Quality Road Heads Worktab

Quality Road headed Todd Pletcher’s worktab on Sunday morning, breezing five furlongs in preparation for the November 6 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. Sent over the Belmont Park training track with Grade 3-winning grass runner Pleasant Strike, Quality Road was clocked in 1:01.06, which Pletcher termed “an exceptionally good work with a very strong gallop-out.”

Also working over the training track for Pletcher were Repole Stable’s Grade 1 Three Chimneys Hopeful runner-up Stay Thirsty (5f 1:02.12), who is also looking toward the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. On the main track, Grade 1 winner Bribon, most recently sixth in the Forego closing weekend at Saratoga and under consideration for supplementation to either the Breeders’ Cup Sprint or Dirt Mile, covered four furlongs in 48.92, while New York-breds Ibboyee (4f 49.73) and Manteca (4f 49.71) worked toward the October 23 Empire Classic.

In other notable works, Godolphin Stable sent out Gayego to breeze four furlongs in 47.44, the second-fastest of 46 works at the distance. Gayego, who followed a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap this summer at Saratoga with a win in the Presque Isle Mile on September 10, is being pointed toward the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Also on the worktab for Godolphin was Vineyard Haven, who worked five furlongs in 1:00.97, also in preparation for a likely start in the Dirt Mile.

Grade 3 Noble Damsel winner Strike the Bell turned in her final serious work for next Saturday’s Grade 3 Athenia, breezing a half-mile over the training track in 48.89. Also under consideration for the Athenia is Maram, who was clocked over the inner turf in a bullet 1:02.03 five-furlong move.