Up With the Birds takes flight in Jamaica

Launching a four-wide bid around the far turn while getting the jump on

Admiral Kitten, Up With the Birds sustained that outside rally all through the

stretch, passing Joha and Jack Milton en route to victory over a fast-closing

Admiral Kitten.

Up With the Birds returned $10.20 after completing nine furlongs on the firm

inner turf in 1:48 3/5.

Admiral Kitten settled for second, a half-length ahead of Jack Milton.

Notacatbutalllama was fourth and was followed under the wire by Joha, Stormy

Len, Mills, War Dancer, Balance the Books, Global Asset, Michael With Us, and

Get in Line. Five Iron was scratched in favor of the Hawthorne Derby on Saturday

night.

An Ontario-bred sired by Stormy Atlantic, Up With the Birds has now

bankrolled $1,147,069 from his 9-6-2-1 line. The bay colt dominated last

November's Coronation Futurity by 3 1/2 lengths, and opened his Canadian classic

campaign with an up-in-time score in the March 2 Black Gold at Fair Grounds in

his turf debut. He just missed to Jack Milton in the April 5 Transylvania on the

Keeneland turf, and made a triumphant return to Woodbine when romping by 4 3/4

lengths in the May 26 Marine, his Polytrack prep for the Queen's Plate.

Runner-up by a half-length in the Queen's Plate, Up With the Birds made

amends in the third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, the $500,000 Breeders' on

August 18, with a 2 3/4-length score in the 1 1/2-mile event on grass.

"He's run hard all year. He's going home for a rest now after this race.

There's no more plans for this season," trainer Malcolm Pierce said. "We just

wanted to keep him against straight three-year-olds and this looked like a nice

spot to try. We're sure happy to be here and happy with the outcome."

Up With the Birds is out of the winning Seeking the Gold mare Song of the

Lark, herself a daughter of Canadian Hall of Famer Wilderness Song. The

Sovereign Award winner as Canada's champion older mare of 1992, Wilderness Song

scored her signature win in that year's Spinster at Keeneland. The 10-time

stakes heroine also accumulated 13 stakes placings, including the 1991 Queen's

Plate.

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