam: Sweet Leilani, by Tagish
                3rd Dam: Mauna Loa, by Hawaii
($280,000 Ylg '20 KEEJAN). O-Reeves Thoroughbred Racing &
Darlene Bilinski; B-Jerry Bilinski (NY); T-Christophe Clement;
J-Manuel Franco. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 5-4-1-0, $364,857.
*1/2 to Filibustin (Bustin Stones), MSW, $309,140; 1/2 to
Indy's Lady (Take Charge Indy), MSW, $202,378.
2–Bustin Pietre, 120, g, 2, Bustin Stones–Amulay, by It's No
Joke. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Roddy J. Valente (NY); T-Bruce N.
Levine. $20,000.
3–Daufuskie Island, 120, c, 2, Goldencents–Livermore Valley,
by Mt. Livermore. O/B-Robert Hahn (NY); T-Kelly J. Breen.
$12,000.
Margins: 8 1/4, HF, 4HF. Odds: 0.25, 9.30, 5.40.
Also Ran: Bali's Shade, Cool Laoban. Scratched: Kenner.

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Eagle Orb, trained by Rudy Rodriguez, is listed at 10-1 on the morning line for the nine-horse Withers, which offers 10-4-2-1 qualifying points to the top-four finishers towards the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 1.

The Withers will mark the first time Eagle Orb will contest at nine furlongs after making two starts at a mile, which resulted in runner-up efforts in the Sleepy Hollow against fellow New York-breds as a juvenile in October at Belmont and a second to Withers-rival [and 3-1 favorite] Capo Kane last out in the Jerome on New Year's Day that also offered up 10-4-2-1 points.

“We're going to see if he wants to go that far,” Rodriguez said. “I don't know if he can, but we want to give him that chance and hope for the best. We've been thinking about it and hopefully it's the right move.”

Bred by Barry Ostrager, Eagle Orb is 2-3-0 in six career starts with earnings of $183,100. The son of Orb won his first start at Aqueduct, closing his 2-year-old year with a 2 3/4-length score in the Notebook over a track labeled good on November 14 before returning to earn blacktype over a muddy track in the Jerome.

Eagle Orb drew the outside post with Jorge Vargas, Jr. in the irons.

“I think he's a pretty honest horse. He tries,” said Rodriguez. “I don't like the post that much. I wish I drew inside, but we'll try to put him in the race early and hope for the best.”

Repole Stable's stakes-veteran Backsideofthemoon will also run this weekend at the Big A for Rodriguez, with the 9-year-old son of Malibu Moon entered for a nine-furlong allowance tilt in Sunday's Race 7.

Backsideofthemoon ran fourth in the Jazil in his seasonal bow on January 23 under jockey Jose Lezcano. Rodriguez said he's hoping for a better start, which was the recipe for success when he led a six-horse field gate-to-wire to win the Queens County going the same distance on December 19 at Aqueduct, earning a career-best 106 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He looked like he came back pretty good,” Rodriguez said. “We're running him right back because I don't think he ran his race last time. Jose Lezcano said he tried to break before the gate and when it opened, he hit it pretty hard. When that happens, he kind of stumbled a bit and he wasn't really in it that day, so we're going to give him another chance.”

Backsideofthemoon will pick up the services of meet-leading rider Kendrick Carmouche on Sunday, drawing post 6 as the 6-5 morning-line favorite.

Rodriguez said Michael Dubb's Pete's Play Call is doing well following a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Toboggan on January 30. The 8-year-old Munnings gelding made his first graded stakes appearance in his 47th career start

“He came back pretty good, so we'll take it easy for a couple of days and then see in the next week or two what the next possible spot will be,” Rodriguez said.

Since being claimed for $62,500 out of a win at Aqueduct on November 27, Pete's Play Call won the Gravesend on January 2 and finished a half-length back to American Power in the Toboggan.

“He's been very consistent since last year with [previous trainer John] Toscano and continues to be that going along, so just to have him in the barn is good, because we don't have a lot of horses who train better than him,” Rodriguez said.

