Also working on grass Thursday was Mutamam, the first Breeders' Cup starter for trainer Alec Stewart. He was timed in :52 2/5 for the four furlong breeze. Stewart said the Churchill oval should not be a problem for the European raced Mutamam, who was victorious at Chester, a round, seven-furlong British track. "Apart from the three group I winners in the field, all of us are in there wondering if we're good enough, but we're here to win," Stewart said.
The turf course at Churchill Downs was crowded Thursday, as some Breeders' Cup contenders completed their final workouts and others exercised on the grass.Among those working on grass were two horses from the barn of Michael Stoute. Petrushka, morning-line favorite for the Filly & Mare Turf, blew out a half-mile in :50 3/5 over the firm turf course, with exercise rider Wally Lowesby aboard."We didn't ask for much," Stoute said. "I was looking for four furlongs in 50 and that's what she did. She's coming to the race perfectly."Stoute said he had been schooling Petrushka at Newmarket Racecourse in England to get her accustomed to the tight turns at Churchill Downs.Stoute's Kalanisi breezed four furlongs in :50 4/5 under exercise rider Terry Fahey as he prepped for the Turf. "He just did what we asked of him," Stoute said. "He's coming to the race in good order."Stoute said Kalanisi has been well-behaved since dumping his rider on the track Sunday morning. "He just had that one blip and he's been good ever since," Stoute said. "I think he just got startled when he saw all those horses on the track for the first time. But he's used to all the activity now."
