Unlimited Budget fires bullet half as Pletcher’s Belmont contingent breeze

Unlimited Budget is likely to face the boys in the Belmont (NYRA/Adam Coglianese Photography)

All five of trainer Todd Pletcher’s Belmont Stakes contenders breezed
Sunday morning at Belmont Park, after which the horseman said a final decision likely would be
made Monday on whether the filly
Unlimited Budget and/or
Midnight Taboo would
join Overanalyze,
Palace Malice and
Revolutionary in the
1 1/2-mile race on Saturday.

Pletcher said he would be discussing the pair’s status with
their owner, Mike Repole, adding that Unlimited Budget was “80-90 percent”
certain to run while Midnight Taboo was “50-50” to contest the “Test of the
Champion.”

Unlimited Budget blazed a half-mile in a bullet :47 2/5 in company with Capo Bastone
on Sunday in readiness for the race. The Street Sense filly, who was credited
with the quickest of 46 moves at the distance over the fast main track, had her
unbeaten streak broken when third in the Kentucky Oaks last out.

Pletcher, who won the 2007 Belmont with the filly Rags to
Riches, said he was pleased with the way Unlimited Budget went Sunday on the
outside of her workmate, as opposed to last week’s move on the inside.

Overanalyze will try to prove his subpar Derby effort was a fluke in the Belmont (Debra Kral/Horsephotos.com)

Stakes debuter Midnight Taboo was credited with a five-furlong move in 1:00
4/5. The Langfuhr chestnut just broke his maiden at Aqueduct on April 6 and
followed that with a runner-up effort against optional claiming rivals at
Belmont on May 8.

“Basically, (Repole) is holding the cards in terms of how
many we end up running,” Pletcher explained. “With Midnight Taboo, the Easy Goer
Stakes is an option that day. It’s just a matter of how aggressive Mike wants to
be, and take a shot with a horse that’s lightly raced but has some talent. It
would be asking lot for him to win the Belmont in his fourth start, but strange
things have happened.”

While Unlimited Budget and Midnight Taboo worked after the
renovation break on the main track, Dogwood Stable’s Palace Malice, Repole’s Overanalyze and WinStar Farm’s Revolutionary (48.51)
went out shortly after 6 a.m.

Revolutionary could move forward off his Derby third on Saturday (Debra Kral/Horsephotos.com)

Overanalyze, who was 11th in the Derby, entered that race off a 4 1/4-length
victory in the Arkansas Derby on April 13. The Dixie Union colt turned four
furlongs in :48 on Sunday.

Revolutionary did the best of Pletcher’s Derby runners, finishing third after
running in the rear of the field early on. The dark bay War Pass colt, who
posted neck scores in the Louisiana Derby and Withers prior to the Run for the
Roses, breezed a half in :48 2/5 in advance of the Belmont.

“I thought we had a very good morning,” Pletcher concluded. “All the
horses seemed to work pretty well; they were all almost mirror images of each
other. I can’t say that one stood out from the others.”