WEST - NEW MEXICO - Sunday's $500,000 WinStar Derby at Sunland Park provided some fringe contenders for Kentucky Derby 130 with a chance to prove they belonged on the road to Churchill Downs, but a local horse and jockey shattered their dreams of running for the Derby's roses.

Bonnie and Hassel Spraberry's Hi Teck Man, a 46-1 longshot, held off favored California invader Consecrate in the final sixteenth of a mile to win the race by a half-length. Trained by Johnnie Nall, it was Hi Teck Man's sixth win in nine career starts and it gave local riding star Ricardo Jaime a sweep of Sunland Park's weekend, which also included the WinStar Oaks. Hi Teck Man is not nominated to the Visa Triple Crown.

The race unfolded as expected as the Doug O'Neill trained Hosco, another well-regarded California shipper, set the early pace while Victory Light, conditioned by Elliott Walden for race sponsor WinStar Farm and Mansell Stable, was in close pursuit. Hosco began to tire on the far turn and Hi Teck Man, although wide, rallied and took control in inside the final furlong. The chestnut colt covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.20 over a "fast" track. Runner-up Consecrate was one of two WinStar Derby horses saddled by three-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Bob Baffert. Consecrate had finished third to Imperialism in the San Rafael (GII) at Santa Anita last time out. Baffert's other entrant, Teton Forest, never threatened and finished sixth at odds of 7-2.

The other West Coast horses did not fare much better. The O'Neill duo of Perfect Moon and Hosco finished ninth and 10th, respectively, and Point of Flight, trained by Vladimir Cerin, wound up seventh.

CALIFORNIA - Trainer Richard Mandella enjoyed another successful weekend on racing's world stage as his Breeders' Cup Classic (GI) winner Pleasantly Perfect captured Saturday's $6 million Dubai World Cup. Meanwhile, in California, one of his talented sophomores continued his unusual "Road to the Kentucky Derby."

Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) runner-up Minister Eric made his second start of 2004 in a 1 1/16 miles allowance race Saturday at Santa Anita and finished second to the improving Boomzeeboom. The winner set a modest pace while Mandella's colt settled into fifth on the backstretch. The son of Old Trieste made his move on the far turn and collared Boomzeboom in mid-stretch before his rival prevailed by a half-length.

The victory was the second straight for the Vladimir Cerin-trained Boomzeboom, who lost his first four starts. In those defeats, he had faced the likes of Hollywood Futurity (GI) winner Lion Heart, San Felipe (GII) victor Preachinatthebar and Godolphin's talented colt Rosberg.

As for Minister Eric, his Kentucky Derby prospects remain uncertain. His schedule has not been what Mandella expected and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) runner-up has not faced stakes company at three. But Saturday's race was promising as the winner earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 102 and Minister Eric ran a 101.

In other news, trainer Patrick Biancone has altered his Kentucky Derby plans for San Rafael runner-up Lion Heart, who will now bypass Saturday's Santa Anita Derby (GI) in favor of making the April 10 Toyota Blue Grass (GI) at Keeneland his final prep for the Kentucky Derby.

"He ran a very hard race in his first start this year," Biancone told the Blood-Horse. "The Blue Grass is a much better option for him right now because it gives us an extra week to have him ready to run."

Biancone will ship Lion Heart and the balance of his Santa Anita-based stable to Keeneland on April 5. That group includes Pomeroy, who is slated to start in the Coolmore Lexington (GII) on April 17.

MIDWEST - ILLINOIS - The field for Saturday's $500,000 Illinois Derby (GII), an increasingly important Derby prep in recent years, has lost what appeared to be one of its major contenders.

Team Valor's Tiger Hunt, who has not raced since a fourth place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI), will by pass the Hawthorne Race Course prep race in favor of a possible run in the Lexington. Team Valor President Barry Irwin now says a run in the Kentucky Derby appears highly unlikely.

"He's just not as far enough advanced at this point as we would want him to be," Irwin told the Thoroughbred Times. "The last time we worked him, it took him three days to get back into the feed tub. He's sort of a taller, leaner type horse. He's not a real robust fellow. We need to get him stronger before we run him."

The likely lineup for Saturday's 1 1/8-mile test includes the Todd Pletcher-trained Pollard's Vision, third in the Louisiana Derby (GII); unbeaten Song of the Sword, who defeated Lane's End (GII) winner Sinister G in his previous start at Aqueduct; Kilgowan and O.K. Mikie, the first and fourth place finishers from the El Camino Real Derby (GIII); Merv Griffin's Golden Gate Derby (GIII) victor Skipaslew; the Phil Schoenthal-trained White Mountain Boy, who suffered his first defeat in Turfway's John Battaglia Memorial; Farnum Alley, fifth in the Florida Derby (GI); recent Gulfstream allowance winner Suave; Washington-bred Pure American, trained by Grant Forster; and Hawthorne-based hopefuls Chrome Solider and Dancefortyniner.

The Illinois Derby produced 2002 Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem and last year's winner, Ten Most Wanted, went on to finish second in the Belmont Stakes (GI) and won the Travers (GI).

KENTUCKY - Two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Nick Zito has yet to decide where Buckram Oak Farm's Eurosilver would make his next start. The winner of Keeneland's Lane's End Breeders' Futurity (GII) was pulled from consideration for the Toyota Blue Grass after he spiked a fever late last week.

As for his other Kentucky Derby contenders, Zito is pointing Robert LaPenta's The Cliff's Edge toward the Wood Memorial (GI) at Aqueduct on April 10, while Marylou Whitney Stable's Birdstone, a disappointing fifth in the Lane's End at Turfway Park, now appears to be headed for the Toyota Blue Grass.

"If he works good next week, we'll stay here and run in the Blue Grass," Zito said of Birdstone.

INTERNATIONAL - DUBAI - Any hope that Dubai-based racing powerhouse Godolphin would participate in this year's Kentucky Derby appeared to be dashed in Saturday's $2 million UAE Derby (Gr. II) at Nad al Sheba.

Godolphin's lone entrant was the well-bred but inexperienced Great Exhibition. The $1.8 million yearling purchase was winless in two career starts coming into the UAE Derby, but was runner-up to Kentucky Derby contender Master David in his most recent outing last September in England.

But Great Exhibition failed to fire in his 2004 debut and finished eighth in the nine-horse field and horses based in South Africa swept the first three placings. The race was won by the Mick de Kock-trained 4-year-old Lundy's Liability, a son of Candy Stripes who will now ship to the U.S. and join the stable of Richard Mandella.

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