Midnight Bisou stretches legs in slow half-mile breeze

NEW ORLEANS – Midnight Bisou had her first post-Breeders’ Cup timed workout on Thursday morning at Fair Grounds, if only barely.

Trainer Steve Asmussen gave Midnight Bisou the lightest of half-mile drills, the star 4-year-old filly clocking 53.60 seconds, barely quick enough to make the published work tab.

“Just let her stretch her legs a little,” Asmussen said.

Midnight Bisou got a week walking the shed row after first arriving at Fair Grounds following her second-place finish behind Blue Prize in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Despite that defeat, Midnight Bisou is all but certain to win an Eclipse Award as champion older dirt female of 2019, and now she is picking up the pace of her training in advance of an intended start Feb. 29 in the inaugural edition of the $20 million Saudi Cup.

Thursday’s leg-stretcher behind her, Midnight Bisou will now start to get more serious in her daily exercise, and Asmussen said weather permitting she’d work back as soon as Tuesday, Dec. 24.