Todd Pletcher put 14 Breeders' Cup horses through their paces in a Sunday morning work-a-thon at Belmont Park.
Working 14 horses in one morning is a major load for any trainer, but Todd Pletcher took that to another level Sunday when he put 14 Breeders' Cup horses through their paces with most of them turning in almost identical drills with machine-like precision.Pletcher's trio for the Emirates Airline Distaff (gr. I) – Fleet Indian, Pool Land, and Spun Sugar – breezed five furlongs in 1:01 2/5, 1:01 3/5, and 1:01, respectively, at Belmont Park.Pletcher will run three in the Bessemer Trust Juvenile (gr. I), and two of them were on the Belmont work tab, with Circular Quay and King of the Roxy each breezing five furlongs in 1:01 4/5. The only one not to work was Scat Daddy, who just ran eight days ago, winning the Oct. 14 Champagne Stakes (gr. I).Pletcher also has a threesome primed for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), and all three were in action Sunday morning at Belmont. Cotton Blossom breezed in 1:01 4/5, Octave in 1:01 2/5, and Featherbed in 1:02 3/5.Also at Belmont, Pletcher's newest addition, Lawyer Ron, breezed his five furlongs in 1:01 1/5 for a possible start in the Breeders' Cup Classic – Powered by Dodge (gr. I). Flower Alley, a big disappointment this year, showed signs of life at Churchill Downs Sunday, breezing six furlongs in a bullet 1:13 2/5.Back at Belmont, Pletcher's hopeful for the TVG Sprint (gr. I) - Friendly Island - breezed five furlongs in 1:01 3/5.Pletcher also had a foursome out on the inner turf course Sunday, with English Channel breezing five furlongs in 1:05 2/5 for the John Deere Turf (gr. IT), while his "rabbit" - Icy Atlantic - went a half in :54. Wait a While breezed five furlongs for the Emirates Airline Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) in 1:05 1/5, with Honey Ryder going a half in :50 4/5.Also working at Belmont Sunday was Woodward Stakes (gr. I) winner and Classic hopeful Premium Tap, who turned in a bullet five-furlong work in :59 4/5, the fastest of 78 at the distance, for trainer John Kimmel. Edgar Prado was aboard for the work.Finally, Pine Island, one of the favorites for the Distaff, went six furlongs in 1:15 2/5 for Shug McGaughey.
