Tri-Bone Stables' Effinex (Mineshaft) looms a prohibitive favorite for the GI Stephen Foster H., to be held under the lights Saturday evening over the same course and distance at which he validated 5-2 favoritism with a 3/4-length defeat of Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday) in the GI Clark H. Nov. 27.
The New York-bred, the long-odds runner-up to Horse of the Year American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic ahead of his Clark score, exits a one-length victory in the GII Oaklawn H. Apr. 16. With Mike Smith booked to ride undefeated champion and TDN Rising Star Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GII Summertime Oaks Saturday, trainer Jimmy Jerkens has reached out to Gary Stevens to pilot the 122-pound starting highweight. Effinex also carried the same impost in his Clark success.
Majestic Harbor (Rockport Harbor) and Eagle (Candy Ride {Arg}), first and second, respectively, in the GII Alysheba S. on Kentucky Oaks day May 6, look the greatest dangers should the heavy chalk stub his toe. The former, still going well at eight years of age, is four-for-nine beneath the Twin Spires, though he was no better than fourth to Noble Bird (Birdstone) 12 months ago. Eagle could be the one with the greater upside, as the two-back winner of Keeneland's GIII Ben Ali S. may have been against the track bias in the Alysheba, but ran on well to round out the exacta.
The Stephen Foster is the first of the season's Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” qualifiers in the Classic division.
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