Quartet of Oaks possibles work five-eighths

Grade 3 winner BOUQUET BOOTH (Flower Alley) worked five furlongs in 1:02 1/5

under jockey Robby Albarado Friday morning at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Oaks

(G1) prep occurred after the renovation break over a track labeled fast.

Fractions for the move were :12 4/5, :25 3/5, :38 1/5 and :50 3/5 and

galloped out six furlongs in 1:16 3/5.

"Robby let her roll from the sixteenth pole home and we did not want to

overdo it six or seven days out," trainer Steve Margolis said. "She had her

major work last week (five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 on April 21)."

Bouquet Booth enters the Oaks off a fourth-place finish in the Ashland S.

(G1) at Keeneland on April 9.

"I am a realist and I know it is a tough spot," Margolis said. "I know she

might be the sixth or seventh choice, but she has proved herself with these type

horses and deserves a shot. She is training well and if she wasn't, she wouldn't

run."

Fantasy S. (G2) runner-up ARIENZA (Giant's Causeway) worked five furlongs in

:59 2/5, a co-bullet shared with Kentucky Derby (G1) candidate Archarcharch

(Arch), but is presently leaning towards the Eight Belles S. (G3) on the Oaks

undercard.

With retired jockey Larry Melancon up, Arienza clicked off fractions of :11

4/5, :23 1/5 and :34 2/5.

"It was a good work," trainer Dan Peitz said. "I got her last three-eighths

in :35 2/5 and maybe a tick faster on the final time than what the clockers got

her in.

"I am probably leaning toward the Eight Belles. I'll see how she comes out of

the work and how everybody else is doing but if Larry (Jones with JOYFUL VICTORY

[Tapit]) and Todd (Pletcher with R HEAT LIGHTNING [Trippi]) are sitting on go, we

may wait."

Lilacs and Lace has run all but one of her eight races on turf or synthetic

surfaces. She most recently captured the Ashland over Keeneland's Polytrack

surface. Lilacs and Lace, who hasn't raced on a dirt track since finishing

seventh in her debut, has impressed Abreu with her action while galloping over

Churchill's surface.

"She's been handling the track as good as you could want," Abreu said.

Other Oaks candidates scheduled to work Saturday morning at Churchill are

pre-race favorite R. Heat Lightning, last-out winner of the Gulfstream Oaks

(G2), and Grade 2 vixen KATHMANBLU (Bluegrass Cat), most recently third in the

Ashland.

Joyful Victory is scheduled to post her final move going five

furlongs under Gabriel Saez on Sunday. HER SMILE (Include), a recent

addition to Pletcher's barn, will work Saturday or Sunday, according to

assistant trainer Mike McCarthy, while HOLY HEAVENS (Holy Bull) could

show up on the worktab Sunday or Monday.

SUMMER SOIREE (War Front) could also work Sunday, though trainer

Graham Motion will likely miss the work. He will be at Fair Hill in

Maryland overseeing the breeze of Derby hopeful Toby's Corner (Bellamy

Road).