St. John’s River, Street Storm breeze five-eighths

St. John’s River flew over the dirt at Churchill in advance of the Oaks (Reed Palmer Photography/Churchill Downs)

Kentucky Oaks (G1) hopeful
ST. JOHN’S RIVER (Include)
was the first horse on Churchill Downs’ track on Thursday after the renovation break from the “Lukas Gap,”
and wasted little time going about the business of the morning, working five
furlongs in 1:00 4/5 under jockey Rosie Napravnik.

Traveling over a track labeled as “fast,” St. John’s River
clicked off fractions of :12 2/5, :24 3/5, :36 2/5 and :48 2/5, while galloping out six
furlongs in 1:15 2/5. The move was the second fastest of 23 at the distance.

“I thought it went OK,” trainer Andy Leggio said. “She
was in hand and it was a nice work. She will get two days off and go back to the
track Sunday and gallop up to the Oaks and put the finishing touches on.”

Runner-up in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in her most recent
start, St. John’s River has worked three times in Kentucky since the March 26
race in New Orleans. Two of the works came at Keeneland on Polytrack: 1:00 4/5 on
April 13 and 1:00 2/5 on April 20.

Street Storm is likely to bypass the Oaks but is expected to race on the undercard (Wendy Wooley/EquiSport Photos)

STREET STORM (Stormy Atlantic) clocked five-eighths in 1:03 after the renovation break under jockey Robby Albarado,
but is likely to skip the Oaks in favor of the Edgewood S. going 1 1/16 miles on
the turf earlier on the card.

Fractions for the
move, which was the 20th fastest of 23 at the distance, were :13 2/5, :26, :38
1/5 and :50 4/5. The Steve Margolis pupil galloped out six
furlongs in 1:17.

“It was just a
maintenance work for her,” Margolis explained. “She is not a
good work horse when she is by herself. She prefers turf and will probably go in
the Edgewood.”

Stablemate and Grade 3 winner BOUQUET BOOTH (Flower Alley) galloped 1 1/2
miles under Jose
Castanon after the renovation break and is scheduled to work five furlongs
Friday morning with Albarado up in advance of the Oaks.

Daisy Devine will go for her second straight Oaks win next Friday (Reed Palmer Photography/Churchill Downs)

Fair Grounds Oaks winner DAISY DEVINE (Kafwain)
galloped 1 1/4 miles under Larry Melancon after the renovation break in her
first trip back to the track since working five furlongs in :59 3/5. Martha
Washington S. victress HOLY HEAVENS (Holy Bull), who breezed five furlongs in 1:03
3/5, galloped 1 3/4 miles under
exercise rider Manuel Huerta Castro. PLUM PRETTY (Medaglia d’Oro)
jogged a mile under exercise rider Dana Barnes. The Bob Baffert trainee posted seven furlongs
in 1:28 2/5 on Tuesday.

Fantasy S. (G2) runner-up
ARIENZA (Giant’s Causeway) galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Eva
Jansson before the morning renovation break when the track was labeled as
“good.” Trainer Dan Peitz plans to work Arienza five furlongs
after the break Friday morning.

Also galloping before the renovation break on Thursday was Grade 1-placed
stakes heroine
DELIGHTFUL MARY (Limehouse), who
galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider
Melanie Giddings. The Mark Casse-trained
filly is scheduled join Arienza after the break on Friday for her likely final
move before the Oaks. Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan will be up.

Kathmanblu will seek to return to her winning ways in the Oaks (Matt Wooley/EquiSport Photos)

“She will work in the morning on the main track at Highpoint
and it should be a good track,” trainer Speedy Smithwick said. “She is
going to go five-eighths and I will have her hook up with a companion the last
three-eighths.”

Miguel Mena has the riding assignment on Suave Voir Faire, who will ship to
Churchill Downs on Tuesday.

Set to work Saturday at Churchill are Grade 2 vixen KATHMANBLU
(Bluegrass Cat) and Ashland S. (G1) queen LILACS AND LACE (Flower Alley).
JOYFUL VICTORY (Tapit), runaway winner of the Fantasy and Honeybee S. (G3) in
her last two, has a Sunday move scheduled.

Comely S. (G3) second HER SMILE (Include), recently acquired by Bobby Flay,
was scheduled to arrive at Churchill Thursday afternoon in the barn of her new
trainer Todd Pletcher. The dark bay miss is set to go to the track Friday
morning. New stablemate and Grade 1 winner R HEAT LIGHTNING (Trippi) galloped 1
1/2 miles after the renovation break on Thursday under exercise rider Hector
Ramos.