ATSWHATIMTALKNBOUT - The California horse with the Hollywood connections returned to the racetrack Tuesday morning following a five-furlong work Sunday and a walk of the shedrow Monday. The good-looking son of A.P. Indy jogged a mile around the big oval with exercise rider Raul Vizcarrando aboard on a hot and humid morning in Louisville. The colt went trackside at approximately 8:45 and included a trip to the starting gate in his morning's activities. "It's all good," said trainer Ron Ellis. "He's doing fine and we're moving ahead. He'll go back to galloping from here." It appears that those Hollywood connections - Steven Spielberg, Gary Ross and Frank Marshall - will make the scene on Thursday.

BRANCUSI - Brancusi jogged at Keeneland today. "You know me, the track was wet so he just jogged nicely," trainer Patrick Biancone said. "Everything's done. We'll just take it easy now. He's ready. He's grand." The colt will ship to Louisville Thursday.

BUDDY GIL - Desperado Stables' Buddy Gil walked the shedrow at Barn 17, a day after working five furlongs in :59 3/5. "Everything is perfect," trainer Jeff Mullins said. "He will go back to the track tomorrow." Buddy Gil comes into the Derby on a three-race win streak, but Mullins said Derby fever didn't really kick in until after the Santa Anita Derby. "The Baldwin was just a 6 ½ down the hill," Mullins said, referring to the Grade III grass stake at Santa Anita. The Baldwin was also the first time Gary Stevens rode the son of Eastern Echo. "Gary has a lot of confidence in this horse, and he has ridden a lot of good ones," Mullins said. "The thing that impresses me most about this horse is his heart," said Stevens, who has ridden three Kentucky Derby winners. "His heart reminds me of Silver Charm (who was Stevens' most recent Derby winner in 1997)."

DOMESTIC DISPUTE - Trainer Patrick Gallagher returned from California to Churchill Downs Tuesday morning to oversee his Kentucky Derby starter Domestic Dispute. The conditioner is here to stay through Saturday's 129th edition of the Run for the Roses. Gallagher sent his recently acquired charge through a mile and one half gallop after the renovation break with exercise rider Joe Deegan up. He'll do more of the same through the end of the week with a possible short blowout being considered for Friday. "We'll see how he's doing during the week," the affable Irishman said, "then maybe blow him out down the lane Friday." Gallagher stated that his Derby rider, Alex Solis, would be in from California on Thursday. The Panamanian rides Go For Glamour in Friday's Kentucky Oaks.

EMPIRE MAKER/PEACE RULES - Trainer Robert Frankel sent his pair of Kentucky Derby hopefuls to the racetrack Tuesday just before 7 a.m. for a one-mile jog of the big Churchill Downs' racing strip. Empire Maker, the current Derby favorite, had regular exercise rider Jose Cuevas aboard, while his stablemate Peace Rules went out with his main morning man, Antonio Graell. The twosome had walked the shedrow Monday morning following six-furlong works Sunday - Empire Maker's in 1:12 3/5 and his mate's in 1:14. Frankel had some concern about Empire Maker's right front foot following the jog and had his veterinarian, Dr. Ken Reed, check the Unbridled colt when he returned to Barn 43. "My vet doesn't think it's a real problem," the trainer said. "In fact, if this wasn't the Kentucky Derby and all the attention that goes with that, this would never be an issue. He (Dr. Reed) recommended I walk him another day. He thinks that will take care of it. It's because of a bruise he suffered in the foot in his last race (Wood Memorial in New York April 12). "They said the track was a little hard this morning and it might have affected him. But I really think he's going to be OK. You can never be 100 percent sure in this business, but I'd say I'm 98 percent sure he'll be all right. But it's the Derby, you know, so what are you going to do?" Frankel celebrated a victory of sorts Tuesday when he noted that the large open area outside the track's six-furlong chute was free of cars for the first time all week allowing easy access for horses and riders. On Sunday, when the trainer took his pair of stars to the track to work, there were some close calls with automobiles as they returned to their quarters. Frankel vowed to get something done about it and complained to track officials. Tuesday his concerns were met and he was cheered by it. "It's good for me and my horses, but it's good for all the horses here," the trainer said. "It only makes sense. I know they want to bring lots of people here for the race, but the horses have to come first." Frankel held his 9:15 press conference with about 50 media members in attendance and answered a wide-range of questions about his career. The press conferences were something he insisted on when he realized he had the Derby favorite. "In this business you build on experience," he had noted earlier. "You learn and you adjust. My experience with Medaglia D'Oro in last year's Derby helped me deal with this year's race. The press conference idea helps. How to deal with the track. Things like that. You put it in the memory bank and you bring it back out and use it to advantage."

