Trainers plan final works for BC races

ELMONT, N.Y. - The majority of the final major preps for the 141 horses pre-entered in this year's 11 Breeders' Cup races will take place between Friday and Wednesday mornings, although most of that work will be done at sites other than the host track, Monmouth Park.

The largest contingent of Breeders' Cup hopefuls are stabled in New York, 43 of them at Belmont Park and another seven just down the Belt Parkway at Aqueduct with trainers Rick Violette and Rick Dutrow Jr. Other venues across the country that will feature Breeders' Cup workouts over the next several days include Saratoga's Oklahoma training track, Keeneland, Churchill Downs, Delaware Park, Hollywood Park, Santa Anita, and the Fair Hill training center in Maryland. Most of the Europeans will get in their final serious workouts at home prior to shipping to the United States either Sunday or Tuesday.

Sunday figures to be the busiest day for Breeders' Cup hopefuls, weather permitting, with most of that work coming at Belmont where Todd Pletcher plans to breeze most, if not all, of his 15 potential Breeders' Cup starters over either the training track or turf course. Other notable Breeders' Cup starters scheduled to work at Belmont on Sunday include Discreet Cat (Dirt Mile), Indian Blessing (Juvenile Fillies), Remarkable News (Mile), and Ginger Punch (Distaff).

Weather has already altered some training plans in New York. Kiaran McLaughlin said he will work his two Breeders' Cup entrants, Lear's Princess (Distaff) and Lahudood (Filly and Mare Turf), at Belmont on Friday instead of Saturday to beat the rain showers expected to begin late Friday afternoon. Trainer Mark Hennig indicated he might do likewise with Jazzy (Filly and Mare Sprint). Rick Violette was hoping to work all four of his Breeders' Cup runners, including Filly and Mare Sprint favorite Dream Rush, at Aqueduct on Saturday but said he will probably have to wait an extra day because of the impending rain.

Monday figures to be the busiest morning at Monmouth, where works are tentatively scheduled for Smokey Stover (Sprint), Benny The Bull (Sprint), Kip Deville (Mile), and Grace Anatomy (Juvenile Fillies) among others.

The prospective work schedule for the Classic, as of Thursday, included Tiago (Hollywood Park) on Friday; Awesome Gem (Hollywood Park) on Saturday; Any Given Saturday (Belmont training track) and Lawyer Ron (Belmont training track) on Sunday; Curlin (Keeneland), and Hard Spun (Delaware Park) on Monday; Diamond Stripes (Aqueduct) either Monday or Tuesday; and Street Sense (Monmouth) on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Three Breeders' Cup starters worked Thursday. Gottcha Gold (Mile) drilled a bullet five-eighths in 1:00.40 at Monmouth, Majestic Warrior (Juvenile) completed an easy three furlongs in 38.26 seconds at Belmont, and War Pass (Juvenile) went four furlongs over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga in 48.02 seconds.

- additional reporting by Jay Privman and David Grening