HALLANDALE, Fla. – With most Breeders’ Cup horses slated to have their final a.m. speed trials early next week in preparation for Saturday’s $13 million extravaganza, the worktab was light at Gulfstream Park yesterday morning.
Vicar, trained by Carl Nafzger, rattled off a quick drill for the Sprint, while trainer Joe Orseno breezed Golden Missile for the Classic and Perfect Sting for the Filly & Mare Turf.
“This track is fast,” Nafzger said after Vicar went five furlongs in :59.4. “When this colt went down the lane it looked like he was just walking, but I got him (the final quarter-mile) in :23.3.
“It’s the job of the trainer to adjust things for day one, which is Nov. 6. If I seat the nail perfect and the lanes open, I’ll be right there.”
Golden Missile, beaten a nose last out in the 11/4-mile Hawthorne Gold Cup, went an easy five furlongs in 1:02.
“He worked fast the other day (five furlongs in :59.3) so I told the kid to slow him down a bit and let’s get the distance into him,” Orseno said. “He went in hand, no urging whatsoever. I liked the way he did it because he went the first quarter in :26 and change and came home in :35 and change.”
Golden Missile has solid Classic connections. His sire A.P. Indy won the event here in 1992, and owner Frank Stronach won the Classic last year with Awesome Again.
Perfect Sting, a 3-year-old filly who’s won back-to-back Grade 1’s on grass, worked four furlongs around the “dogs” over the soft turf course in :52.
“The time might not seem that impressive, but it wasn’t about time,” said Orseno. “The turf course was in good shape and she handled it fine.”