East -- Daniel Borislow's Toccet, one of the outstanding 2-year-olds of 2002, has been pulled from consideration for Kentucky Derby 129 (Grade I).

A recent foot ailment convinced Borislow and trainer John Scanlan to abandon their bid to have the son of Awesome Again ready to compete on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

Toccet, the winner of the Champagne (GI) and Hollywood Futurity (GI) at two, went to the sidelines earlier this year with what had been described as a "remodeling" of the colt's ankles. The colt had recently returned to training at Maryland's Laurel Park, but suffered a slight bruise on his right hind foot that interrupted his training schedule.

"There's no longer enough time to get him ready for the Derby," Scanlan told the Associated Press. "There aren't any words I can think of right now to describe the disappointment."

Although a Derby bid is off the colt's schedule, Scanlan still hopes that Toccet can be ready to run in the remaining races in the Visa Triple Crown, the Preakness (GI) at Pimlico on May 17 and the Belmont Stakes (GI) at Belmont Park three weeks later.

Toccet was one of three finalists for the Eclipse Award as racing's top 2-year-old of 2002. That honor went to Padua Stable's Vindication, who also suffered an injury that knocked him out of the Kentucky Derby.

ZWP Stable's Cherokee's Boy, a three-time stakes winner trained by Gary Capuano, heads a field of six Maryland-bred 3-year-olds entered in Saturday's $75,000 Deputed Testamony Stakes at Laurel Park.

Cherokee's Boy opened the year with an easy victory in the Goss L. Stryker Stakes at Laurel. Leading rider Ryan Fogelsonger will be aboard the 6-5 morning line favorite in the 1 1/16-mile race.

The major threats to Cherokee's Boy appear to be Sondra Bender's unbeaten Foufa's Warrior, who makes his 3-year-old debut after closing his 2-year-old campaign with a win in the Maryland Juvenile Championship, and Brush Ahead, a son of Broad Brush who makes his stakes debut for Hall of Fame trainer Bud Delp.

Southeast -- Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Ten Cents A Shine, the beaten favorite in the Fountain of Youth (GI) at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 15, will have a change in surroundings as he attempts to regain a prominent position on the road to Kentucky Derby 129. Ken Ramsey moved the Ohio-bred colt from the care of trainer Ken McPeek to the California-based barn of four-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

Ten Cents A Shine emerged as a Derby contender for McPeek last fall with a runner-up finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) at Churchill Downs in just his second career start. He finished in a dead-heat for first with unbeaten Senor Swinger in a Gulfstream Park allowance race in his 3-year-old debut at Gulfstream and then finished sixth in the Fountain of Youth. He came out of the latter race with a respiratory infection.

"I made a very hard, probably controversial decision," Ramsey told the Louisville Courier-Journal. "I did not want any regrets or second-guessing as to what might have been if this horse didn't make it to Derby Day. It's hot, sticky and muggy down here, very humid in South Florida. The horse had the lung infection. The weather (in California) is normally rainy in January and February and usually clears up and is beautiful in March. I just thought that would be the best place to send him."

Ramsey, who owns another major Kentucky Derby contender in the unbeaten Risen Star (GIII) winner Badge of Silver, said he also considered sending the colt to three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert.

"They're only noses apart as far as their Derby-training ability goes," said Ramsey. "If you want to catch a big fish, you ought to go fish where big fish have been caught."

Ramsey has enjoyed recent success with the Lukas-trained Nothing To Lose, the winner of the Palm Beach Stakes (GIII) at Gulfstream Park last week.

The loss of Ten Cents A Shine continued a bizarre run of bad luck for McPeek, who saw beaten 2002 Kentucky Derby favorite Harlan's Holiday transferred to trainer Todd Pletcher before the end of the Triple Crown campaign and then lost Belmont Stakes (GI) winner Sarava, McPeek's first classic winner, to the Baffert stable late in the year.

"I get knocked down, I get up again," said McPeek. "What can you do?"

McPeek also trains Powerful Touch, the runner-up in the Holy Bull Stakes (GIII) who was knocked off the Kentucky Derby trail by a leg injury.

A minor illness will prevent Holy Bull winner Offlee Wild from running in the $1 million Florida Derby (GI) on March 15. Owner Lansdon Robbins said the T.V. Smith-trained son of Wild Again missed "five or six" days of training after coming down with a fever late last week and is now scheduled to run in the $400,000-added Lane's End Stakes (GII) at Turfway Park on March 22.

Central -- Veteran trainer Robert Holthus, who has won the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park three times, will saddle a pair of well-regarded horses in his bid for a fourth win in the 38th running of the $75,000 one-mile race at the Hot Springs, Ark. track.

Holthus sends out Ken English and Alan Braun's Alke, runner-up to Champali in the Iroquois (GIII) at Churchill Downs, and Rocket Racing Operation's Premier Rocket, a recent allowance winner at Oaklawn.

Alke is the more highly-regarded of the two, but has not raced since the Iroquois in early November.

"He has done everything we've asked of him and he has a lot of ability," said Holthus. "This will be his first start in four months, but he's trained well and he's been fortunate to train over some pretty good racetracks."

Other major contenders in the field of seven are Comic Truth, the Cole Norman-trained runner-up to Outta Here in the Delta Jackpot at Delta Downs; Silverton Hill Farms' Great Notion, a narrow loser to Champali in the Presidents Stakes at Turfway Park; and Sir Cherokee, who finished fourth in the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) at Churchill Downs and won a recent allowance race at Oaklawn.

Lloyd Madison Farm's Champali, a winner of five of six lifetime starts, will have to overcome an outside post in a field of 11 3-year-olds entered in Saturday's $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park.

The Greg Foley-trained son of Glitterman won the WEBN Stakes last time out and is unbeaten in two races on the season. Leading rider Jason Lumpkins will ride Champali, who will be challenged in the 1 1/16-mile prep for the Lane's End Stakes by New York invader Grey Comet and WEBN runner-up Chicken Soup Kid.

West -- Our Bobby V., runner-up to Domestic Dispute in the Santa Catalina (GII), emerged as the likely favorite for Saturday's $200,000 San Rafael at Santa Anita when San Miguel (GIII) winner Omega Code was forced to bypass the race with a foot bruise.

The Bill Spawr-trained Our Bobby V. will face eight rivals that include three from trainer Bob Baffert headed by the unbeaten Rojo Toro, and the Bobby Frankel-trained Peace Rules.

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