Pletcher contenders carry out final moves; Euros arrive under the Twin Spires

QUALITY ROAD (Elusive Quality), winner of the Woodward (G1) in his most

recent outing and a major contender for Saturday's $5 million Breeders' Cup

Classic (G1), and UNCLE MO (Indian Charlie), the likely favorite for the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), headed a group of five horses from the powerful

stable of trainer Todd Pletcher that turned in their final works on Sunday for the two-day

Championships.

The versatile Quality Road, who also earned Grade 1 wins this year in the

Donn H. at Gulfstream Park and Belmont's Metropolitan H., worked

four furlongs in :48 3/5 in company with Dogwood Stable's AIKENITE (Yes It's

True), who is expected to make the Dirt Mile (G1) field from the also-eligible

list. Exercise rider Patty Krotenko was in the

saddle as Quality Road covered the distance over a fast track in fractional

splits of :12, :24 1/5 and :36. The bay four-year-old galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.

Quality Road, running on the outside, finished about length in front of

Aikenite, who was timed in :48 2/5 for his half-mile under veteran exercise rider

Kevin Willey.

"I thought both horses worked very well," Pletcher said. "Quality Road is

obviously an exceptionally talented horse and does things very easily. I

thought it was a good progressive work. He picked it up down the lane,

galloped out well and seemed to get over the ground extremely well."

"I don't believe we've ever worked them together, although they have both

worked in company quite a bit," Pletcher mused. "We were not looking for a

whole lot from either one. Stay Thirsty had a lot of his conditioning done

at Belmont, and Uncle Mo obviously is running back 28 days, and ran a mile in

1:34-and-change 22 days ago (in the Champagne).

"I kind of let them get a little feel for the track. I thought it was a

little slower than I wanted it to be, but it was the right kind of slow. They went each eighth a little faster than the previous one. I thought

Uncle Mo galloped out particularly well. He was all the way back to the

half-mile pole before he actually pulled up."

The only other Pletcher trainee to work was ROSE CATHERINE (Speightstown),

a three-year-old filly who will take on males in the Turf Sprint (G2). The dark

bay lass, who is currently riding a four-race win streak that includes three

stakes victories, breezed four furlongs around the dogs on firm turf under De Paz

in :49 3/5. She was very eager as she broke off for the move, covered her

opening quarter in :26 2/5 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:04 2/5.

"I thought for preparing 10 horses here for the Breeders' Cup, all 10 works

were right within the range of what we were looking for," he said. "When

you have horses that are fit and ready to go, you just want to keep them happy

in their last breezes. I think we accomplished that."

The Classic hope from Japan, ESPOIR CITY (Jpn) (Gold Allure), worked a half-mile

on the main track after the

renovation break in :49 3/5 with exercise rider Toshiyuki Abematsu up. What made the work unusual was the

multiple Grade 1-winning five-year-old horse worked from the wire to

the half-mile pole.

"That is how they usually do it with him in Japan and they wanted to keep him

in his routine," said Mikki Tsuge, West Coast representative for the Japan

Racing Association who has been serving as the connections' liaison at Churchill

Downs. "Toshiyuki said the work went very well and he handled the track fine."

Espoir City posted fractions of :13, :25 2/5 and :37 3/5 for the work and

galloped out five furlongs in

1:05.

Also working after the renovation break for the Classic was HAYNESFIELD

(Speightstown), who clocked a half-mile

in :50 under Ceasar Garcia. Fractions for the four-year-old's move were :13, :25

4/5 and :38, and

he galloped out five-eighths in 1:02 2/5.

Toby Sheets, the Steve Asmussen assistant who has been with Haynesfield "since Day One", was happy with the work, the colt's third at

Churchill Downs since his wire-to-wire victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1)

at Belmont Park on October 2.

ACOMA (Empire Maker) breezed a half-mile

before the renovation break in :50 under jockey Robby Albarado. Splits for the

move, which is in advance of Friday's Ladies' Classic, were :12 4/5, :25 2/5 and

:37 4/5, and she galloped out five furlongs in 1:04.

Albarado has ridden Acoma three times in

her 18-race career, including a victory in the Dogwood S. (G3) under the Twin

Spires in 2008.

MINE THAT BIRD (Birdstone), winner of the 2009 Kentucky Derby

(G1), had his final tune-up for Saturday's Dirt Mile by working three furlongs out of the gate in :37

2/5.

With Michael Baze up and starting on the inside of Derivative (Mr. Greeley), Mine That Bird

stepped the first quarter in :25 and galloped out a half-mile in :50 2/5.

