In the best five furlong breeze among 40 Monday, Dubai Escapade zipped the distance in :59 3/5 as the daughter of Awesome Again prepped for the TVG Sprint (gr. I).In another five-eighths breeze, Got the Last Laugh went in 1:02, 19th best of the day. The 2-year-old son of Distorted Humor is entered in the Bessemer Trust Juvenile (gr. I).
Following an active workout day Sunday, there were only four Breeders' Cup World Championship contenders working at Churchill Downs on a warm, sunny Monday morning, Oct. 30.In the only main track work, Jay Em Ess Stable's Suave breezed five furlongs in 1:01 4/5 for trainer Paul McGee in preparation for the Classic – Powered by Dodge (gr. I). McGee said he timed the homebred son of A.P. Indy in fractions of "35 and change" for three-eighths of a mile and :47 3/5 for the half-mile.McGee said Suave, who finished fifth, three lengths behind Horse of the Year St. Liam in the 2005 Classic, "breezed exceptionally well. The horse galloped out strong."The winner of seven of 26 starts, with earnings of $1,348,423, Suave won the Washington Park Handicap (gr. II) at Arlington Park before finishing 10th in the Woodward at Saratoga. McGee said the 5-year-old horse had problems in the Woodward and the performance should be thrown out when evaluating Suave's ability to win the 1 1/14-mile Classic."I thought he was doing good going into the race last year and the same this year," McGee. "He is not a real good work horse, by himself, and the fact that he went out there and did what he did this morning was very good. I think he tipped his hand a little bit this morning about how good he is doing."Churchill Downs-based McGee said Suave may have a bit of a homecourt advantage since he doesn't have to endure the rigors of shipping that non-local horses will have to go through."It's got to be a factor," McGee said. "If anything, it's got to be a little bit of a home track advantage."In the other Monday work by a Breeders' Cup horse, Rush Bay worked five furlongs on turf in 1:03 4/5. The son of Cozzene trained by Tom Amoss for Mueller Thoroughbred Stable is being pointed toward the John Deere Turf (gr. IT).
