"Zavata worked a little bit faster," said Biancone of the colt who was scratched from the Champagne (gr. I) with a minor problem and has not started since finishing third in the Hopeful (gr. I) at Saratoga Aug. 31."He needed to have a more serious work. He's on his way. We'll probably do something else with him in another three or four days. He'll be right by the time the race comes up. We'll just have to wait."Zavata recorded splits of :12, :24 1/5, :35 4/5 and :48 1/5 on his way to his five-furlong time.
Fabien Ouaki & Patrick Biancone's Whywhywhy and Michael Tabor's Zavata, a pair of 2-year-old colts being pointed for the $1 million Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) by the French-born but internationally renowned trainer Biancone, both breezed five furlongs Thursday morning at Arlington Park.Whywhywhy, 1 3/4-length winner of Belmont Park's Futurity (gr. I) Sept. 15, worked in company with Buckram Oak Farm's Prince In Command, and accomplished the five-eighths distance in 1:03 4/5, picking up the pace late to get the last quarter in :24 3/5.Prince In Command, slated for a start in the $100,000 Gilded Time on the Friday before the Breeders' Cup races, breezed the five furlongs in 1:04 1/5.Zavata, one of the top 2-year-olds in training last summer at Saratoga, went to the track in Biancone's next set, and breezed the same five-furlong distance in 1:02 4/5. Zavata, winner of the Tremont (gr. II) at Belmont June 29 and the Saratoga Special (gr. II) in upstate New York Aug. 14, worked in company with the maiden Murray's D. J., also trained by Biancone.While commenting on both colts' Thursday breezes, Biancone also advised that Michael Tabor & Edward P. Evans' Stellar had been withdrawn from consideration for the Long John Silver's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I).Regular exercise rider Jose Guerrero was aboard Whywhywhy and Zavata during their Thursday breezes, while French jockey Tony Farina rode the 2-year-olds that accompanied each of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile candidates."Whywhywhy worked good," said Biancone later Thursday morning. "I didn't want him to go too fast today. He came out of it good and scoped clean afterward. Everything went perfect with him."Should Whywhywhy parlay his Futurity win with one in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the owners will earn an additional $250,000 bonus award under the conditions of the Bessemer Trust Two-Year-Old Challenge.