Siphonic Out Of Kentucky Derby Picture
By John Asher

Kentucky Derby Headlines:

• Siphonic Out Of Kentucky Derby Picture
• Saratoga Blues vs. Home Team In Spiral
• Essence Of Dubai Tops UAE Derby

WEST (California) -- Hollywood Futurity (Grade I) winner Siphonic has been removed from consideration for the Kentucky Derby (GI) and the Visa Triple Crown following the discovery of a minor ankle injury.

The Blood-Horse's Steve Haskin reported Friday that Amerman Racing's son of Siphon would be taken out of training by trainer David Hofmans because of "wear and tear" in the colt's right front ankle.

The announcement came just days after the colt finished a disappointing third as a heavy favorite to Medaglia d'Oro and U S S Tinosa in the San Felipe (GII) at Santa Anita. He had finished a distant second as a heavy favorite to Labamta Babe in his previous start in the Santa Catalina (GII), but was compromised that day by a poor start.

"We're going to give him a little R-and-R," Hofmans told Haskin. "He came out of the San Felipe with a little stiffness in his right front ankle. He X-rayed clean and scanned clean, but he must have twisted the ankle."

Siphonic closed as a narrow 6-1 favorite in last week's Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. His loss in the San Felipe dropped his career record to 3-1-2 in six races.

Hofmans said the colt should return in "late summer or early fall."

MIDWEST (Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana, Arkansas) -- Major contenders for the Kentucky Derby (GI) and Visa Triple Crown usually spend the winter in the warmer climates of the South and West, but three horses that have spent the past few weeks dealing with the wind chill factor are the headliners in Saturday's $500,000-added Lane's End Spiral Stakes (GII) at Northern Kentucky's Turfway Park.

Local hopes Request For Parole and Perfect Drift renew their budding rivalty in the 1 1/8-mile event that has also attracted Saratoga Blues, an unbeaten colt who has trained in Maryland and shipped to New York for three victories that included a win in Aqueduct's Whirlaway.

Request For Parole and Perfect Drift have run 1-2 in their last two races at Turfway, with the former getting the best of the latter in both the WEBN Frog Stakes and the John Battaglia Memorial -- but the two horses were separated by just a nose last time out. Both horses will have new jockeys for the Lane's End Spiral as Pat Day, a five-time winner of the Spiral, climbs aboard Request For Parole and Eddie Delahoussaye makes a rare journey from his Southern California home to ride Perfect Drift.

The Steve Margolis-trained Request For Parole, who is owned by Jeri and Sam Knighton, has been installed as the 8-5 morning line favorite. He has a career record of 4-3-1 in nine races and has already competed with the likes major Kentucky Derby contenders Repent, Harlan's Holiday and Siphonic.

"I always watch all the good races anyway, but I maybe have a little more interest this year," Margolis told Jennie Rees of the Louisville Courier-Journal. "Harlan's Holiday blew them away in the Florida Derby after two good seconds. And Repent has done nothing wrong. If this colt runs big, it should put him right there with them. I think it means something - at least until he gets beat."

Stonecrest Farm's Perfect Drift, a homebred son of Dynaformer trained by Murray Johnson, is also a model of consistency. He won the Prevue Stakes at Turfway in January and is 2-3-0 in five races.

Saratoga Blues won the Whirlaway at Aqueduct last month to stretch his unbeaten string to three, but trainer Tony Dutrow has said his lightly raced colt would not be pointed to the Kentucky Derby. The Maryland-based colt is the second choice in Spiral morning line at 5-2 and will be ridden by regular jockey Mario Pino.

The field also includes Straight Gin, Azillion, Benny The Hawk, Gold Dollar and My Man Ryan.