LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The last of the major final workouts for the 2011 Breeders' Cup from locally based horses took place Monday at Churchill Downs where such notable contenders as Havre de Grace (Classic), defending Sprint winner Big Drama and Juvenile Fillies favorite My Miss Aurelia breezed under moderating skies over a fast main track.

The gang's not all here. Not yet, at least. As of Monday, 18 of the 27 scheduled European Breeders' Cup starters had arrived at Churchill Downs, but only two had been released from quarantine and been permitted to train with the general horse population.  The horses who trained Monday, Questing and Meeznah, were the first to ship into the United States, bedding down at Churchill on Saturday afternoon. A larger equine shipment, 25 strong, came in later Saturday night, and that group did not clear the 42-hour quarantine soon enough to make Monday training.

Five years ago, trainer Michael Matz was the guy everybody wanted to talk to around Churchill Downs, both prior to and of course following Barbaro’s victory in the 2006 Kentucky Derby. Now, he’s back on the scene again, hoping he’ll be one of the guys everybody wants to talk to again after this year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Matz returns to Churchill Downs with a pair of top Breeders’ Cup contenders, likely favorite Union Rags in the Juvenile and his stablemate Somali Lemonade, who may vie for favoritism with Elusive Kate, in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

A. U. Miner, the fourth-place finisher in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Marathon, will break from the outside post under jockey Calvin Borel in a field of 11 as the 3-1 favorite in this year’s edition of the $500,000 race.

A. U. Miner was beaten 5 1/2 lengths in last year’s 1 3/4-mile Marathon. Like last year, A. U. Miner is coming into the race after earlier finishing first in the 1 1/2-mile Greenwood Cup, but unlike last year, A. U. Miner was disqualified from first after testing positive for a corticosteroid. His trainer, Clark Hanna, has appealed the finding.

When the Breeders’ Cup gets under way Friday with inaugural running of the $500,000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint, it seems probable that the race will have the shortest-priced favorite of the 15 Breeders’ Cup races in Secret Circle.

Installed as the 6-5 morning-line favorite by Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia – the co-shortest morning-line price of any Breeders’ Cup favorite along with Filly and Mare Sprint favorite Turbulent Descent – he enters the Juvenile Sprint with easily the strongest form of any horse in the race.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – What a difference half a year has made for Uncle Mo, who on the first Saturday in May was sidelined from a Kentucky Derby many previously had expected him to win, owing to an illness that was not diagnosed until weeks later.

My Miss Aurelia, one of four unbeaten fillies in the full field of 14, drew post 9 and was installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite by track linemaker Mike Battaglia for Friday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

My Miss Aurelia, trained by Steve Asmussen, is 3 for 3 with victories in the Grade 2 Adirondack at Saratoga and the Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont Park, a race she won by 5 1/2 lengths. On Monday, My Miss Aurelia worked four furlongs in 49.68 seconds over Churchill’s main track.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Midday, as expected, will make her third Breeders’ Cup appearance in the BC Turf rather than the Filly and Mare Turf, the race she won in 2009 and in which she finished second here last year.

Some announced post positions drew gasps and groans from the crowd during Monday’s Breeders’ Cup draw at Churchill Downs, but the draw for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile was largely void of any drama.

The 2-1 morning-line favorite Union Rags seemingly drew favorably in post 10 in the 1 1/16-mile race as did 7-2 second choice Creative Cause, who landed in post 7. Furthermore, there were no exclusions from the race, which had drawn 16 pre-entries.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Last Wednesday, Jackson Bend and The Factor were pre-entered in both the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and the Dirt Mile as their connections mulled over which race they felt was the best fit for their horses.

When entries were made and post positions assigned on Monday, Jackson Bend and The Factor went their separate ways with trainer Nick Zito opting to enter Jackson Bend in the $1.5 million Sprint and Bob Baffert deciding to put The Factor in the $1 million Dirt Mile. Each race went with nine horses.