The list of early nominees for the 129th Kentucky Derby (Grade I) and the Visa Triple Crown is scheduled for release on Sunday by Triple Crown Productions.

A nomination fee of $600 was due on Jan. 18 to make 3-year-old Thoroughbreds eligible for the three-race series that includes the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness (GI) at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. on May 17, and the Belmont Stakes (GI) at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. on June 7.

The record for the number of horses made eligible at the first nomination stage is 440, which was established in 2001. There are more opportunities to make horses eligible for the Derby and the Visa Triple Crown. The deadline for late nominations to the three-race series is March 29 and a fee of $6,000 is required at that time. A horse may also be made a supplemental entry to the Visa Triple Crown for a fee of $150,000 when entries are taken for the Kentucky Derby.

Each race carries a purse of $1 million. A horse that sweeps all three races in the Visa Triple Crown Challenge will receive a bonus of $5 million.

West -- The Thoroughbred Corp's Kafwain, one of the top juveniles on the West Coast in 2002, begins his 3-year-old campaign on Saturday when he faces five rivals in the $150,000 San Vicente (GII) at Santa Anita.

Trained by three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert, the son of Cherokee Run won the Norfolk (GII) and Best Pal (GIII) at two and finished the year with runner-up finishes to stablemate and eventual 2-year-old champion Vindication in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) at Arlington Park and Toccet in a narrow defeat in the Hollywood Futurity (GI) at Hollywood Park. He was disqualified and placed fourth in the latter.

Baffert characterized the colt's run in the seven furlong San Vicente as a prep for bigger races.

"It's either do this or sit on him for a month and a half," he told the Daily Racing Form. "I'd rather put a race into him. We're looking down the road. We're looking for the first Saturday in May."

Kafwain has a record of 3-2-1 in eight races and career earnings of $535,848. Victor Espinoza, who rode War Emblem to victory in last year's Kentucky Derby for The Thoroughbred Corp and Baffert, will ride Kafwain in the San Vicente.

Other intriguing members of members of the San Vicente field include Biahut Stable's Southern Image and Brewer, Haagsma and Ward's Runnin' On Nitro. The former is a son of Halo's Image who defeated the well-regarded Ministers Wild Cat in his only career start. The latter is a son of the hot young sire Elusive Quality and romped to an 8 1/2-length victory in n his most recent start on Dec. 18, a Hollywood Park maiden race.

Meanwhile, Saturday's $100,000 Turf Paradise Derby at Turf Paradise looms as an important test for a highly-regarded 3-year-old based at the Phoenix, Ariz. track. Dennis Weir's Siberland will be favored as he attempts to extend a four-race winning streak in the 1 1/16-mile race. Two of those wins came against fellow California-breds last summer at Del Mar and he extended the streak with a pair of romps in stakes company in December and January at Turf Paradise.

Regular jockey Glenn Corbett will ride the son of Siberian Summer and looks forward to the experience.

"It's like driving a Ferrari," he said. "Speed and the power to go faster at any time."

Trainer Kevin Lewis said a good performance on Saturday would earn his gelding a shot at one of California's Kentucky Derby preps.

Also in the field is Robledo, who saw a two-race winning streak snapped when failed to finish in the Santa Catalina (GII) at Santa Anita. The Vladimir Cerin-trained colt will be ridden Saturday by David Flores.

Southeast -- Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Ten Cents A Shine stamped himself as a horse with Kentucky Derby potential with a strong runner-up finish to Soto in the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) last fall at Churchill Downs and the Ken McPeek-trained colt is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut in a strong allowance race on Friday at Gulfstream Park.

New jockey Jerry Bailey will ride Ten Cents A Shine in Gulfstream's 1 1/16-mile eighth race.

Ten Cents A Shine was bred in Ohio, the home state of last year's McPeek-trained standout Harlan's Holiday. The latter won the Fountain of Youth (GI), Florida Derby (GI) and Toyota Blue Grass (GI) to earn the role of favorite in Kentucky Derby 128, where he finished seventh.

The race has also attracted Robert Ackerman and Barry Golden's Senor Swinger, a Mickey Goldfine-trained son of El Prado who scored a 6 1/2-length victory in his only career start in December at Hawthorne Park, and Edward P. Evans' Roaring Fever, the runner-up in the Cowdin (GIII) at Belmont Park.

Midwest -- Lloyd Madison Farms LLC's Champali, a two-time stakes winner in Kentucky, will be favored to add to his stakes total in Saturday's 19th running of the $50,000 WEBN Stakes at Turfway Park.

Last year's running of the one-mile race was perhaps the strongest in the history of the race formerly known as the Presidents Stakes as Request For Parole held off Perfect Drift to win the race. Both horses would go on to run strongly in the Kentucky Derby, with Request For Parole finishing fifth at Churchill Downs and Perfect Drift rebounded to win Turfway's Spiral (GII) before he finished third in the "Run for the Roses."

Champali, trained by Churchill Downs-based Greg Foley and named for three-time heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali (the name is pronounced "Champ Ali"), won the Iroquois (GIII) at Churchill Downs before he suffered the only loss of his career in a ninth-place finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club at the same track. The son of Glitterman rebounded to win the Prevue Stakes in early January at Turfway Park.

The main rival to Champali in the WEBN may be trained by Foley's sister, Vickie, who will saddle Tom Musselman and Patty Tipton's Tito's Beau. The son of Beau Genius finished third to champion Vindication in the Kentucky Cup Juvenile (GIII) at Turfway and fourth to Sky Mesa in the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity (GII) at Keeneland. He is coming off a victory in a 1 1/16 miles allowance race at Turfway Park.

Meanwhile, Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. cancelled Sunday's $50,000 Mountain Valley Stakes, the first of its preps for the Arkansas Derby (GII). The race was scrapped after it attracted only four entries.

The six-furlong race was to have marked the return of the Robert Holthus-trained Alke, who has not raced since a runner-up finish to Champali in Churchill Downs' Iroquois (GIII) in early November.

East -- With its top Kentucky Derby contender Added Edge on the sidelines with a knee injury, owner Team Valor has a backup hope in recent Aqueduct winner Colita.

The Daily Racing Form reports that Team Valor purchased the Carlos Morales-trained colt after a pair of wins at Aqueduct and shipped him to the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida. Morales will continue to train Colita, who is being aimed toward a mid-February allowance race at Gulfstream Park.

Upcoming Kentucky Derby Preps:

Feb. 1:

San Vicente (GII)
Santa Anita
7 furlongs
Post Time - 4:36 p.m. (Eastern)

WEBN Stakes
Turfway Park
1 Mile
Post Time - 4:48 p.m. (Eastern)

Turf Paradise Derby
Turf Paradise
1 1/16 Miles
Post Time - 5:00 p.m. (Eastern)

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