Cup Spotlight- Scabbard (Noose)
You may remember him as Noose. But because social justice warriors seem to always get their way these days, you now must call him Scabbard.
Regardless of the name, he’s sure to fly into Arcadia under the radar in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. With Eight Rings, Maxfield, and Dennis’ Moment set to take piles upon piles of cash at the windows, Scabbard might be one who can offer some value in the exotics, if not in the win pool.
The career debut was a fantastic effort. Scabbard looked loaded at about the 5/16th pole, but had nowhere to go. He would soon find clear sailing up the rail and won going away. He then tried stakes company at Saratoga around one turn, and gave the look of a runner that wanted more ground. And he got that added ground next out back at Churchill Downs in the Iroquois. Even with the traffic trouble about a half mile out, he managed to re-fire late to be 2nd behind Dennis’ Moment. All three career efforts have been really solid.
Clearly, you never know how a horse from the east is going to handle the Santa Anita dirt. This race may just be Eight Rings’ coronation. But, if you want to get clever, I’d take a few minutes and watch Scabbard’s (Noose) replays. I think you’ll like what you see.