Eloquent Speaker looks to bounce back on Opening Day of Big A spring meet
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Epona Racing Stable, Clyde Jasinski and Toga Party Racing Stable’s Whistling Birds won his third race on the trot with a game three-quarter length score in Saturday’s $80,000 Caixa Eletronica, at Aqueduct Racetrack. All three scores in Whistling Birds’ streak have come in seven-furlong sprints at the Big A with Eric Cancel at the helm.
Trained by Chris Englehart, the 6-year-old Jimmy Creed gelding matched up a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure in the Caixa Eletronica, which was the highest figure registered across the 10-race card which saw New York-breds win six of the starter stakes.
Englehart credited owner Brian Culnan [Epona Racing Stable] for picking out Whistling Birds, who they claimed for $40,000 from a runner-up effort traveling a one-turn mile in May at Belmont.
“I’ve trained for Brian at Finger Lakes for a long time, and I really like the horses he picks out. He’s pretty smart about claims,” Englehart said. “He ran very well the day we claimed him off Toscano and he’s just in a good way right now.”
Whistling Birds has won 4-of-6 starts since the claim, including a state-bred allowance at first asking at Finger Lakes. He launched his current streak in December by capturing a $25,000 claiming sprint over a sloppy and sealed main track and followed in February with a 4 1/4-length romp in a state-bred optional-claimer.
“The claiming game is very competitive, and you have to show you can produce. I do better at Finger Lakes than I do down at Belmont, but it’s been OK this meet,” Englehart said.
Englehart said he does not have a spot picked out yet for Whistling Birds, who has won at distances ranging from seven furlongs to a mile and 70 yards.
“I don’t know that I’d want to run him any shorter than seven-eighths. I’d rather go longer than shorter with him,” Englehart said.
Englehart will saddle Gary Barber’s Eloquent Speaker in Race 7 on Thursday’s card, Opening Day of the 15-day Big A spring meet.
The spring meet, which features 13 stakes worth $2.7 million in total purses, is highlighted by the 97th running of the nine-furlong Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on Saturday, April 9. The meet runs through Sunday, April 24.
The New York-bred Eloquent Speaker, a 5-year-old stakes-placed daughter of Flatter, was purchased for $200,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Mixed Sale in February following a winter campaign at the Big A that saw her win an open allowance ahead of a runner-up effort in the restricted La Verdad under Cancel for former trainer Natalia Lynch.
The consistent mare, who boasts a ledger of 15-4-3-3 with purse earnings of $239,380, was sent to post as the mutuel favorite on debut for Englehart in a 6 1/2-furlong open optional-claiming sprint on March 4 but faltered to last-of-6.
“She had gone to a sale and missed some training. The racetrack was very tiring that day and she had a lot of things against her. I think she’ll rebound fine,” Englehart said.
Eloquent Speaker breezed a half-mile in 50.94 on March 23 over the Belmont dirt training track. She will be reunited with Cancel on Thursday, exiting post 3 in a field of seven fillies and mares 3-years-old and up sprinting six furlongs in an open optional-claimer.
“She breezed well and is doing good,” Englehart said.
First post on Thursday’s eight-race card is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.
Aqueduct Racetrack Week 2 stakes probables
G2 Wood Memorial Presented by Resorts World Casino [100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points]
Probable: A.P.’s Secret (Saffie Joseph, Jr.), Barese (Mike Maker), Early Voting (Chad Brown), Golden Code (Todd Pletcher), Iconic Adventure (Bill Mott), Mo Donegal (Pletcher), Morello (Steve Asmussen), Skippylongstocking (Joseph, Jr.)
G1 Carter Handicap Presented by NYRA Bets
Probable: Bank On Shea (Carlos David), Drafted (David Duggan), First Captain (Shug McGaughey), Green Light Go (Jimmy Jerkens), Mind Control (Todd Pletcher), Reinvestment Risk (Chad Brown), Speaker’s Corner (Bill Mott)
G3 Gazelle [100-40-20-10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points]
Probable: Classy Edition (Todd Pletcher), Divine Huntress (Graham Motion), Greatitude (Pletcher), Morning Matcha (Robert Reid, Jr.), Nostalgic (Bill Mott), Shotgun Hottie (William E. Morey), Venti Valentine (Jorge Abreu)
Possible: Champagne Poetry (Chad Summers)
G3 Bay Shore
Probable: Dean’s List (Todd Pletcher), Life Is Great (Robert Klesaris), Outkissed (W. Robert Bailes), Scaramouche (Guadalupe Preciado), Wit (Pletcher)
Possible: Fromanothamutha (Ray Handal)
G3 Distaff Handicap
Probable: Easy to Bless (James Ferraro), Glass Ceiling (Charlton Baker), Kept Waiting (Robert Falcone, Jr.)
$100K Danger’s Hour
Probable: Chez Pierre (Arnaud Delacour), Milton the Monster (John Servis), Oceans Map (Gregory Sacco), Rinaldi (H. James Bond), Safe Conduct (Phil Serpe), Sanctuary City (James Ferraro), Tell Your Daddy (Thomas Morley).
NYRA Press Office
Photo: Whistling Birds winning the Caixa Eletronica at Aqueduct. (Susie Raisher)
