Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense made his first appearance on the main track at Monmouth Park Sunday morning, October 21, galloping an easy mile under exercise rider Tracey Wilkes, as he began final preparations for Saturday’s $5 million Breeders Cup Classic.

Trainer Carl Nafzger liked what he saw from Street Sense during the gallop. “He was fresh, and I figured he would be,” Nafzger said. “He galloped (eighths) in fifteen-and-change and sixteens. It was a good morning.”

Owned by James Tafel, Street Sense arrived at Monmouth on Friday morning, after being vanned from his home base at Churchill Downs. He is scheduled to work Tuesday morning with regular rider Calvin Borel. Rain is in the long-range forecast for Tuesday, but Nafzger said the work would most likely go as scheduled. Rain also is in the long-range forecast for the weekend.

“Everybody’s concern elevates when it is a sloppy track,” Nafzger noted. “It just puts a lot more unknowns into the equation. The rest of the time, you just go out and execute and run your race. In the slop, it is a question of who is it going to move up; who is it going to take down. You can’t worry about it, but it is a concern.”

Nafzger also said that Lady Joanne, his pre-entrant for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, is slated for a Wednesday arrival by van at Monmouth. Borel also has the mount in the Distaff.

The Classic is the final race of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which for the first time has been expanded to two days beginning on Friday (ESPN2, 4:00-6:00 p.m. ET) and continued on Saturday (ESPN 12:00-7:00 p.m. ET). With 11 championships races, including three new $1 million races, and $23 million in total purses, this year’s Breeders’ Cup is the world’s richest sporting event.

The nine-horse field pre-entered for the Classic, at 1 1/4 miles for 3-year-olds and up, is one of the most talented in the 24-year history of the event. Street Sense, Curlin, Lawyer Ron or Any Given Saturday would likely earn the Horse of the Year title with the Classic win.

Aidan O’Brien’s 4-year-old charge George Washington (IRE) is one of 20 horses pre-entered from Europe for the Classic. O’Brien is also bringing over the top horse in Europe this year, 4-year-old Dylan Thomas, for the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Post time for the Breeders’ Cup Classic is 5:35 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 27.