Central -- If the 129th Kentucky Derby were run today at Churchill Downs, The Thoroughbred Corp's Kafwain might go off as a slight favorite to give trainer Bob Baffert his fourth Kentucky Derby (Grade I) victory.

That may not be the case late Sunday afternoon after the son of Cherokee Run faces Ken and Sarah Ramsey's unbeaten Badge of Silver and eight other rivals in the $750,000 Louisiana Derby (GII) at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

Kafwain is the 7-5 morning line favorite for the Louisiana Derby. The colt drew post five and will be ridden by Victor Espinoza, who joined with Baffert to win last year's Kentucky Derby with The Thoroughbred Corp's War Emblem. Kafwain, the runner-up to stablemate and reigning 2-year-old champion Vindication in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) at Arlington Park, is coming off a sharp 4 1/2-length win in the San Vicente (GII) at Santa Anita that improved his career record to 4-2-1 in nine races.

The Ronny Werner-trained Badge of Silver is ridden by Robby Albarado and will break from the outside post in the field of 10. Despite that poor post Badge of Silver has been installed as the 3-2 second choice -- a measure of the respect earned in his 10-length romp in Fair Grounds' 1 1/16-mile Risen Star (GIII) on Feb. 16.

"That he won the Risen Star did not surprise me," said Werner. "I didn't think he'd beat them as easily as he did. That really turned my hair up, and I said, 'How far can we go here? What can he get done?'"

The Silver Deputy colt's launched his three-race career with a nine-length romp in his 4 1/2-furlong debut last April at Keeneland, but was forced to the sidelines with a leg injury after that race. He returned in January with a seven-length win a six-furlong allowance race and then rolled in his two-turn debut in the Risen Star.

Other major contenders include Peace Rules, Funny Cide, Lone Star Sky, and Defrere's Vixen.

West -- Irving and Marjorie Cowan's homebred Ministers Wild Cat will break from the outside post in a field of 10 entered for Saturday's $200,000 El Camino Real Derby (GIII) at Northern California's Golden Gate Fields.

The lightly-raced son of Deputy Minister stamped himself as a possible Kentucky Derby contender with a win over the same track in the Feb. 9 Golden State Mile. He has won two of three starts for trainer Neil Drysdale, who won the 2000 Kentucky Derby with Fusaichi Pegasus.

"He'd have to merit it (a trip to Kentucky)," said Drysdale of Ministers Wild Cat. "We'll see how he does in the race on Saturday and then make a decision on the next stop, whether it's the Santa Anita Derby (GI on April 5) or the Wood Memorial (GI on April 12 at Aqueduct)."

Kent Desormeaux, who scored the most recent of his two Kentucky Derby victories aboard Fusaichi Pegasus, will again ride Ministers Wild Cat, who is listed as the 9-5 morning line favorite for the El Camino Real Derby despite his outside post in the 1 1/16-mile race.

Should Ministers Wild Cat fall short, the El Camino Real Derby could serve as a star-making turn for Crackup or Ocean Terrace. The former, winner of the $250,000 Great State Challenge Juvenile at Sam Houston Race Park, finished fourth to Domestic Dispute in the Santa Catalina (GII) last time out and will carry highweight of 120 pounds. The latter was a $700,000 yearling purchase by Fog City Stable owners Bill Bianco and David Shimmon and the Saint Ballado colt is unbeaten in two starts for trainer Bob Hess, Jr.

Other contenders in the El Camino Real Derby include Southern California invader Ten Most Wanted, who gets a new jockey in Pat Day; the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Ozzie Cat, last in the Fountain of Youth (GI) at Gulfstream Park last time out; and Winning Stripes, runner-up in the Golden State Mile.

A cracked hoof has knocked Team Valor and Ward's San Miguel (GIII) winner Omega Code off of the Kentucky Derby and Visa Triple Crown trail, according to trainer and co-owner Wesley Ward.

"I wouldn't even call it a quarter crack," said Ward, who retained 25 percent of the colt after Team Valor purchased 75 percent ownership. "They wanted to take him completely off the Derby trail, which I was fine with. He'll probably be out a couple of months."

Also out of the Kentucky Derby hunt on the West Coast is Our Bobby V., the fourth-place finisher in last week's San Rafael. Trainer Bill Spawr will focus on sprint races with the speedy Washington-bred colt.

Southeast -- The Kentucky Derby prospects for John C. Oxley's unbeaten Sky Mesa are "very clouded" as the colt continues a slow recovery from a foot bruise.

Trainer John Ward told the Blood-Horse that the Pulpit colt's preparation has been so spotty that the colt should not be used as an individual wagering interest in next week's Pool 2 of the Churchill Downs 2003 Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

"I won't run him in the Derby unless I can get two preps in him," said Ward. "At this time the prospects of that look very marginal."

Ward said the colt has yet to return to serious training since the injury.

"As far as the horse's future goes, he's fine," said Ward. "But I'm not going to do something stupid, like rush him to make the Derby."

Sky Mesa won the Hopeful (GI) at Saratoga and the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity (GII) at Keeneland, but has not raced since the latter. He was knocked out of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) when he suffered an ankle injury just before that race at Arlington Park.

Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Nothing To Lose is off the Kentucky Derby trail after the colt suffered a stress fracture during a recent workout at Gulfstream Park.

The D. Wayne Lukas-trained winner of the Tropical Park Derby (GIII) and Palm Beach (GIII), sustained the injury in his left shin and will be out of competition indefinitely. Nothing to Lose was unbeaten on the grass, but Lukas had planned to test his Kentucky Derby potential with a run over the dirt in the Lane's End Stakes (GII) at Turfway Park on March 22.

Robert Ackerman and Barry Golden's Senor Swinger heads a list of five late nominees to next week's $1 million Florida Derby (GI) at Gulfstream Park. Other late nominees include Region of Merit, Formal Attire, Tarkovsky and Colita.

East -- Maryland-based star Cherokee's Boy will ship to New York to make his next start against open company in the Gotham (GIII) at Aqueduct on March 16.

The son of Citidancer scored a dominating 7 1/4-length victory over Maryland-bred company in last week's Deputed Testamony Stakes at Laurel Park. Trainer Gary Capuano hopes his colt will prove in that race that he merits consideration for the Kentucky Derby and Visa Triple Crown.

"It's only two weeks between races, but he didn't have to run real hard in the race the other day," said Capuano, who saddled Captain Bodgit for a runner-up finish to Silver Charm in the 1997 Kentucky Derby. "It's time to move him up and see where he stands."

« Back To Derby Updates