Work All Week has first published work since Breeders’ Cup

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Work All Week is back to, well, work.

On a sunny Wednesday morning at Oaklawn Park, the champion had his first breeze since winning the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He went a half-mile in 48.20 seconds on a fast track. Work All Week had been in training at an Ocala, Fla., farm since Feb. 1 and arrived at Oaklawn last Tuesday.

“He went real good,” said Roger Brueggemann, who trains the Eclipse Award-winning sprinter of 2014 for Midwest Thoroughbreds. “It was just his first work, and we wanted to go easy.”

Work All Week breezed after the renovation break on a morning with temperatures in the mid-60s. He worked by himself, efficiently moving through fractions of 12.20 for the opening eighth, 24.20 for his first quarter, and 36 flat for three furlongs, according to fractions provided by Oaklawn head clocker Jim Hamilton. Hamilton had the horse galloping out five furlongs in 1:02.40. Jockey Alex Canchari was aboard, with Florent Geroux to continue riding the horse, Brueggemann said. Geroux was aboard for Work All Week’s half-length win in the BC Sprint run Nov. 1 at Santa Anita.

Brueggemann said Work All Week’s campaign this year is to be determined, other than the goal of defending his title in the BC Sprint. He is pleased with where the horse is in his training, but there is no particular target for his return to the races.

“He came back from the farm in excellent shape, ready to go, ready to keep moving forward,” Brueggemann said. “We’ll work him back in six, seven days and keep going until we’re confident he’s ready to run. We’ll just wait, see how he does, and play it by ear.”

Brueggemann said there are options for Work All Week during the first half of the year at Keeneland, the site of this year’s Breeders’ Cup; Churchill Downs, where the champion will be based when Oaklawn closes April 11; and Prairie Meadows, where last summer Work All Week won the Iowa Sprint Handicap.

“We’re not going to rush him into anything,” said Brueggemann.

Work All Week’s stablemate and Grade 3 winner The Pizza Man also had his first work back Wednesday at Oaklawn, going a half-mile in 49.40 after the break. Brueggemann said the horse also would head to Kentucky after Oaklawn. The Pizza Man last raced Nov. 27 and ran second in the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar. He’s a turf specialist for Midwest Thoroughbreds and has won 12 races and earned more than $800,000.

“He worked good,” Brueggemann said. “He’s allergic to dirt.”

Work All Week and The Pizza Man were both bred by Midwest Thoroughbreds.