Woodward Winner Yoshida Breezes at Churchill Downs

On a blustery morning beneath the Twin Spires Oct. 22, Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) hopeful Yoshida worked five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 in preparation for the 1 1/4-mile race coming up Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs.

Yoshida, the two-length winner of the Sept. 1 Woodward Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, worked in company with 2017 Kentucky Downs maiden special weight winner Morocco through splits of :13 1/5, :25 3/5, :37, and :49 prior to galloping out six furlongs in 1:14 and seven furlongs in 1:28, according to Churchill Downs' clocker John Nichols. Morocco completed his breeze after a half-mile in :50.

"He's just doing great," Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. "We've been really happy with him since we got to Churchill last Thursday. Even though he's a grade 1 winner on the grass (in the May 5 Old Forester Turf Classic), we thought the Classic is the best route."

Yoshida has won five starts in his 11-race career with purse earnings of $1,289,770 for owners WinStar Farm, China Horse Club International, SF Racing, and Head of Plains Partners.

"We're just very fortunate to be in the spot we are," said WinStar Farm president and racing manager Elliott Walden. "It was a great work this morning. We were all so thrilled on Derby Day to get his first grade 1 win in the Old Forester. To return over the summer to win the Woodward on the dirt was very special as well."

Mott has won the Breeders' Cup Classic twice before with Cigar (1995) and WinStar Farm's Drosselmeyer (2011).

"I think going into this year's Classic, Yoshida has a better chance than Drosselmeyer did," Walden said. 

In the barn adjacent to Mott on the Churchill backstretch is fellow Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) contender Mind Your Biscuits, who will be pre-entered to run in the Classic as his first option, but could also be pre-entered in either the Dirt Mile (G1) or the TwinSpires Sprint (G1) as a second option, according to trainer Chad Summers. 

The pre-entry announcement will take place at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.   

Other Breeders' Cup hopefuls on the Churchill work tab Monday included Longines Distaff (G1) contender Midnight Bisou, who earned the bullet in breezing five furlongs in 1:00 flat outside of two-time winning 3-year-old colt Principe Guilherme; and Sprint candidate Switzerland, who breezed five furlongs in 1:00 3/5.

At Santa Anita Park Monday, trainer Bob Baffert sent out Classic contender Collected and Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) contender Marley's Freedom. 

Grade 1 winner Collected, who finished second in last year's Classic and will try to bounce back this year off a fourth-place finish in the Sept. 22 Pennsylvania Champion Stakes at Parx Racing, stretched his legs through seven furlongs in 1:25 3/5. Marley's Freedom— who will carry a four-race win streak into the Breeders' Cup, including a score in the Aug. 25 Ketel One Ballerina Stakes (G1) at Saratoga—went six furlongs in 1:12 2/5.