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Rodriguez Will ‘Keep The Dream Alive,’ Point Stakes Winner Eagle Orb To Withers

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez said he will keep stakes winner Eagle Orb in pursuit of Kentucky Derby qualifying points and plans on pointing the New York-bred stakes winner to the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers on Feb. 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack. The Withers offers 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

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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Mrs. Orb Ends Seconditis With La Verdad Upset; Entered In Keeneland January Sale

Mrs. Orb's persistence paid off with her first victory in more than a year when she made a move from the outside in the stretch and outkicked 2-5 favorite Sharp Starr to win Sunday's $100,000 La Verdad for New York-bred fillies and mares 4-years-old and up at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Mrs. Orb, who was the runner-up in five consecutive stakes appearances, posted a one-length score, marking her first victory in seven starts dating to the Bay Ridge in December 2019.

Owned by Ruggeri Stable, Richard Coburn, Script R Farm and Michael Miceli, the trainer, Mrs. Orb broke last under jockey Dylan Davis but advanced to third as Prairie Fire led the four-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 24.16 seconds and the half in 47.95 on the muddy and sealed main track.

All four horses stayed in contention out of the turn, with Davis tipping his charge outside of rivals for the stretch run. Mrs. Orb pressed on from the outside at the top of the stretch, dueling Sharp Starr to her immediate inside before gaining separation and completing the seven-furlong course in a final time of 1:24.54.

“She's a hard-trying filly,” Davis said. “I'm just happy that I could get to win with her again. If that's her last race, that's very nice and Mike has done a good job with her throughout her career. I'm just happy to be aboard her and get the job done today.

“I think with the seven-eighths, she had a little more kick to finish to the wire than when she was stretching out,” he added.

Off at the longest shot on the board at 5-1, Mrs. Orb returned $12.20 on a $2 win wager. The 6-year-old Orb mare, bred by Rhapsody Farm, improved her career earnings to $439.520.

“She ran a big race,” Miceli said. “She sat off the pace nicely, dragged Dylan [Davis] up to the leaders and when he asked her to run, she delivered. “She got floated wide, but she dug in nicely. She's tough and she always delivers. I was glad she got over the seconditis.”

The victory, which improved her career ledger to 6-8-3 in 23 starts, could be the finale to a career that started in 2018. Miceli said she is catalogued at Keeneland's Horses of All Ages Sale on January 11.

“That's still the intention. Things can always change, but right now that's still on,” Miceli said.”

Sharp Starr, owned by Barry Schwartz and trained by Horacio DePaz, was three lengths clear of Espresso Shot for second. Prairie Fire was fourth.

“She handled the track fine,” said Sharp Starr jockey Trevor McCarthy. “She sat off the slow pace and was comfortable. She gave me a good kick, but we just got outrun today. She was the big favorite but I have no excuses. The other mare was just a little bit better today.”

Timely Tradition and Sadie Lady scratched.

Live racing resumes Thursday at Aqueduct with an eight-race card. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

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‘She’ll Run All Day’: Whoa Nellie Ready To Step Up In Broussard Stakes

Saturday's $75,000 Joseph E. Spanky Broussard, run at one mile and 70 yards at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La., drew a compact yet stellar field of three and 4-year-old fillies. To hear trainer Larry Jones tell it, Fox Hill Farms Inc's Whoa Nellie will only be getting started when they hit the finish line.

“As we say, her name is Whoa Nellie, so getting her pulled up after her gallops and races is like 'Woah Nellie,'” Jones said. “She'll run all day and her forte is to go two turns.”

Whoa Nellie (post 1 at 8-5 with Florent Geroux) has blossomed since being stretched out over a route of ground and Jones is hoping to use the Broussard as a stepping-stone to what he hopes will be a big 2021 campaign. The 4-year-old daughter of Orb was a solid one-turn allowance performer to start her career but she took her game to a new level last winter when sent two turns. She won the Pippin at Oaklawn Park in January and then was second, beaten just a neck, in a Bayakoa (G3) in February.

“She showed in the Pippin and coming back in the Bayakoa this is what she is and we think her 5-year-old year could be a very big year for her,” Jones said. “She has learned to settle early and sits well now until we're ready to go. Needless to say, being by Orb and (out of a Medaglia d'Oro mare), distance is not an issue for her.”

Whoa Nellie, who is 5-for-11 lifetime, missed nine months after the Bayakoa and came back to run third in Churchill Downs' one-turn Chilukki (G3) Nov. 21, where she spotted recency to local Rachel Alexandra (G2) heroine and multiple graded stakes winner Finite. She made a bold middle-move before flattening out a bit late. The effort left Jones feeling very confident moving forward.

“She's better now than she was then,” Jones said. “Coming into that Chilukki off a nine-month layoff, that was not an easy task, and for her to run that well and against those horses, and to finish as well as she did, that race should tighten her up really well.”

