Puca, Luminance, Birdatthewire and Include Betty breeze ahead of Kentucky Oaks

Donegal Racing's Kentucky Oaks (G1) hopeful Puca (Big Brown), runner-up in Aqueduct's Gazelle

S. (G2) on April 4, tuned-up for her May 1 Oaks bid with a four-furlong work in

:48 1/5 over the fast track at Churchill Downs on Saturday.

The three-year-old filly had Jo Lawson in the saddle as she worked in company with stablemate Japan

(Medaglia d'Oro). Puca's internal fractions were timed by

Churchill Downs clockers in :12 2/5 and :24 2/5 and she galloped out five furlongs

in 1:00 4/5 and six furlongs in 1:14 2/5.

The work by Puca ranked 10th among 57

training moves at the half-mile distance. She started off 1 1/2 lengths in

front of her three-year-old stablemate Japan, who was timed in :48, the eighth-fastest move of the day, for his work.

"I thought it was a good, nice steady

work," said Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who was at Churchill for his filly's first work over the

track. "There was plenty of horse the whole way. She finished up good and

galloped out very good."

The work was the first serious

training move for the Donegal filly, who shipped to Churchill Downs shortly

after her runner-up finish to Kentucky Oaks contender Condo Commando (Tiz

Wonderful) in the

Gazelle. She finished 2 1/2 lengths behind Condo Commando in that race at the

Oaks distance of 1 1/8 miles.

Puca's lone victory in six career

races was a 16-length romp in a Belmont Park maiden race last October 1. That win was

followed by a troubled sixth-place run while making her stakes debut in the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita. Her only

other race during her three-year-old season was a fourth-place run in Gulfstream

Park's Davona Dale S. (G2) on February 21.

"She broke her maiden very

impressively and then she ran well coming back in the Breeders' Cup where she

had a rough trip and got stopped," said Mott, who has not saddled a winner

in the Kentucky Oaks. "She's indicated that she belongs.

She ran second in the Gazelle so she's coming off of a good race and the horse

that won the Gazelle was alone on the lead with nobody to challenge. So we felt

that if she gets a little pace (in the Oaks), she gets the mile-and-an-eighth

well enough. So we're going to give her a chance."

Forum Racing's Oaks contender Birddatthewire (Summer Bird) breezed a half-mile

at Churchill Saturday in :47 1/5 with splits of :11 4/5, :23 3/5 and :35 1/5 for

trainer Dale Romans.

Winner of the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) and Forward Gal S. (G2), the bay filly galloped out five furlongs in :59

3/5, three-quarters in 1:12 3/5

and seven-eighths in 1:27.

"Birdatthewire is just a push-button horse," Romans said. "Everything she does

is easy. There are no issues and no problems. If she's the best horse she'll

win."

At Keeneland on Saturday morning, Fantasy S. (G3) winner and Oaks candidate Include Betty

(Include) worked a

half-mile in :53 2/5 immediately after the fast track opened. With regular exercise rider Leo Garcia aboard for trainer

Tom Proctor, the chestnut filly posted fractions of :14 2/5 and :28 4/5 before

galloping out five

furlongs in 1:07 4/5.

Include Betty, owned by Brereton Jones and Tim Thornton, is

scheduled to ship to Churchill on Monday.