Backtalk drills for Breeders' Futurity

Backtalk will be making his Polytrack debut (Churchill Downs/Reed Palmer Photography)

Sanford S. (G2) and Bashford Manor S. (G3) hero BACKTALK (Smarty Jones) had

his first work over Keeneland's Polytrack surface Monday morning, covering six

furlongs in 1:12 4/5 and galloping out seven furlongs in 1:25 2/5 with Miguel

Mena aboard in preparation for Saturday's Breeders' Futurity (G1).

Trained by Tom Amoss, Backtalk broke off about five lengths behind two

workmates in the move that took place shortly after 6:30 a.m. (EDT), with fog

shrouding the infield. Backtalk sliced the deficit to a couple of lengths at the

eighth-pole, swung to the outside and drew even at the sixteenth-pole and hit

the wire a couple of lengths in front.

Amoss was happy with the work, the colt's third since finishing fourth in the

Hopeful S. (G1) on September 7 at Saratoga.

"He has done well since the Hopeful," Amoss said. "That race didn't go the

way we thought. He had a bad post position (12 in a field of 12) and a jock

(Richard Migliore) who was unfamiliar with him."

Robby Albarado, who won the 2007 Breeders' Futurity aboard Wicked Style

(Macho Uno), guided Backtalk through a bullet, six-furlong workout last Monday

at Churchill Downs and will have the mount Saturday.

Although the Breeders' Futurity will be Backtalk's first race on Polytrack,

the son of 2004 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Smarty Jones is no stranger to the

all-weather surface.