Hoffman Family Racing LLC and Steve Landry's Beautiful Trauma (post 3 at 9-5 with James Graham) looms the one to catch, as she enters off a gate-to-wire win in an optional-claimer November 12 at Churchill for trainer Tom Amoss. The 3-year-old daughter of Tapiture is 3-for-7 lifetime but will make her stakes debut in the Broussard. She is familiar with the local main track, having won an off-the-turf optional-claimer here 370 days ago by 16 lengths.

Phoenix Thoroughbred III Ltd's Lady Apple (post 5 at 3-1 with Adam Beschizza) is looking to find the form that has earlier netted her a quartet of grade 3 wins for trainer Steve Asmussen. The 4-year-old daughter of Curlin was 5-for-7 in 2019, and won the Houston Ladies Classic (G3) at Sam Houston to kick off her season in January, but she is winless in five starts since. Lady Apple is 6-for-17 lifetime, with $1.038 million in earnings, and she gets back to the main track after running fourth in the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf (G3) Sept. 12.

Completing the Joseph E. Spanky Broussard Memorial from the rail out: Four Lawn Chairs LLC's Longpants Required (post 2 at 20-1 with Shaun Bridgmohan), who broke her maiden two-back at Churchill for trainer Brendan Walsh; La Nora LLC's Joy Epifora (post 4 at 8-1 with Brian Hernandez Jr.), a G1 winner in her native Argentina but winless in four U.S. starts for trainer Ignacio Correas; and Rigney Racing LLC's Singita Dreams (post 6 at 12-1 with Miguel Mena), who won an off-the-turf optional-claimer two-back at Churchill for trainer Phil Bauer.

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Finite Headlines Saturday’s Chilukki Stakes At Churchill Downs

Winchell Thoroughbreds, Thomas Reiman, William Dickson and Deborah Easter's multiple graded stakes winning filly Finite tops Saturday's 35th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Run at one mile, the Chilukki is carded as Race 9 with a post time of 5:06 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post for the 10-race program is 1 p.m.

Finite, a 3-year-old filly by Munnings, was the narrow runner-up finisher behind Venetian Harbor in last month's $200,000 Raven Run (G2) at Keeneland. Previously, the Steve Asmussen-trained Finite was on the Kentucky Oaks (G1) trail after victories in the $120,000 Rags to Riches, $300,000 Golden Rod (G2), $150,000 Silverbulletday and $300,000 Rachel Alexandra (G2). Following her fourth-place effort in the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), Finite underwent minor ankle surgery but returned to Asmussen's stable a few months later.

Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. has the call on Finite who will break from post position No. 2.

Among Finite's rivals entered in the Chilukki is Speedway Stable's Raven Run third-place finisher Grand Cru Classe. Trained by Bill Mott, Grand Cru Classe finished a half-length behind Finite in the seven-furlong Raven Run at odds of 20-1. The daughter of Bernardini has recorded three victories in just four starts including a narrow win in the $100,000 Weber City Miss Stakes at Laurel.

Tyler Gaffalione has the call on Grand Crue Classe and will break from post 3.

Also entered in the Chilukki is Fox Hill Farms' stakes winner Whoa Nellie. Trained by Larry Jones, Whoa Nellie is scheduled make her first start in more than nine months following a runner-up finish in the $200,000 Bayakoa (G3). The speedy daughter of Orb was in top form over the winter recording an impressive 2 ¾-length allowance score in December at Turfway and a dominating 4 ½-length victory in the $100,000 Pippin Stakes at Oaklawn in January.

Joe Rocco Jr. has the call on Whoa Nellie who drew post 4.

The other fillies and mares that entered the Chilukki are Scott Herbertson's 11-time winner Crazy Sexy Munny; Stonestreet Stables and LNJ Foxwoods' multiple graded stakes placed Gold Standard; Bluegrass Bred Racing and Breeding Farm's three-time winner New Roo; Ghost Hollow Farm's graded stakes placed Risky Mandate; and Matriarca's Chilean Grade I winner Sanenus; and Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable and Peter Deutsch's stakes winner Unique Factor.

The complete field for the Chilukki from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): New Roo (Brian Hernandez Jr., Tommy Drury); Finite (Santana, Asmussen); Grand Cru Classe (Gaffalione, Mott); Whoa Nellie (Rocco, Jones); Gold Standard (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox); Risky Mandate (Miguel Mena, Tom Amoss); Crazy Sexy Munny (Crystal Conning, Bill Morey); Unique Factor (Corey Lanerie, Peter Miller); and Sanenus (Rafael Bejarano, Michael McCarthy).

The Chilukki is named after the three-time Churchill Downs stakes-winning filly. Trained by Bob Baffert, Chilukki set two track records beneath the Twin Spires – her 1999 4 ¼ furlong debut performance in :51 and a scorching one-mile clocking in 1:33.57, breaking the 31-year track record in this event in 2000.

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