East -- Juddmonte Farm's Empire Maker, the favorite for Kentucky Derby 129 (Grade I) off his record-breaking victory in the Florida Derby (GI) last month, is an odds-on favorite to defeat a strong field in his final Derby prep in Saturday's Wood Memorial (GI) at Aqueduct. But a forecast that calls for significant rain could force trainer Bobby Frankel's colt to run over wet and very unfamiliar footing.

"I am concerned about the mud because he has never run on it or trained on it," said Frankel. "Until they do, you can't be sure how they will handle it."

The regally bred son of 1990 Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled is the 3-5 morning line favorite in the field of eight 3-year-olds in the 79th running of the 1 1/8-mile Wood. That favoritism comes on the strength of his record 9 3/4-length victory under jockey Jerry Bailey in the Florida Derby (GI), which marked the first time that Frankel had outfitted the colt with blinkers.

"We want to win the Wood Memorial, that's why we're here, but Jerry is not going to ride him the same way," Frankel said. "Jerry got into him a bit last time, and you can't blame him because it was his first time riding him that way and he wanted to get him closer to the lead. We already knew he could take dirt. This horse has plenty of stamina; he's the only three-year-old that has had three mile and an eighth races. We want to win the Wood Memorial, but we want to have horse left for the Derby."

Empire Maker drew the outside post and will look to follow in the footsteps of Fusaichi Pegasus, who won the Wood in 2000 and won the Kentucky Derby three weeks later.

Major opposition in the Wood may come from Wertheimer Farm's stretch-running Indy Dancer, a distant third to Empire Maker in the Florida Derby. Trainer Todd Pletcher outfit the son of A.P. Indy with blinkers for Saturday's race and John Velazquez will ride.

"You put blinkers on to get an unfocused horse more focused, but they won't make a slow horse run faster," Pletcher said. "Indy Dancer is not a slow horse, but it takes him awhile to get going. We've worked him in blinkers, but it is impossible to say if they have made an impact. We won't know that until he races in them."

Others in the Wood field include Lane's End Stakes (GII) winner New York Hero, Funny Cide, Sky Soldier, Spite The Devil, Kissin Saint, and Senor Swinger.

Best Turn winner Second In Command and Juddmonte Farm's Special Rate head the $150,000 Bay Shore (GIII) on the Wood undercard.

Central -- The strength of white-hot trainer Bobby Frankel's stable is reflected in Saturday's $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass (GI), a key Kentucky Derby prep in which Frankel's second-stringer -- Edmund Gann's Louisiana Derby (GII) winner Peace Rules -- is the 7-5 morning line favorite in a field of 10 3-year-olds.

The son of Jules will be ridden by Edgar Prado and will attempt to extend a three-race winning streak in the 1 1/8-mile Toyota Blue Grass. His rivals include Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Badge of Silver, who was favored to beat Peace Rules in Louisiana and appeared poised to do so until he suddenly gave way in the homestretch and faded to fifth. The Ronny Werner-trained son of Silver Deputy was found to have suffered from a throat problem that limited his breathing in that race and underwent surgery to correct the problem shortly after that race.

Badge of Silver, who will be ridden by Robby Albarado, is the 2-1 second choice.

Looking for redemption and a ticket to Churchill Downs in the Toyota Blue Grass is Michael Tabor's Lion Tamer, who finished a nonthreatening fourth to New York Hero as the favorite in the Lane's End Stakes (GII) at Turfway Park. Trainer Todd Pletcher still has great faith in the son of Will's Way and will be hoping for a better effort in the Keeneland race.

"He broke slowly in the Lane's End and I think he was intimated by the dirt in his face," Pletcher said. "He was next-to-last and he had to be used hard to get into position. After analyzing the race, it looks better than it did on paper."

Tabor also owns Brancusi, an 8-1 shot who finished third for trainer Patrick Biancone in the San Felipe (GII) at Santa Anita.

Another horse looking to reinsert himself into the Derby picture is Azalea Stable's Offlee Wild, the winner of the Holy Bull (GIII) at Gulfstream who has not run since a fourth-place finish in the Fountain of Youth (GI) in mid-February. The son of Wild Again became ill after that race and rebounded slowly from that ailment, but has trained well recently for trainer T.V. Smith and is listed at odds of 6-1 under jockey Pat Day.

Others in the Toyota Blue Grass field include: Acceptable Venture, Crowned Dancer, Great Notion, Ten Cents A Shine, and Lots of Silver.

Kentucky-based Eugene's Third Son is the morning line favorite for Saturday's $500,000 Arkansas Derby (GII) at Oaklawn Park, but the most dangerous horse may be California invader Man Among Men.

The Gary Mandella-trained son of Gentlemen burst onto the Kentucky Derby scene with an upset win over Empire Maker in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita, but fell out of favor just as quickly when he finished seventh to Buddy Gil in the San Felipe (GII). But Man Among Men had an eventful journey in that race and was bleeding from both nostrils when he was unsaddled by Mandella after the race.

"The San Felipe is an absolute throwout," Mandella said. "We found out later that he was one of about a half-dozen horses who came into the San Felipe sick and, of course, he bled during the race."

Alex Solis, who won the 1998 Arkansas Derby aboard eventual Kentucky Derby runner-up and Belmont Stakes (GI) winner Victory Gallop, will ride Man Among Men, who breaks from post 10 in a field of 12.

The Patrick Byrne-trained Eugene's Third Son was narrowly beaten by New York Hero in the recent Lane's End (GII) at Turfway Park, but must break from the outside post in the 1 1/8-mile race under new jockey Shane Sellers.

Other contenders include Calumet Farm's Region of Merit and Michael Tabor's Aristocat, the 1-2 finishers in the Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) last time out, and McKeever Racing Stable's Crowned King, who won Oaklawn's Rebel Stakes at odds of 37-1.

Other contenders in the Arkansas Derby include Cat Genius, Defrere's Vixen, Christine's Outlaw, Sell To Survive, Sir Cherokee, Comic Truth, and Saint Liam.

Louisiana-bred Witt Ante and the Steve Asmussen-trained Rush Around are the major contenders in the $75,000 Northern Spur Breeders' Cup, a one-mile race for 3-year-olds on the Arkansas Derby undercard.

West -- The California Derby will be run for the 89th time on Saturday at Bay Meadows, but it will be a surprise if any of its six horses run back at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.

Donald Dizney's Apalachian Thunder, third in the WinStar Derby for trainer Bob Baffert is the likely favorite in the $100,000 race that last produced a Derby starter in 1992. Disposal was the runner-up in that year's race at Golden Gate Fields, but finished last in the Derby.

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