Letruska Prepares for Spinster With Bullet Breeze

Leading dirt female Letruska  left her connections happy Oct. 2 as she cruised through her final work in a bullet time for the $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) Oct. 10 at Keeneland. 

"Bueno," reported her exercise rider Felipe Jacobo.

"She did it very easy," added trainer Fausto Gutierrez.

St. George Stable's homebred completed five furlongs on a fast main track at Keeneland in :59 Saturday morning, accomplishing the fastest time of 55 at the distance. Working on her own just after 9 a.m. ET following the morning's second renovation break, Letruska posted fractions of :22 3/5, :35 2/5, :46 4/5, :59, and was out six furlongs in 1:11.

For Letruska, the move was her second local work since winning the Aug. 28 Personal Ensign Stakes Presented by Lia Infiniti (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. Last Saturday, she worked a best-of-76 half-mile in :47 2/5.

The Spinster will serve as Letruska's final prep race for the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

In addition to Letruska, several other horses pointing toward Keeneland's Fall Stars Weekend stakes put in main track works headed by Michael McLoughlin's Kevin's Folly , who covered five furlongs in :59 2/5 in company under Edgar Morales for trainer Tom Amoss. Kevin's Folly, third in the Sept. 6 Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, is headed to the $500,000 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 9.

Also working for Amoss was Jerry Caroom's Pipeline Girl  (five furlongs in :59 4/5) in preparation for the Oct. 8 $400,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) on opening day.

Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Westerberg's Golden Pal , winner of last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) at Keeneland, worked five furlongs in 1:01 on a firm turf course in company with Oct. 10 Indian Summer Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select hopeful Averly Jane  (1:01 4/5) in preparation for next Saturday's $200,000 Woodford Stakes Presented by TVG (G2T). Averly Jane is owned by Hat Creek Racing.

Golden Pal and Averly Jane were two of five turf workers for trainer Wesley Ward, whose contingent included Gregory Kaufman's Indian Summer hopeful Kaufymaker  (five furlongs in 1:02) and Stonestreet Stables' multiple group 1 winner Campanelle  (five furlongs in 1:02).

Other turf works of note included George Sharp's Front Run the Fed  (four furlongs in :50 4/5) and Clipper Logistics' Space Traveller  (four furlongs in :50 2/5) for the $750,000 Keeneland Turf Mile (G1T) next Saturday; Apogee Racing's Abscond  (five furlongs in 1:02) for the $400,000 First Lady Stakes Presented by UK HealthCare (G1T) next Saturday; and Phoenix Thoroughbred's Tiz the Bomb  (four furlongs in :49) for the $200,000 Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes (G2T) next Sunday.

BC Preparations Continue at Churchill

Several possible contenders for the Breeders' Cup World Championships recorded workouts at Churchill Downs Saturday morning, including Lothenbach Stables' Bell's the One  (four furlongs in :47), Godolphin's Essential Quality  (five furlongs in :59 1/5), and Qatar Racing, Flurry Racing Stables, and Big Aut Farm's Shedaresthedevil  (four furlongs in :50 2/5).

Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) and Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) winner Essential Quality, the leader of the 3-year-old male division, breezed on the outside of allowance winner Colonel Bowman  as he continues toward a start in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). The duo worked shortly after the track opened at 5:30 a.m. and began their breeze from the half-mile pole. They crossed the wire in :46 4/5 and completed their move around the clubhouse turn. 

"'Essential' is the type of horse that just keeps finding more in every race," trainer Brad Cox said. "I thought his race in the Travers was a tremendous effort to run down (Midnight Bourbon ). He's a really nice horse in his own right.

"The distance in the Breeders' Cup Classic (1 1/4 miles) is not going to be an issue for him. He'll be fit and ready for the Classic. There wasn't a race in between the Travers and the Classic that made a lot of sense for him to run in. We gave him two easy half-mile works prior to (Saturday) and we'll keep tightening the screws each week."

Essential Quality's stablemate Shedaresthedevil, the winner of the Locust Grove Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs two weeks ago, recorded her first work back since the 1 1/16-mile event. Her owners reported the multiple grade 1 winner will be sold at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select breeding sale in Lexington, following the Breeders' Cup.

Shedaresthedevil is aimed toward a rematch with Letruska in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. She defeated Letruska by a head in the March 13 Azeri Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park, and was third last time they met in the June 5 Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park, where Letruska won. 

The speedy mare Bell's the One returned to the work tab following her narrow defeat to Sconsin  in the Sept. 18 Open Mind Stakes at Churchill Downs. Trained by Neil Pessin, Bell's the One worked in company with recent allowance runner-up Audrey's Time . With regular rider Corey Lanerie aboard, Bell's the One started about five lengths behind her stablemate at the half-mile pole and finished even at the wire. Bell's the One was third in last year's Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Keeneland.

Along with possible Breeders' Cup contenders, Live Oak Plantation's Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) fan-favorite Soup and Sandwich  has returned to Louisville. Trained by Mark Casse, the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1) runner-up cruised five furlongs in :59 3/5. He is scheduled to make his first start since finishing last in the Derby in late October at Keeneland, according to assistant trainer David Carroll.