Pailides Investments N.V. Inc’s Grade I, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic hopeful Royal Delta and the Live Oak Plantation’s Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) prospect To Honor and Serve worked early Sunday morning on the main track for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
Working first was Royal Delta, with exercise rider Rodolphe Brisset
up. Winner of the Alabama (GI) and runner-up in the Beldame
Invitational (GI) in her most recent start, Royal Delta covered five
furlongs in 1:02.60 with fractions of :14, :27, :38.60, :50.40, out six
furlongs in 1:15.20 and seven-eighths in 1:29.80. The five-furlong move
was the 23rd fastest of 47 at the distance over a fast track.
Brisset then came out with To Honor and Serve and the Pennsylvania Derby (GII) winner covered five furlongs in 1:02, the 14th
fastest of 47 at the distance. Fractions for the work were :13.40,
:25.40, :37.80 and :49.60 with out times of 1:15.60 for six furlongs and
1:31 for seven-eighths.
Mott, who has saddled six Breeders’ Cup winners including Unrivaled Belle in last year’s Ladies’ Classic here, liked the works.
“Royal Delta finished up well and galloped out good. She progressed
as the work went on and her last three-eighths was in 35 and change. She
moves well over the track,” Mott said. “To Honor and Serve worked very
well. He has had two nice works here and it looks like he moves well
over the track.”
Mott has five likely Breeders’ Cup runners here in Barn 19 and two of them worked Saturday: Drosselmeyer (Classic) and Birdrun (Marathon) in 1:01.20 for five furlongs. Courageous Cat, runner-up to Goldikova
in the 2009 TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (GI) and a neck away from being
unbeaten in three 2011 starts, is scheduled to work on the grass Monday.
"This is where I want to be,” said Mott, who has been at Churchill
Downs nearly two weeks and away from his main base at Belmont Park. “All
the horses are doing well, but then they have to do it in the
afternoon. I have a good feeling. They are all eating well and moving
well over the track.”