EYE OF THE TIGER - John Gunther's Eye Of The Tiger walked the shedrow Tuesday morning following his 1:00 3/5 drill Monday morning at Churchill Downs. The stakes-placed colt will return to the track for a jog Wednesday, according to assistant trainer Art Calva. Calva was running the show for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who returned to his Northern California base following the Monday work under jockey Eibar Coa. "Jerry will be back here tomorrow shortly after noon," Calva said. "He and John (Gunther) were going to make their decision today as to whether or not we run (in Saturday's Kentucky Derby). "The horse is doing fine. He came out of that work OK and cleaned up last night. He's a good shipper. We came from California and then over from Keeneland and he was fine with it. He never spiked a temperature or anything like that." Entries for the Derby will be drawn in the backside racing office at approximately 10:30 Wednesday morning.

FUNNY CIDE - The New York-bred gelding, a sharp second to Empire Maker in the Wood Memorial last out, looked sharp in his final Derby drill Tuesday morning over the fast main track at Belmont Park. "The clockers got him in :58 2/5 for the five furlongs, but I had him in :59 flat," trainer Barclay Tagg said. "I told Robin (exercise rider Robin Smullen) to go in :59, and that's what I got." Tagg, who was clocking his colt from aboard a pony, said he caught Funny Cide in splits of :12, :24 and :35 for the early furlongs, then got him galloping out six furlongs in a sprightly 1:11 3/5. "He went just perfectly," Tagg said. "It really was a perfect work for him. I'm satisfied he's ready." Funny Cide will be flown to Churchill Downs Wednesday afternoon. Tagg is scheduled to arrive in Louisville at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Jose Santos, who has been aboard in all the gelding's six starts, has the mount again on Saturday.

INDIAN EXPRESS/KAFWAIN/SENOR SWINGER - Bob Baffert's two Derby hopes, Indian Express and Kafwain, worked in company Tuesday morning, stopping the clock in :59 3/5 for five furlongs. However, Kafwain apparently was injured in the drill and will not run in the Derby. "He's out," Baffert said. "He didn't cool out well and we started to look at what happened. We don't know exactly what's wrong, but it looks like a check ligament in his right front. We'll have him X-rayed to find out." The defection of Kafwain leaves Baffert with just one Derby hope. At one point, he had three prospects, but announced this morning that Senor Swinger, who has been a Derby possible all week, will go in Friday's Crown Royal American Turf. Indian Express and Kafwain worked as a team, coming out right after the break, and Indian Express stayed a neck or head in front the whole trip. Baffert was especially pleased with the way Indian Express drilled. The colt was on the inside the whole way with exercise rider Dana Barnes aboard. He went along in splits of :12 1/5, :24, :35 4/5 and :47 4/5, and galloped out six furlongs in 1:12 4/5. "That was his best work ever," Baffert said. "I'm getting kinda excited about him. He was in front the whole way, but that's his style. He looked good out there." Indian Express is by Indian Charlie, who ran third in the 1998 Kentucky Derby. The Utah-bred began his racing career in Panama, and Baffert purchased the colt privately late last year for $150,000. Indian Express, owned by Phil Chess, came into the Baffert barn in December. "He's improved a lot since we first got him, and this work showed me he's improved since the Santa Anita Derby," Baffert said. "I like what I see in him, and I feel good about leading him up there. He's only got one style, so we'll send him to the front and he'll go as far as he can." The Santa Anita Derby on April 5 was Indian Express's first try around two turns, and the colt ran gamely along the rail, dropping a head decision to Buddy Gil. Tyler Baze, who was aboard in that race, has the call for his first Derby mount. Kafwain ran in the shadow of stablemate Vindication all last year, and finished second to the champion colt in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. This year he had won the San Vicente and run second in the Louisiana Derby before finishing third in the Santa Anita Derby. He was to have been ridden in the Kentucky Derby by Pat Valenzuela, who has not had a Derby mount since he finished 15th aboard Union City in 1993.

