Breeders' Cup Classic hope Street Sense is a better horse going into Saturday's $5 (€3.5) million race than he was winning the Kentucky Derby, according to connections.
Trainer Carl Nafzger sent his stable star out for a jog around Monmouth Park, New Jersey, a day after putting Street Sense through what he said was a "perfect" final major work before he takes on the likes of favourite Lawyer Ron, Preakness winner Curlin, Kentucky second Hard Spun and George Washington.
Street Sense is likely to be walked today and then gallop tomorrow and Saturday ahead of the big race, an identical preparation to his pre-Derby routine at Churchill Downs.
Nafzger said, however, that Street Sense was a much-changed horse since his May 5th triumph under Calvin Borel.
"He is a different horse than he was before the Derby. He is a patient horse now, professional," Nafzger said.
"He has grown up a lot since the Derby and if you are going to compete against older horses, you've got to grow up."
Borel, who has ridden Street Sense in all 12 of his races, has been equally impressed by the horse that also won last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
"You don't find these horses every day," Borel said. "I've been riding for 25 years and he is a jock's dream.
"He handled this track like he does at Churchill," the rider added of his work yesterday at Monmouth.
Street Sense is a 9 to 2 with William Hill, who have Todd Pletcher's Lawyer Ron a 3 to 1 favourite, with Curlin 4 to 1 alongside Pletcher's other chance, Any Given Saturday.
Hard Spun is 9 to 1, with George Washington at 10 to 1, although Stan James cut the mercurial Irish raider to 9 to 1 from 12 to 1.
George Washington, along with Aidan O'Brien's four other Breeders' Cup entrants, landed in New Jersey on a flight from Shannon on Tuesday night and they were awaiting clearance from quarantine, although the Ballydoyle handler is expected to wait until tomorrow before working his charges.
O'Brien's All My Loving has been cut in the market for the Filly And Mare Turf by both Hills and Stan James, Hills pushing her in from 33 to 1 to 20 to 1, while Stan James moved the Irish and English Oaks third to 14s from 33.
Hills also cut the chief opposition to Turf favourite and Arc winner Dylan Thomas, with Pletcher's English Channel now 4 to 1 from 9 to 2.
In the Juvenile Fillies, second-favourite Cry and Catch Me has been withdrawn.
Simply Perfect delighted big-race jockey Johnny Murtagh as she stretched her legs at Monmouth Park yesterday morning ahead of the Breeders' Cup Filly And Mare Turf.
The grey went onto the course with Jeremy Noseda's Juvenile Turf challenger Strike The Deal and, after completing a circuit, Murtagh put forward the view his mount had a good chance of getting the 11-furlong trip at the weekend.
Murtagh said: "Simply Perfect was very relaxed with her pony which helped her to settle. She's fresh and well and I'm hoping she'll have every chance of getting the trip as this is a sharp track."
Murtagh rides Achill Island for O'Brien in the Juvenile Turf and he went on: "Aidan's two-year-olds are starting to run well and the form of this colt has stood up well."
In other action on the track, Jimmy O'Neill put John Oxx's Timarwa through her paces on the turf.
The filly went out with Jeremy and afterwards O'Neill said: "The filly is in good form. She runs her last race in the Filly And Mare. Afterwards she'll remain in the States to be covered by one of the Kentucky-based stallions."
