by Karsten Bønsdorf, USTA Senior Web Newsroom Correspondent
French trotting superstar and Triple Crown victor Bold Eagle had to settle for second yet again on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 14) in the Prix de Belgique raced at Vincennes located in Paris, France.
Although this was the fourth consecutive occasion in which Bold Eagle, driven by Franck Nivard, did not make it to the winner’s circle, the stallion demonstrated why he will likely remain the favorite to collect his third Prix d’Amerique from this last three appearances in that event.
Gerard Forni photo
Bird Parker wins thePrix de Belgique followed by Bold Eagle and Readly Express on the outside.
Beaten just a half-length by Bird Parker after he trotted an overland route from the back of the pack, Bold Eagle stormed into contention with a powerful rush, drew on near even terms with his rival and simply could not place his nose on the wire before the race leader.
A length behind Bold Eagle, was the Swedish star Readly Express, driven by Björn Goop, who also closed impressively to suffer his first defeat over this oval.
To further illustrate the strength of Bold Eagle’s performance, both he and Bird Parker were timed in the 1-3/4 mile race in 1.57.3 (mile rate).
In another display of prowess, albeit in another realm of the industry, all three of the top finishers were sired by Ready Cash.
It was the second win in a qualifying race for Bird Parker, who is trained by Philippe Allaire and driven by Jean Philippe Monclin.
A month ago, Bird Parker won the Prix du Bourbonnais, also raced over 1-3/4 miles and beat Bold Eagle to second after the latter endured another tough trip with the former receiving a much more advantageous one.
The Prix d’Amerique will be contested on Sunday (Jan. 28) at 7:50 a.m. EST.