James Cassels and Bob Zollars' Private Emblem, the winner of a division of the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, is the morning line favorite for the 66th running of the 1 1/8-mile race. The Steve Asmussen-trained colt encountered poor luck at the post draw, where he drew the outside gate. Donnie Meche will ride.

Other major contenders include Team Valor's Rebel (GIII) winner Windward Passage, an Asmussen-trained stablemate to Private Emblem; Tom Van Meter and WinStar Farm's Rushaway winner Mr. Mellon; and Rushaway runner-up Wild Horses.

Others in the Arkansas Derby field include: Gold Dollar, Holdthehelm, Outstander, It'sallinthechase, Guppie's Secret and Bay Monster.

The latest plan for One Tuff Fox calls for a run in the Coolmore Lexington (GII) at Keeneland on April 20. "If he runs well there, we'll take a look at the Preakness," Dutrow said. "The Derby is definitely out."

EAST (New York, Maryland) -- The Wood Memorial (GI) at Aqueduct, which has produced the last two winners of the Kentucky Derby, has attracted what appears to be the deepest field of Saturday's big Derby preps.

Edmund Gann's Medaglia d'Oro, winner of the San Felipe (GII) at Santa Anita, is the 5-2 morning line favorite in the eight-horse field for the Wood, which will be televised by ESPN as part of a telecast that is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. (EDT). The San Felipe was the colt's first race for new trainer Bobby Frankel, who earned an Eclipse Award as America's top trainer in 2001 and is looking for his first Kentucky Derby victory.

Cynthia Phipps' Saarland, whose only race this year has been a runner-up finish in the Gotham (GIII) at Aqueduct, is the 3-1 second choice. He won last fall's Remsen (GII) at Aqueduct for trainer Shug McGaughey.

Other highly-regarded members of the Wood field include Koji Maeda's Sunday Break, a recent allowance winner at Aqueduct for trainer Neil Drysdale; Florida Derby (GI) runner-up Blue Burner, owned by George Steinbrenner's Kinsman Stable; and Buddha, an improving son of Unbridled's Song ridden by Pat Day.

The Wood field will be completed by Nokoma, Iwin and European import Laissezaller.

Eleven horses -- including Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000 -- have swept the Wood Memorial and Kentucky Derby. Monarchos finished second in last year's Wood, but won the Kentucky Derby three weeks later.

WEST (California) -- Saturday's $150,000 California Derby at Northern California's Bay Meadows could produce a Kentucky Derby contender or two, but certainly no Derby favorites.

Captain Squire and Cappuchino are the only stakes winners in the field of seven for the 1 1/8-mile race.

The owners of the former have indicated Captain Squire would ship to Kentucky if he wins Saturday. The latter is trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, who said his colt would need to be very impressive to earn a trip to Kentucky.

But Hollendorfer, the king of Northern California trainers, told the San Francisco Chronicle that U S S Tinosa, fifth in last week's Santa Anita Derby (GI), could still become his first Kentucky Derby starter.

"He got it more trouble than it appears," said Hollendorfer. "The owners and Kent (jockey Kent Desormeaux) think he's still legitimate. I want to train him here at Bay Meadows for a few days and see how he's going and then decide what to do."

Baffert Is Back -- Trainer Bob Baffert's seventh consecutive appearance in the Kentucky Derby seems assured after one of his prime clients, the Thoroughbred Corporation, purchased Illinois Derby (GII) winner War Emblem for an undisclosed price late in the week. The colt arrived at Baffert's Churchill Downs barn on Thursday (April 11). "Because I usually develop my own horses, it's hard to get too excited about him right now," Baffert said.

Johannesburg Update -- Despite an upset loss by Johannesburg in last week's seven furlong Gladness Stakes (Gr. III) at Ireland's the Curragh, trainer Aidan O'Brien Thursday gave his strongest indication yet that the Irish-based Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) winner would ship to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby.

O'Brien described Johannesburg and stablemate Castle Gandolfo as "very possible" for the Kentucky Derby and said a final decision would probably be made next week.

"The Kentucky Derby will be a huge call," O'Brien said. "but with the future in mind this year could tell us a lot about what is required to win the race."

As for Johannesburg's setback against older horses in the Gladness, O'Brien praised the colt's effort.

"He just got tired in the tacky ground," he said. "The Gladness is always a tough trial for 3-year-olds. A truly run seven furlongs on that sort of ground at the Curragh is more like a nine-furlong race."

Dubai -- Godolphin's Kentucky Oaks (GI) contenders Tempera and Imperial Gesture, the 1-2 finishers in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI), will run in the April 13 UAE Oaks at Nad al Sheba in their final prep race before they board a flight for Kentucky on April 17. Tempera will be reunited with American jockey David Flores.

The Godolphin website this week listed Essence of Dubai as the only Kentucky Derby contender who will be on that flight for trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

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