Gunnevera's camp pleased following latest workout

MIAMI – There were smiles all around the Antonio Sano barn on Saturday morning, minutes after Gunnevera completed his latest work in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Gunnevera worked six furlongs in 1:15.15 over a drying-out Gulfstream Park West main track officially rated good.

Among those exuding confidence following the drill was Edgard Zayas, Gunnevera’s regular workout rider since his 2-year-old season and now his regular rider in the afternoon as well. Zayas teamed with Gunnevera for the first time to win the Tangelo overnight stakes at Gulfstream Park on Aug. 6, and was back aboard for his runner-up finish to West Coast in the Grade 1 Travers three weeks later.

Zayas has had to improvise a bit during Gunnevera’s last two works, when he encountered unexpected company. On Saturday, the intruders were a set of horses completing a gate work as Gunnevera was preparing to break off for his six-furlong drill at the 5 1/2-furlong pole.

“When he has company, he can get very sharp, very competitive,” explained Zayas. “That’s why we always work him alone. He’ll go 58 if we work him with another horse. When he felt those other horses around him today, he got on the bit pretty good. I tried to play with him a little bit, but he won’t accept that, he wants to go. But once he left them, he settled in nicely.”

Zayas said Gunnevera may not be the most visually impressive horse during morning workouts, but Zayas feels he’s much improved since the spring, and training every bit as well as he did prior to the Travers.

“If you watch a replay of his works, you might think he’s working bad because I have to ask him a little at the end,” said Zayas. “But like I said, he can be a bit of a lazy horse when by himself. He’s also a very smart horse who won’t overexert himself out there in the morning, either. I could tell from his works he was a little tired back before the Derby and Preakness, but he feels much fitter and stronger now.”

Gunnevera will have two more works at Gulfstream Park West prior to departing for Del Mar on Saturday, Oct. 28.

On Wednesday, Zayas will be aboard My Sweet Dove, one of the horses to beat in the sixth-race feature, a $44,000 turf optional claimer for fillies and mares at five furlongs.

My Sweet Dove returns to the turf for the first time since leading throughout to defeat slightly softer company in a first-level optional claimer over the Gulfstream Park turf course in May. She’ll be back on the Gulfstream Park West grass course for the first time since posting a career-high 92 Beyer Speed figure finishing second against open allowance company during the fall of 2015.

My Sweet Dove may have the fastest turn of early foot Wednesday in a field loaded with speed. She could encounter her stiffest challenge at the front end from Miss Hollywood, a stakes winner on dirt who turned in a superb turf debut last month at Belmont Park when finishing second behind the multiple-stakes-placed Stormy Victoria in a high-priced optional claimer.

Other key contenders in Wednesday’s feature include the stakes-placed Catsadiva and Cult Classic, who makes her first start over the turf on Wednesday.