Breeders’ Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (G1) contenders Lawyer Ron and Any Given Saturday breezed on Sunday at Belmont Park as trainer Todd Pletcher’s vast contingent turned in their final serious workouts in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Friday and Saturday at Monmouth Park.
Twelve of Pletcher’s 15 horses pre-entered for the Breeders’ Cup worked on Saturday at Belmont, including Indian Vale, Octave, Unbridled Belle, Panty Raid, English Channel, Honey Ryder Icy Atlantic, Host (Chi), Wait a While, and The Leopard.
All eyes were on his two Classic entrants, both of whom completed five-furlong moves on the training track at Belmont.
Whitney Handicap (G1) and Woodward Stakes (G1) winner Lawyer Ron covered the distance in 1:01.26, the fifth fastest of 23-times workouts at the distance.
Any Given Saturday, winner of the Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) on August 5 at Monmouth Park and the Brooklyn Handicap (G2) on September 22 at Belmont in his previous two starts, breezed five-eighths in 1:02.12. The three-year-old Distorted Humor colt’s breeze ranked tenth at the distance.
“Lawyer Ron got on the bridle early, but he was manageable,” Pletcher said. “He is a very good work horse. If you allowed him to, he would go extra fast. Any Given Saturday was aggressive, but that’s him. We got what we wanted from both of them.”
Pletcher said he has been impressed with how far Any Given Saturday has come since he finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum Brands (G1) on May 5 at Churchill Downs.
“Physically, Any Given Saturday has changed a lot,” Pletcher said. “We thought he was a good horse before the Dwyer [Stakes (G2) win on July 4]. But he got beat in the Wood Memorial [Stakes (G1) on April 7] and then was eighth in the Kentucky Derby, where I believe, he hurt his foot. He has been spectacular ever since.”