Pletcher 'happy with the whole bunch' of Oaks workers

Trainer Todd Pletcher's quartet of Kentucky Oaks candidates were out

with his barn's first set Saturday morning at Churchill Downs, heading trackside

from Barn 34 shortly after 6 a.m. (EDT).

First on the big Churchill Downs oval was runaway Gulfstream Oaks winner Dreaming of Julia, who put in a

half-mile drill of :51 under exercise rider Humberto Zamora. The possible

favorite for the nine-furlong Oaks worked on her own and showed an early split

of :25 4/5 before galloping out out in 1:03 3/5 over the fast track.

Next came the tandem of Silsita, with Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens aboard, and Unlimited Budget, handled by exercise rider Patti Krotenko.

Fair Grounds Oaks victress Unlimited Budget, moving on the outside, proved best by a

couple of lengths over her workmate, timing out at :59 3/5 for five furlongs. Silsita's final clocking was 1:00

Unlimited Budget's splits were :12,

:23 3/5, :35 1/5 and :47, with a gallop out time of 1:13 3/5 for six furlongs. Clockers

caught Silsita in early fractions of :12, :23 3/5 and :35 1/5.

Krotenko, a long-time member of the Pletcher work crew, had nothing but

good things to say about Unlimited Budget's exercise.

"She's a good work horse;

that's her," the exercise rider said. "But she felt very strong this morning.

She's definitely on the muscle and ready to roll."

Stevens, in the midst of a riding

comeback following seven years of other pursuits, felt his filly's work might

have been better than it appeared.

"I took a hold of her at the three-eighths

(pole)," he said of Silsita. "She was very keen going to the pole and I didn't want her

kicking all the way in. But she got over the track well and it was a good effort

for her."

Next from the Pletcher shedrow came Oaks eligible Princess of Sylmar with exercise

rider Jake Nelson up alongside the sophomore stakes filly Fusaichiswonderful.

The former did her running

on the outside and registered splits of :13 1/5, :25 1/5 and :37 3/5 en route to a

final time of :49 1/5. Her workmate was given the same final clocking. Princess

of Sylmar galloped out in 1:01 3/5.

Five-time Eclipse Award winner Pletcher had watched his fillies go from

the Churchill grandstand and said he liked what he saw.

"I thought they all did well," he

said. "Unlimited Budget was our strongest and fastest today. She's doing well.

Dreaming of Julia -- we tried to do with her what we did coming up to the

Gulfstream Oaks (a :50 4/5 breeze prior to her near-22-length tally). We didn't

want her going too fast. We wanted to save something with her.

"All in all, it was good. I was happy

with the whole bunch."

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