John Oxley's Noble Bird (Birdstone) has been added to the list of horses under consideration for the Jan. 28 GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational and connections are actively seeking a berth in the $12-million race. The chestnut continued to impress Sunday, working a sharp half-mile at Palm Meadows in :48.20–fastest of 32 at the distance.
“Early on we were approached by people and asked if we were interested [in the Pegasus] and we had said no,” trainer Mark Casse explained. “But he has been training so good. I wasn't there today for his work, but I was there last week and I thought his work was as good as I've ever seen him breeze. In fact, I was there for his last two previous breezes and I thought the same thing. He's really training well right now.”
Noble Bird went four furlongs in :47.50 Dec. 31, the fastest of 92 horses, and followed with a five-furlong breeze in 1:00.65 Jan. 8.
Casse added there have been negotiations to obtain one of the starting berths in the Pegasus.
“Saturday I was in communication with a couple of possibilities, but we never came to an agreement,” Casse said. “We're seriously thinking about the Pegasus, so we'll see how things play out in the next week or so, but if we can come to an agreement with somebody we'll probably run him.”
Noble Bird, winner of the 2015 GI Stephen Foster H., captured last year's GII Hagyard Fayette S. and GIII Pimlico Special. He was most recently seventh in the GI Clark H. at Churchill last November.
“As you know when he's good, he's really good and when he's bad, he's bad,” Casse said of the 6-year-old chestnut. “But, I would think how kind Gulfstream is to speed, that he should sure like Gulfstream. He went a half this morning and did well. We don't have any agreement at this point in time, but we'll see what happens.”
Zayat Stables' Prayer for Relief (Jump Start) may also have earned a spot in the Pegasus Cup after a weekend work. The 9-year-old veteran went five furlongs at Gulfstream Saturday in :59.25 (2/46). Winless since taking the Tenacious H. at Fair Grounds in December 2013, Prayer for Relief was sent to Dubai after a fourth-place effort in the 2015 GI Donn H. He made only one more 2015 start and was winless in five Meydan starts last spring before returning to the U.S. Fifth in his first start back stateside in the Oct. 29 GII Fayette S., Prayer for Relief was most recently ninth in the Clark.
“He worked so good Saturday,” trainer Dale Romans said of Prayer for Relief. “He's doing so well. He'd just come back from Dubai and it took him a couple races. He may not be as good as he once was, but I think he can be as good once as he ever was.”
Of the search for a stakeholder in the race, Romans added, “That's between Mr. [Ahmed] Zayat and whoever is looking for a horse. I'm just training him. After that work, he asked me, and I told him not to duck anyone.”
California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit), who worked five furlongs at Gulfstream Saturday morning in 1:00 3/5 in preparation for the Pegasus, exited the work in fine shape.
“The track was a little heavy [yesterday], but he got over it really easy,” Dihigi Gladney, aboard for Saturday's work, said Sunday. “I think a lot of that has to do with the way he's made. His body type shows he can get over most any type of surface. He went a minute in change and I didn't try to [push] him or anything.”
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