LONE STAR SKY - With owner Buddy New looking on from the frontside with trainer Tom Amoss, Lone Star Sky worked five furlongs in 1:00 3/5 under Calvin Borel over a fast track shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday. The work was delayed about a half hour because Lone Star Sky pulled off his right hind shoe Monday night and a blacksmith had to be summoned before the work could proceed. "Lone Star Sky went five-eighths today and worked very good," said Amoss, who has not saddled a Kentucky Derby starter. "I was looking for something where he did it on his own, and judging from what I saw up front, he certainly did that. "He finished up strongly, so as far as that piece of the puzzle on making our decision as to what we are going to do, it is very positive." New, who lives in Austin, Texas, has had two previous Derby starters in partnership with Bill Heiligbrodt. "We ran seventh both times," New said. "We had Southern Rhythm in 1994 and then Blow Out in 1996 with James Keefer." A decision on a third starter was to come before entry time Wednesday morning, but by noon a decision had been reached. Lone Star Sky is in and Shane Sellers will ride. "This morning after the work, it was status quo, but an hour and a half later there were two major developments with Kafwain being declared out and Empire Maker not having one of his best days," Amoss said. "Mr. New was aware of those developments, and we decided to drop him in. Plus, how fortunate are we that a rider of the quality of Shane Sellers was available?" After the work, Amoss was asked what factors would weigh in the decision to run. "I think on the positive side, we are looking at a racetrack where the horse has run his biggest race. Last year, he won a graded stake, the Bashford Manor. He shows an affinity for the track as evidenced by his work last week (1:12 4/5 for six furlongs on April 22) as well as his work today. "I think what is weighing against us right now is whether we feel like he is the kind of horse that can go out there and be competitive against this year's Kentucky Derby field, and that is what we have to talk about. We do have some other options. The Lone Star Derby is next week. I think we are both convinced our horse is sitting on a big race. The question is, is that big race good enough to be competitive in the Kentucky Derby."

OFFLEE WILD - The Azalea Stable colt looked rock-solid in his final Derby prep, breezing five furlongs in :59 1/5 Tuesday morning, as trainer T.V. Smith and several of the owners watched. "Robby (Derby rider Robby Albarado) was extremely happy with the work," Smith said, "and if he's happy, I'm happy." Offlee Wild broke his maiden at Churchill Downs last year, and this season upset the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park in his first race around two turns. An ultra-fast workout compromised his chances in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, then a bacterial infection kept the colt away from the races for nearly two months. The son of Wild Again returned in the Blue Grass Stakes, but ran like a short horse in finishing third behind Peace Rules and Brancusi. "We've been playing catch-up all spring and I hope we've caught up," said Smith, who is saddling his first Derby starter. "He lost weight when he got sick and I couldn't train him for a long time. "But he's ready now. If he's not, he never will be. I could train him for two more months and he wouldn't be any better than he is right now. We won't have any excuse Saturday. It's up to him." Offlee Wild has demonstrated a tendency to drift slightly in his workouts and races, but Smith doesn't think it will be a problem. "He always drifts a little, but it's not uncontrollable," the trainer said.

OUTTA HERE - With co-owner and trainer Bill Currin looking on, Outta Here galloped once around the main track with assistant trainer Pat Seeley up. "We had a perfect gallop. He loved it out there," Seeley said. Currin, who was on the backside here for the first time ever on Tuesday morning, said Outta Here would school in the paddock with horses for Tuesday afternoon's fourth race and visit the starting gate Wednesday morning. Two-time Derby winning rider Kent Desormeaux has the call for Derby 129 and is scheduled to be on the Dehere colt for a blowout down the stretch Thursday morning.

