Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin had Godolphin's Breeders' Cup foursome working a half-mile over the all-weather Tapeta at Greentree Training Center on Friday.
Alpha (Bernardini), a dead-heat winner of the Grade 1 Travers two back, geared up for the Breeders' Cup Classic with a four-furlong move in :49. The bay colt is exiting a subpar sixth-placing in the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby in late September.
Dual Grade 1 queen Questing (Hard Spun) traveled in :49 4/5. The British-bred filly just missed by a head to champion My Miss Aurelia (Smart Strike) in the Grade 1 Cotillion last out and will face that rival once again when going in the Ladies' Classic.
Grade 1 Forego hero Emcee (Unbridled's Song), confirmed for the Dirt Mile on Friday rather than the Sprint, clocked a best-of-five half in :47 2/5.
Fortify (Distorted Humor), a candidate for the Juvenile off placings in the Grade 1 Champagne and Grade 2 Hopeful, was caught in :48 3/5 for four panels.
Trainer Dale Romans sent out Juvenile Turf hopeful Summit County (Any Given Saturday) to breeze five furlongs in 1:01 2/5 on Churchill Downs' fast dirt. The dark bay colt, who ran fifth in his only two stakes tries in the Grade 3 Bourbon and Kentucky Downs Juvenile, will ship to California on Monday.
At Monmouth Park, 2010 Breeders' Cup Marathon scorer Eldaafer (A.P. Indy) readied for another run in that contest with a five-eighths move in 1:00 on the fast main track. The Grade 2-winning seven-year-old finished third most recently in the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap.