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Owned by E. V. Racing Stable, the son of 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb earned four points on the Derby trail when finishing second to Capo Kane in the Jerome on New Year's Day at the Big A going a one-turn mile.

The Withers will be Eagle Orb's first start going two turns as he attempts his first overall win past six furlongs. He broke his maiden going three-quarters on Aug. 21 at Saratoga and four starts later won the Notebook Stakes on Nov. 14 at Aqueduct, also going six furlongs.

Eagle Orb last breezed on Jan. 20, completing a five-furlong work in 1:03.07 over the Belmont Park training track.

“We're going to try for the Withers,” Rodriguez said. “He's been training very good. Right now is the time to take a chance so that's the place to go. We just have to keep the dream alive.”

Bred by Barry Ostrager, Eagle Orb is out of the Harlan's Holiday mare Lady On Holiday and was purchased for $95,000 from the Saratoga Preferred New York-bred Yearling Sale in 2019.

Should Rodriguez's Derby dreams come alive, Eagle Orb would be his second starter in the Run for the Roses. His first Derby starter was Vyjack, who won the Jerome and Gotham in 2013, and subsequently finished 18th in the Kentucky Derby.

“He was a nice horse,” Rodriguez said of Vyjack. “He was one of the best horses that we've ever trained.”

Rodriguez said he plans on regrouping with Backsideofthemoon, who was fourth beaten 20 lengths following a slow start under Jose Lezcano as the post time favorite for the Jazil. The 9-year-old son of Malibu Moon arrived off a career-best 106 Beyer in the Dec. 19 Queens County at the Big A.

“We're going to regroup with him,” Rodriguez said. “It looked like he came back good, but I'll check him out the next couple of days. Before the break he was close to the gate and he came out of the gate a step slow. Jose said he tried to break before the gate opened.”

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The Jerome, for newly minted 3-year-olds going one-mile, is a prep for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on May 1, offering 10-4-2-1 qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

Eagle Orb tied a personal-best with a 74 Beyer Speed Figure for his 2 3/4-length victory in the Notebook against fellow New York-breds going six furlongs, marking his first stakes win.

Eagle Orb won his debut on August 21 at Saratoga Race Course and stepped up to stakes company to run second to next-out winner Thin White Duke in the Funny Cide on September 4 at the historic track.

Bred by Barry Ostrager, Eagle Orb is 2-2-0 in five career starts and has been breezing at Belmont since the Notebook as he prepares to stretch back out to one mile for the first time since running second to Brooklyn Strong, another next-out winner, in the Sleepy Hollow on October 24 for state-bred juveniles.

Rodriguez said he's confident to see Eagle Orb compete against open company after a successful 2-year-old campaign.

“We want to stretch him out to the Jerome coming up,” Rodriguez said. “He always tries. He shows he can run good, so we want to give him the opportunity to try that. So far, so good. He's doing everything we asked him. He looks pretty good and if he can run well there, we'll have more confidence in him.”

“Right now, his options are open, but we need to keep dreaming. That's what we are here for,” he added.

On Saturday, Yankee Division earned black type in his stakes debut, running third in the Alex M. Robb at the Big A. Competing at the longest distance of his career at 1 1/8 miles for just the second time in 14 starts, the 4-year-old son of Midnight Lute was last-of-six through the opening half-mile before rallying for third under jockey Jorge Vargas, Jr. finishing five lengths back to winner Bankit and runner-up and two-time defending Alex M. Robb-winner Mr. Buff.

Yankee Division, owned by Rodriguez with Michael Imperio and Andrew Gurdon, has registered three consecutive 86 Beyers, including for is win against allowance company on September 28 at Finger Lakes.

“He's looking good; it was a good performance,” Rodriguez said. “It came up a very tough race, but he was impressive. I think the distance was key for him. He's a big horse and he likes to run and run. The only time I tried to run him long before, it was at Finger Lakes and two turns. He was training good heading into the race, so I was happy.”

