Five Classic Contenders Work at Churchill

Five possible starters in Saturday's oversubscribed Breeders' Cup Classic worked over the main track at Churchill Downs Monday morning.

The workout patrol was topped by the five furlong breeze of last year's Classic winner Cat Thief, who got the distance in :59 1/5 under exercise rider Stacey Maker. "We are on our home court and I think he will have something to say about" the Classic outcome, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said of the champion who is winless since taking last year's race. "He's doing good now. He has done this at other times, and sometimes he gets in that zone like he is now. His last two works have been very encouraging. He knows where the wire is in the morning, and he gives you what he has to. He is an old pro. In his last couple of works, he has galloped out strong and I am pretty pleased with that because it shows his attitude is perfect."

Trainer Nick Zito said Albert the Great is on track for Saturday's race, although some may say his workout of five furlongs in 1:05 4/5 was slow. "What is time? I know there are a lot of people who are going to say how slow his work was. What can I tell you? He had a serious work before he left New York and that work came after he ran a mine-and-a-quarter in 1:59." Jockey Jorge Chavez said the 3-year-old colt was "pulling hard on me" but that he stayed with Zito's plan not to work Albert the Great too fast.

Bobby Frankel-trained Euchre, with jockey Joe Deegan aboard, worked five furlongs in 1:01 3/5 in company with stablemate Mojave Moon. "He finished up real well," Frankel said. "He's been doing fine here. We'll see if he's good enough on Saturday."

Also working five-eighths Monday was Guided Tour, who was timed in 1:01 3/5 under Larry Melancon for trainer Niall O'Callaghan. "It was just what we wanted," O'Callaghan said.

The other Classic hopeful working Monday wasAgol Lack, an Andre Fabre 4-year-old son of Gulch. Under the supervision of Bill Mott, the colt went five furlongs in 1:01 3/5. Agol lack is stabled in Mott's barn.