SCRIMSHAW/TEN CENTS A SHINE - Trainer D. Wayne Lukas reported everything was good with his two Derby hopefuls Tuesday morning. "Ten Cents A Shine jogged in the first set and Scrimshaw walked," Lukas said. "Both are fine." Calvin Borel has the call on Ten Cents A Shine and Cornelio Velasquez will ride Scrimshaw. Lukas has saddled a record 39 Kentucky Derby starters but he had never attended the Derby until 1981 when he saddled his first starter, Partez, who finished third. "That was my first time to see a Derby here, but I had watched them on television forever," said Lukas, who at age 67 is the oldest trainer with a horse in Derby 129. "I can't remember the first one I ever saw on TV."

SIR CHEROKEE - Arkansas Derby winner Sir Cherokee worked five furlongs after the renovation break under Derby rider Terry Thompson in 1:00 3/5. "Today, we were not worried about a time. We just wanted to stretch his legs out and keep him relaxed," Thompson said. "The time was probably pretty slow, but that was our whole objective for him to pick it up the last quarter and gallop out nice around the turn. He felt great and they have got him ready to run." Trainer Michael Tomlinson, who decided to work Sir Cherokee at Churchill Downs instead of the Trackside Training Center because he had the filly Love Talkin scheduled to work on the turf under Jon Court, liked the work. "Terry felt he was going a lot slower," Tomlinson said. "I think that kind of tells us just how he is getting over the surface. We have known for quite some time that he runs well here. "It was a little faster than I wanted to go, but I was really pleased with the way he finished. That is what I was looking for. His last quarter was sub 24 seconds and he galloped out strong. We have done our job. Now it is up to Terry and the horse." Thompson, who rode on the Kentucky circuit in the 1990s, headed back to Prairie Meadows in Iowa to ride the Tuesday card and was scheduled to return to Louisville on Wednesday to prepare for his first Derby ride. "I'm excited to be here, thrilled," said Thompson. "I think if we get some good, early fractions in the race, I don't see why we wouldn't get the same kind of effort as in Arkansas. Our whole key is going to be how the race sets up on the front end. If they put up a good pace, we will be running."

SUPAH BLITZ - Trainer Manny Tortora was on hand to supervise Supah Blitz's final breeze before the Derby Tuesday morning, and liked what he saw as the colt drilled a half-mile in :46 4/5 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 with jockey Rosemary Homeister Jr. aboard. "I'm happy with the work," Tortora said. "He went along easy and he came back good. The work looked a little fast, but this track is faster than Calder. I would equate this work to a :47 or :48 at Calder." Clockers caught Supah Blitz in splits of :12 3/5, :24 3/5 and :35 3/5. Homeister, who will be riding in her first Kentucky Derby, was happy with the colt's drill. "I just sat on him most of the way," she said. "I asked him a little inside the eighth pole, but he did it all on his own." Tortora will be saddling his third Derby starter. His first Derby horse, Sir Pinder in 1992, finished 15th, but Tortora brought a good one to the race in 1995 , and Mecke - the sire of Supah Blitz - came from last to finish fifth despite a lot of trouble. "This colt is closer to Mecke than any horse I've had," Tortora said. "He's got the same temperament and the same running style. I just hope he has different racing luck."

TEN MOST WANTED - The Illinois Derby winner walked the shedrow in a green cooler in Barn 45 Tuesday morning following his impressive five-panel drill in :59 2/5 Monday at Churchill Downs. Trainer Wallace Dollase, called "Wally" by one and all, was happy with his charge and with the way he continued to handle himself leading up to Saturday's 129th edition of the Kentucky Derby. "He ate up yesterday - did he ever," Dollase said. "He not only eats up, he eats up fast. He's like me. He's the biggest eater I've ever had in my barn. He's ferocious. When I walk him and we go by a bale of hay, he'll take a chomp. He's something." The California-based trainer said his Deputy Commander colt will return to the track Wednesday morning. "We'll play it by ear tomorrow," he said. "Normally I'd jog a horse following a work and a walk. But if he's full of himself - and this one might be - you're better off to go ahead and gallop him. I'll be up on my pony with him and when we get out there we'll do what we think is right."

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