"I just wanted to sharpen him up, and I think it worked," trainer D. Wayne

Lukas said. "Fitness-wise, he is dead fit. But I still don't know if I have him

quick enough."

Mine That Bird has been in Lukas' care for five months but the lack of

results have been frustrating to Lukas.

"Yes, it has been frustrating because he has been doing well physically,"

Lukas said of the four-year-old gelding, who has not hit the board in three starts

around two turns during the summer. "I think it is pretty much mental and I

don't know if his heart is in racing."

Lukas was asked if he had handicapped this year's Classic field.

"It's easy,"

Lukas said. "Bet on the filly (Zenyatta) and go to the bank."

Gayego, who in his most recent start defeated Saturady's Fayette S. (G2)

winner Successful Dan (Successful Appeal) in the Presque Isle Mile on September

10, breezed four furlongs in :48 4/5.

"He finished up great and galloped out good, and he's another one we're real

happy with," said Rick Mettee, assistant to trainer Saeed bin Suroor. "That

Presque Isle race looks pretty good now that Successful Dan has come back and

won two starts. The one-turn mile should be perfect for him."

Vineyard Haven, most recently third in the Forego S. (G1) at Saratoga on

September 24, breezed five furlongs in 1:01 2/5.

"He went in 1:01 2/5 and went out in 1:13 4/5," Mettee said. "Hopefully he

can get outside draw. Like Gayego, he seems to like being outside horses a

little more. You just have to hope that with a big field and a one-turn mile

that they both get good draws and aren't tucked down along the inside because

that field is loaded with horses like Tizway (Tiznow) and Crown of Thorns

(Repent) and Here Comes Ben (Street Cry [Ire])."

"Girolamo went really well -- he went especially well yesterday," Mettee

said. "After a big race like the Vosburgh, you never know how they'll handle it,

but he seems to have thrived since then."

Sara Louise, who will be making her second start of 2010 when she competes in

the Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), turned in a :47 3/5 four-furlong breeze in the

second quickest of 23 moves at the distance on Saturday. The bay four-year-old's

only race this season came as a third in the Gallant Bloom H. (G2) on September

25.

"She went back to the track today and trotted, and we're real happy with the

way she's coming up to the race," Mettee said. "We'd like to have another race

in her, but we didn't have that luxury. At least we got a race into her, and

she's healthy, sound, and fresh. She's run at Churchill before, and seven

furlongs should be a good distance for her."

Mettee said all four horses will depart Belmont by van on Monday, arrive at

Churchill Downs on Tuesday, and will take to the track on Wednesday.

"All of them have shipped before and Belmont is such a good place to prepare

a horse," said Mettee of the decision to have Godolphin's Breeders' Cup

contenders make their final breezes at in New York. "We're away from all the

hustle and bustle of things and we're not huge believers in needing a race or a

work over the track. Sometimes shipping is good for horses; it gets them up on

their toes."

Three horses who arrived early Saturday afternoon at Churchill Downs from Europe are scheduled

to clear quarantine Monday morning and go to the track at 10 a.m. (EDT).

The trio

consists of Arlington Million (G1) winner DEBUSSY (Ire) (Diesis [Ire]) (Turf

[G1]) for trainer John

Gosden, the undefeated Gran Criterium (Ity-G1) victor BIONDETTI (Bernardini) (Juvenile or Juvenile Turf) for trainer Mahmood

Al Zarooni and DELEGATOR (GB) (Dansili [GB]) (Mile [G1]) for trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

Two-time champion ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]), on target to defend her Breeders'

Cup Classic title while going 20-0, enjoyed a quiet Sunday and just walked the shedrow

at Hollywood Park, one day

after completing her major preparations for Saturday's main event by working six furlongs in 1:11 4/5. Shirreffs reported that the

six-year-old mare was happy on Sunday and has responded well to her training.

Zenyatta will jog Monday over the Hollywood Park training track at her

normal training time of 9 a.m. (PDT). She is scheduled to leave California for Kentucky

on Tuesday aboard a chartered Tex Sutton flight along with several other

Breeders' Cup contenders, arriving at Louisville shortly before noon (EDT).

"Looks like the big day is finally going to get here," Shirreffs

said.

"It's hard to say it, but she's just getting better," veteran

exercise rider Freddie Wilson said. "They better be on their bicycles

(in the Breeders' Cup)."

Zenyatta, attracting a wide array of visitors daily, has become a

treasure at Hollywood. She had a path to her barn named Zenyatta Way.

The stable kitchen draped a large sign with the words "Stable Café Loves

Zenyatta" over the cafeteria line railing. It even named an omelette on

its menu for her.