Trainer Todd Pletcher gave his Travers (gr. I) contenders Bluegrass Cat and High Cotton workouts at Saratoga Saturday.The $1 million Travers, at 1 1/4 miles for 3-year-olds, is Aug. 26.WinStar Farm's Bluegrass Cat, winner of the Haskell Invitational (gr. I), recorded a five-furlong breeze that went in 1:00 2/5 before galloping out the six furlongs in 1:13. Pletcher then followed with Peachtree Stable's High Cotton, who worked with Canadian-bred Sterwins, in :59 3/5, handily, for five furlongs. High Cotton has not raced since finishing second, beaten a neck by Deputy Glitters, in the Ohio Derby (gr. II) last month. "Both of them looked good this morning," Pletcher said. "I was really impressed with the way Bluegrass Cat galloped out. He was strong. High Cotton's workout was solid against Sterwins." Trainer John Ward had two of his three Travers-nominated horses workout at two separate tracks Saturday morning. John Oxley's Strong Contender, winner of the Dwyer (gr. II) and third in the Haskell Invitational, breezed five furlongs in 1:01 over the Belmont Park training track. Dr. Pleasure, also owned by Oxley, breezed five furlongs in 1:01 before galloping six furlongs in 1:14 and a mile in 1:43 over the Saratoga main track. Ward's other nominee, Minister's Bid, second in the Jim Dandy (gr. II), is expected to work out either tomorrow or Monday. While Strong Contender is a definite for the Travers, Minister's Bid and Dr. Pleasure are questionable for the race. "It's going to depend how Minister's Bid works out over the next two days," said Donna Ward, her husband's assistant. "Everything went well with Dr. Pleasure this morning. It was more of a maintenance workout for him."
Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito had Live Oak Plantation's Hesanoldsalt on the Oklahoma training track for a four-furlong workout and a last-furlong gallop. Hesanoldsaltt breezed four furlongs in :50 2/5."I was happy with the way he went this morning," said Zito. "He galloped out in 1:02. We didn't push him, and we let him do his own thing out there." Hesanoldsalt is expected to be one of the longshots in the Travers with just two allowance victories coming into the race. In three graded stakes that he has run, Hesanoldsalt's best finish was fourth in the Peter Pan (gr. II) at Belmont Park.