Central -- In what was billed as a showdown between The Thoroughbred Corp's Kafwain and Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Badge of Silver for role of Kentucky Derby (Grade I) favorite, the spotlight in Sunday's 91st running of the Louisiana Derby (GII) at the Fair Grounds ended up on white-hot Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel and his newest star, Peace Rules.

Edmund Gann's colt, who was running on the dirt after four consecutive races on grass, rallied from just off the pace to turn back a challenge from the favored Badge of Silver in upper stretch and then easily held off the late-running Kafwain to win the 1 1/16-mile race by 2 1/4-lengths under jockey Edgar Prado. Funny Cide, who set the early pace, held on for third and Lone Star Sky was fourth. Badge of Silver faded to fifth. Peace Rules covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.67.

"I really didn't think he'd win the race," said Frankel. "I just wanted to see. We found out he could handle the dirt. He's trained so beautifully on the dirt and that's why we brought him over here."

Peace Rules ($20.80), a Florida-bred son of Jules, improved his record to 4-1-1 in seven races and boosted his earnings to $659,990. The colt had raced twice on dirt last summer at Saratoga before Frankel moved him to the turf, where he won three of four races. That string included stakes wins in the Generous (GIII) at Hollywood Park and the Hill Rise at Santa Anita. His only setback during that stretch was a narrow loss to fellow Kentucky Derby contender Man Among Men in the Pinjara at Santa Anita. He later defeated that rival in the Generous.

Frankel, the winner of the Eclipse Award as America's top trainer in 2002, has yet to win a Kentucky Derby. His closest brush with Derby roses in three tries came in 2000 when Aptitude lost to Fusaichi Pegasus by 1 1/2-lengths. The win by Peace Rules is a measure of the strength of his hand for this year's renewal but the Louisiana Derby winner clearly plays second fiddle among Frankel's 3-year-olds to Juddmonte Farm's Empire Maker, who runs next week in the $1 million Florida Derby (GI) at Gulfstream Park. "The main one is running next Saturday," said Frankel.

West -- Unbeaten Ocean Terrace ($11.60) thrust his name into the upper ranks of Kentucky Derby contenders with a sharp 1 1/2-length victory over Ministers Wild Cat and Ten Most Wanted in Saturday's $200,000 El Camino Real Derby (GIII) at Northern California's Golden Gate Fields.

Owned by the Fog City Stable of San Francisco Bay residents David Shimmon and Bill Bianco and trained by Bob Hess, Jr., the Kentucky-bred son of Saint Ballado covered the mile and a sixteenth in 1:42.26.

"Growing up in the Bay Area and going to Bay Meadows (where the El Camino Real Derby was run from 1982-2000), winning this race means a lot to me," said Shimmon. "Knowing the history of this race with its connections to the Triple Crown races, it fits perfectly into our dreams of going to the Kentucky Derby."

Ocean Terrace, now perfect in three races, has one more test to pass before he travels East to Churchill Downs. Shimmon said the colt will probably make his next start in the Santa Anita Derby (GI) on April 5.

Ministers Wild Cat, who had won the Golden State Mile over the same track in his previous start, edged Ten Most Wanted by a nose for the runner-up spot. The Neil Drysdale-trained son of Deputy Minister started from the outside post in the field of 10 and jockey Kent Desormeaux felt his colt took a big step forward.

"I think he improved 10 lengths from his last start," he said. "The winner is a very, very good horse. The top three horses can really run. I've ridden them all and I wish they could have stayed apart."

Drysdale indicated Sunday that Ministers Wild Cat could run next in the Santa Anita Derby, while trainer Wally Dollase said he is leaning toward the Illinois Derby (GII) on April 5 as the next race for Ten Most Wanted.

Retired jockey Chris McCarron, a two-time Kentucky Derby winner who was named last week as the new general manager at Santa Anita, is still open to an occasional return to the saddle. He was in the irons on Sunday aboard Kentucky Derby contender Atswhatimtalknbout as the Ron Ellis trained colt worked six furlongs in preparation for next Sunday's San Felipe (GII) at Santa Anita. The colt breezed the distance in 1:13.

"The acceleration this colt has is amazing," said McCarron. "He's right where he needs to be at this time of year and I anticipate big things for him."

McCarron has a bit of a rooting interest in the future of Atswhatimtalknbout as he reportedly brokered a deal in which owner B. Wayne Hughes has agreed to sell a 10 percent interest in the son of A.P. Indy to members of the team that produced the film version of Laura Hillenbrand's best-seller "Seabiscuit: An American Legend," which is scheduled for release in July. McCarron has a role in the movie and served as a consultant on the film.

The Blood-Horse reports that Hughes' new partners include Academy Award winning director/producer Steven Spielberg, director Gary Ross and producer Frank Marshall. Spielberg founded DreamWorks, which is producing the "Seabiscuit" film along with Universal and Spyglass Entertainment. Marshall and Ross were at Santa Anita on Sunday morning to see Atswhatimtalknbout work under McCarron.

Dubai -- In a year in which Dubai-based Godolphin's hopes to win its first Kentucky Derby appeared shaky, the Persian Gulf powerhouse has unleashed its major contender.

Inamorato, a son of Tale of the Cat who won his only previous outing in a Hollywood Park maiden race in July, rolled to a six-length victory Saturday in the 1 1/8-mile Al Bastikiya Prestige Stakes at Nad Al Sheba. He led throughout and covered the distance in 1:49.71 as he easily defeated Victory Moon, who had beaten several Godolphin Derby hopefuls in the UAE 2000 Guineas.

"He has done nothing wrong and is giving all the right signals," said Godolphin's Simon Crisford. "He only raced once last season in America because he had a tickly shin and he was given plenty of time to develop and mature. Hopefully, the fruits of that patience will be seen in future months."

The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Inamorato will make his next start in the $2 million UAE Derby at Nad Al Sheba on March 29. The race is the only Kentucky Derby prep contested at the Derby distance 1 1/14-miles.

Southeast -- Trainer Todd Pletcher is making plans for the trio of Kentucky Derby hopefuls in his barn and a run by Indy Dancer in Saturday's Florida Derby (GI) will apparently be one of those moves. Pletcher was pleased with a five furlong work on Monday by the son of A.P. Indy at the Palm Meadows training center and said Saturday's race would be the "best course of action" for the colt.

Indy Dancer suffered the only loss of his career in his most recent start in the Risen Star at the Fair Grounds. Pletcher's decision means that Aristocat will likely ship across the state to run in Sunday's Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) and Hutcheson (GII) winner Lion Tamer is set for the March 22 Lane's End at Turfway Park.

East -- Maryland-based star Cherokee's Boy heads the likely starters on a list of 53 horses nominated to the $200,000 Gotham (GIII) on March 16 at Aqueduct.

The race is traditionally run at a one-turn mile distance over Aqueduct's main track but this year's renewal will be conducted at a mile-and-70 yards on the inner track because of weather problems that have delayed the scheduled reopening of the outer track.

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