Three-time Grade 1 winner Winchester worked five furlongs over
the Oklahoma turf course Monday morning, covering the distance in 59.89 in
preparation for a possible start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer
Invitational run at 1 ½ miles on the turf on Saturday.
“He worked well,” trainer
Christophe Clement said of the Bertram Firestone homebred, who last year won the
Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational and Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap at
Belmont
Park . “He went at 8:45 on
the grass, just after the jumpers.
It was not too late and the turf was spectacular. I will speak to Mr.
Firestone later on, but Winchester is very much in consideration for the Sword
Dancer, as is Grassy, and I will make a final decision Wednesday morning knowing
a bit more about the forecast.”
Grassy, who won the Grade 2 Red Smith
Handicap at Aqueduct last November, worked five furlongs over the Oklahoma turf in 1:01.44
on Friday. A 5-year-old son of El Prado, he is campaigned by Claiborne Farm and
Adele B. Dilschneider.
“We’ve got a few options, but at
the moment both horses are being trained for the Sword Dancer,” Clement said. “I
would say Winchester most probably, Grassy is 50-50
according to the weather. The more rain, the better for Grassy. That’s where we
are.”
Clement is preparing to ship
reigning Champion Turf Male Gio Ponti
to Arlington
Park on Wednesday to make
his third start in Saturday’s Grade 1 Arlington Million, a race he won in 2009
and was beaten a half-length in last year.
The champion son of Tale of the Cat will travel with Cheetah, winner of two of three starts
in the U.S. , who is pointing toward the
Grade 1 Beverly D., also on Saturday.