Dreaming of Julia Tunes Up for Mother Goose

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Dreaming of Julia stood out on a busy worktab for trainer Todd Pletcher June 16, breezing a half-mile over the Belmont Park training track in 49.07 ahead of the upcoming $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes (gr. I).

"Very good," Pletcher said of the work. "She's a very consistent work horse and I'm very pleased with the way she's coming into the race."

The Mother Goose, at 1 1/16 miles, is June 22 at Belmont.

Stonestreet Stables' Dreaming of Julia, who earlier this year ran off to a 21 3/4-length victory in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (gr. II), exits a fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), a race in which she was jostled considerably at the start.

"I think it greatly affected her," Pletcher said. "In addition to that, she kind of got back into a position going into the far turn and had to lose her momentum again. I think the combination of those two things were very costly."

The homebred, by A.P. Indy out of dual grade I winner Dream Rush, has won four of seven starts with earnings of $814,500.

Pletcher sent out a trio of other sophomore stakes fillies for half-mile works on Sunday morning. Kentucky Oaks winner Princess of Sylmar covered the distance in :49.41 for an anticipated start the TVG Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course July 20; multiple graded stakes winner Kauai Katie was clocked in :48.47 for the Victory Ride (gr. III) at Belmont June 29; and Fusaichiswonderful, also under consideration for the Victory Ride, breezed in :49.42.

Juddmonte Farms' Close Hatches, second in the Acorn Stakes (gr. I) on Memorial Day at Belmont, breezed Sunday for an expected start in the Mother Goose, covering a half-mile over the main track in :50.58.

Among others under consideration for the Mother Goose, according to NYRA stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes, are Cue the Moon, Marathon Lady, Plenty O'Toole, and Carnival Court.