John Oxley's Noble Bird (Birdstone), coming off a sixth-place effort in the June 11 GI Metropolitan H., is on track for a return to New York for the July 9 GII Suburban H. after working four furlongs at Churchill Downs Saturday in :49.40.
“He worked really well this weekend and we like the timing of the race,” said Norman Casse, assistant to his father, trainer Mark Casse. “He already has a race over that track.”
Noble Bird, winner of last year's GI Stephen Foster H., romped home an 11 1/4-length winner of the May 20 GIII Pimlico Special before his appearance in the Met Mile, where he was well-beaten by Frosted (Tapit).
“We ended up being on the rail and we kind of felt that we had to really send him away from the gate,” Casse explained of Noble Bird's most recent race. “He's just a really tricky and quirky horse, everything's kind of got to go his way and I don't think he was comfortable that day. He'll get to go a 1 1/4 miles in the Suburban. He'll be comfortable and he'll get to be on some high-cruising speed which is the best thing for him.”
The Casse stable will also be represented on Belmont's high-powered July 9 card by Catch a Glimpse (City Zip) and Airoforce (Colonel John), most recently one-two in the June 4 GIII Penn Mile. Catch a Glimpse, who will go postward in the $1-million GI Belmont Oaks Invitational, worked five furlongs over the main track at Keeneland Saturday in :59.
“She's been preparing over at Keeneland,” Casse said of Catch a Glimpse. “We have her over there since she really likes it there and it's a little more quiet and laid back.”
Airoforce, aiming for the $1.25-million GI Belmont Derby Invitational, breezed the same distance Saturday at Churchill in 1:00.80.
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