Cavorting, Wedding Toast get in half-mile drills

ELMONT, N.Y. – Kiaran McLaughlin was monitoring important workouts on two fronts Thursday morning, with his top sprinting 3-year-old filly, Cavorting, breezing at Belmont Park and his leading older female, Wedding Toast, putting in a workout at Saratoga.

Cavorting, the probable favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland, breezed four furlongs in 49.54 seconds over the Belmont training track. For the second straight week, Cavorting went her first quarter (23.79 seconds) faster than her second (25.75) under exercise rider Renzo Morales.

This work got a little off kilter when Cavorting was turned loose from her pony earlier than planned and had a significant run-up to the half-mile pole. Morales eased up on Cavorting approaching the wire, which led to the slower final quarter.

“She went off earlier than she was supposed to – almost by a good half a furlong – but 49 and 2 is okay,” McLaughlin said. “Back working weekly with her is good. She can be a bit keen, a bit tough, but she’s in a good routine. She hasn’t been too tough; she’s been training well. Going into the Test, we didn’t work her the last week because she had a couple of happy gallops.”

Cavorting, who won the Grade 1 Test and Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga, is expected to have one more breeze next Thursday before the Oct. 31 Filly and Mare Sprint.

At the Greentree training center in Saratoga, Wedding Toast worked four furlongs going clockwise – the opposite way races are run – in 49.60 seconds over the synthetic surface.

Clocker Dave Norton timed Wedding Toast in fractions of 12.40 seconds and 25 and caught her galloping out five furlongs in 1:01.40 and six furlongs in 1:15.

“She’s as good as she can be,” McLaughlin said after speaking with his brother and assistant, Neil. “She’s ready, ready.”

Wedding Toast is expected to be the first or second choice for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Oct. 30.

McLaughlin was headed to Saratoga later Thursday to oversee a scheduled workout Friday morning by Frosted, the Wood Memorial and Pennsylvania Derby winner who is pointing to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.