It's a Bird 'pecks' up Spend a Buck win

It's a Bird (outside) just got up to take the Spend a Buck (Jim Lisa Photo)

Edmund A. Gann's IT'S A BIRD (Birdonthewire) was cross-entered to the Miami

Mile H. (G3) earlier on Calder's Festival of the Sun program, but trainer Marty

Wolfson scratched the five-year-old out of that mile-turf test and opted for the

$100,000

Spend

a Buck H. (G3) going 1 1/16 miles on the main track. That move paid

dividends as It's a Bird needed every step of the 8 1/2 furlongs to eke out the

head victory over a very stubborn Gottcha Gold (Coronado's Quest).

Jockey Jermaine Bridgmohan settled It's a Bird into fifth as 6-5 favorite

Gottcha Gold and Finallymadeit (Concerto) battled it out on the front end

through splits of :23 2/5, :46 4/5 and 1:11 4/5. Gottcha Gold shook loose from

his rival, but found It's a Bird and Dream Maestro (Concerto) closing

strongly to his outside. It's a Bird was the main threat, though, just getting

his head in front of a game Gottcha Gold on the wire to stop the clock in 1:46

2/5.

It's a Bird earned his first stakes win last out in the Plagiarize S. going 1

1/2 miles and now shows a 23-8-3-1, $234,485, line. Sent off the 5-1 fourth

pick, the dark bay five-year-old paid $12, $5.80 and $4.40 to his backers while

keying the $35.60 exacta, $644.60 trifecta and $3,220 superfecta (2-1-7-6).