The
2010 Breeders’ Cup Sprint champion and Eclipse Award winner Big Drama worked
five furlongs at Calder Casino & Race Course on Saturday morning, getting
the “bullet” time for the distance of 1:00.40. Stablemate Apriority
worked in company and was the second fastest on the tab at 1:00.80. Trainer Dave Fawkes is preparing both horses for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill
Downs on Nov. 5.
“I
spoke to my assistant this morning and he told me they both worked excellent,”
said Fawkes, who is at Keeneland today to saddle Hot Summer in the $250,000
Raven Run Stakes (G2). “Apriority had to go a little wide and they both had to
avoid a pair working in front of them coming down the stretch, but they worked
excellent. Pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup are taken on Monday, and
we’ll make a decision about Apriority then.”
Fawkes
had said last Saturday that Apriority was “still a little ‘iffy’ for the Breeders’
Cup (Sprint); we’ll see how it goes.” Apriority finished seventh in a
field of eight last out in the Vosburgh Invitational (G1) at Belmont Park after
getting bumped shortly after the start of the race. He is owned by his
breeder, Donald Dizney.
Big
Drama, bred and owned by Harold Queen, will work one more time at Calder before
vanning up to Churchill Downs. He has won both of his starts this year,
most recently the $75,000 Whippleton overnight stakes at Calder.