Rodriguez said he might try to maximize remaining conditions before returning to stakes company in 2021 for his 5-year-old year, but left open the possibility of higher competition for the gelding who was bred in New York by Carolyn Vogel.

Repole Stable's Backsideofthemoon was nominated to the $100,000 Queens County on Saturday, but Rodriguez instead entered him in an allowance optional claiming contest on Thursday in Aqueduct's Race 5.

The gelded son of Malibu Moon will complete his 8-year-old year in the one-mile contest looking to build on his win against optional claimers on November 13 at Aqueduct going 1 1/8 miles in a race that was moved off the turf.

Rodriguez said the veteran of 46 starts is planning to still run as a 9-year-old in 2021 and return to stakes company; a level at which he competed four times this year, including a second in the Jazil in January and third in the Stymie in March at Aqueduct.

“We're just trying to keep him happy and he's a good horse to be around,” Rodriguez said. “He always tries and he has a good body and good size. We nominated him to the [Queens County] because there aren't that many options this time of year, but we think he'll be in a good spot [Thursday] and then we'll see [what next year brings].”

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Eagle Orb, who entered with a pair of runner-up efforts in three stakes appearances for trainer Rudy Rodriguez, was one of four entrants to burst through the gate before the official start. It was a case of no-harm, no-foul, as all seven horses were re-loaded for the start, with Eagle Orb breaking sharp from post 4.

Storm Shooter set the early speed for a tightly bunched pack, going the opening quarter-mile in 23.28 seconds over a track labeled good. Under current meet-leading rider Kendrick Carmouche, Blue Gator, the 7-5 favorite, took command with the half-mile going in 47.26 as Storm Shooter retreated to the back of the pack.

Out of the turn, jockey Manny Franco urged Eagle Orb from the outside, where he overtook Blue Gator and drew away, hitting the wire in 1:11.71 while improving to 2-2-0 in five career starts. Bred by Barry Ostrager, Eagle Orb built on runner-up efforts in Funny Cide going 6 1/2 furlongs on Sept. 4 at Saratoga Race Course and a last-out second in the one-turn mile Sleepy Hollow on Oct. 24 at Belmont Park.

“I think he's a better horse sprinting,” Franco said. “Today, he was in a nice stalking position and when I put him in position, he started going very comfortably and started opening up.”

Cutting back in distance, Eagle Orb won for the first time since a triumphant debut on Aug. 21 at the Spa. Off at 6-1, he returned $12.20 on a $2 win bet and improved his career earnings to $153,100.

“I didn't want to get involved in the speed duel early,” Franco said. “I was trying not to take my horse too far off the pace, but I didn't want to be up there. I wanted to wait behind the speed. My horse settled nice for me and when I put him in the clear, he took me there after that.”

Added Franco on the start: “The horse on the outside of us [Horn of Plenty] was kind of moving around and all the horses broke through the door, that's when it happened.”

Rodriguez praised Eagle Orb's consistent start to his career.

“This horse always shows up. I was a little disappointed why we didn't get the last two wins,” Rodriguez said. “He's been close at Saratoga and at Belmont. He was knocking at the door.”

Three Diamonds Farm's Blue Gator, a stakes winner last out in the New York Breeders' Futurity over a sloppy and sealed Finger Lakes track on Oct. 26, finished 6 1/4 lengths ahead of Market Alert for second for trainer Mike Maker.

“I didn't want him to be that close, but those horses weren't fast enough to beat my horse there, so I was just sitting as long as I could,” Carmouche said. “I asked my horse to run around the turn and at the quarter pole he quickened up, but the other horse quickened faster than me. I thought he ran his race.”

Horn of Plenty, Lookin for Trouble, Storm Shooter and Half Right completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes on Sunday at the Big A with a 10-race card highlighted by the $100,000 Winter Memories for 3-year-old fillies in Race 9 at 3:47 p.m. Eastern and the $100,000 Key Cents for New York-bred juvenile fillies going six furlongs in Race 2 at 12:22 p.m. First post is 11:50 a.m.

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