Ultimate Eagle continues ascent in Hollywood Derby

Ultimate Eagle led throughout to go four-for-four on turf (Benoit Photos) The streaking Ultimate Eagle was overlooked at 14-1 in Sunday’s Grade 1, $250,000 Hollywood Derby, but proved the market all wrong with a wire-to-wire victory. Now unbeaten from four starts on turf, the rapid improver crowned a terrific Turf Festival for owner B.J. Wright and trainer Michael Pender, who captured Saturday’s Grade 2 Citation in grand style with Jeranimo. Ultimate Eagle likely failed to garner much support for two reasons. He just held on to spring a 34-1 upset in the Grade 2 Oak Tree Derby at nine furlongs, so the fast-finishing runner-up Venomous loomed as a plausible candidate to turn the tables at 3-1. Moreover, Ultimate Eagle was overshadowed by a few highly-touted shippers, led by slight 3-1 favorite Willcox Inn and the newly-arrived English import Slumber at 7-2. They never had a chance in a race that was dominated by the early speed. Hustled out of post 10 by Martin Pedroza, Ultimate Eagle was determined to dictate the tempo. Imagining, a rare shipper from the Shug McGaughey barn, hinted that he might engage in a duel, but jockey Javier Castellano opted to let his rival go.

After an opening quarter in :24 3/5, Ultimate Eagle enjoyed a comfortable,
uncontested lead through fractions of :49 and 1:14. Imagining, who sat in second
throughout, began to draw closer. Ultimate Eagle ratcheted up through a mile in
1:37 4/5, and the top two now opened up on the rest of the field. Imagining
tried to close the gap down the stretch, but the pacesetter had too much in
reserve. Ultimate Eagle kept on relentlessly to score by three-quarters of a
length, finishing 1 1/4 firm-turf miles in 2:01 2/5.

“It’s miraculous considering where this horse came from,” Pender said after
earning his first Grade 1. “He had colic as a two-year-old and was basically
pronounced dead on the table.

“Somehow, by an act of God, he was brought back to life. He prefers the lead,
but he doesn’t have to have it. I was hoping he would assert himself and get to
the lead by himself, but (Imagining) was pressing him every step of the way from
the half-mile pole home. He just refused to let up.”

Martin Pedroza rates Ultimate Eagle superior to Martial Law (Benoit Photos) “This is undoubtedly the best horse I’ve ever ridden,” the veteran Pedroza said. “I thought Martial Law (the upset winner of the 1989 Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap) was, but this horse is better. He’s a younger version. “This is just a beautiful horse to ride. People think he has to be on the lead, but he doesn’t. I wanted to be on the lead, but it wasn’t necessary. When he gets to the front he relaxes immediately. I was pretty confident and he came through like I thought he would.” The unheralded winner sparked mutuels of $31.40, $13 and $7.60. The $1 exotics were accordingly healthy — $278 (exacta), $3,117.40 (trifecta) and $14,887 (11-2-4-3 superfecta).

Imagining preserved the runner-up spot by a half-length from the
English-based Western Aristocrat, who rallied together with Slumber to fight out
the lower rungs of the exotics. Western Aristocrat wasn’t as far back as Slumber
had been early, and that might have proved the decisive, as he edged Slumber by
a neck for third. Venomous reported home fifth, followed by Casino Host, Cozy
Kitten, Willcox Inn, Irish Art and Surrey Star. El Pocho was scratched.

Sadly, two horses were vanned off. Cloud Man broke down just as he was
advancing through the field on the far turn. Jockey Mike Smith pulled up the
Jerry and Ann Moss homebred, who suffered pastern and cannon bone fractures to
his left front leg.

Surrey Star was eased in the stretch but crossed the wire. He returned to be
unsaddled before being vanned off with discomfort in his right front leg.

Ultimate Eagle’s resume now reads 7-4-0-2, $329,800. Unraced until April, the
dark bay colt was beaten in three maiden races on Hollywood’s Cushion Track. The
pivotal event of his career came on July 31 at Del Mar, when he moved to the
turf, added blinkers, and picked up the services of Pedroza. Ultimate Eagle got
up to score by a head that day, and his path was now fixed. He employed
front-running tactics when capturing an entry-level allowance/optional claimer
at Del Mar, and used the same playbook to great effect in his stakes debut in
the October 15 Oak Tree Derby.

Bred by B.P. Walden and D. Hanley in Kentucky, Ultimate Eagle sold for
$57,000 as a Keeneland September yearling. Wright later purchased him for
$70,000 as an OBS April two-year-old. The son of Mizzen Mast was produced by
multiple stakes winner Letithappencaptain, a Captain Bodgit mare who landed the
Sarah Lane’s Oates in her only turf attempt. He hails from the family of Italian
highweight Jessica’s Dream and multiple Group 1-placed stakes hero Majors Cast.

Pender looks forward to trying Ultimate Eagle on dirt.

“Ultimately I would like to get him back on dirt,” the trainer said. “He
trains so much better on dirt. He really hasn’t handled synthetic surfaces all
that well. We’ll take it a day at a time from here.”