MIDWEST - KENTUCKY - Trainer Richard Mandella has not had much success with his 3-year-old stars this spring but that all changed Wednesday at Keeneland.

Diamond A Racing's Minister Eric got back to the winner's circle after cruising to a 4 1/4-length victory over Go Now in a 3-year-old allowance race. The son of Old Trieste, ridden by Alex Solis, covered the 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:44.81. The victory confirmed the colt's participation in the Kentucky Derby (GI).

Mandella's original plan was to run his colt in Saturday's $325,000 Coolmore Lexington Stakes (GII) but when the opportunity presented itself to run in an allowance race, Mandella jumped on the chance.

"I was a little scared after the last few races but I am glad we got the job done today," Mandella said. "I had him a little fresh and he was pulling Alex down the backside. Then when he made the lead, he got to looking around and loafing a little bit. The allowance races are easier than the stakes, but this will be a good schedule for him."

The win was the colt's second in eight career starts but he has sufficient Graded Stakes Earnings to be in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. He ranks 13th on the list with $350,000. The Derby field is limited to 20 horses with preference given to those with the highest total earnings in Graded Stakes.

Minister Eric ended his 2-year-old campaign with a runner-up finish to stablemate Action This Day in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) and was supposed to make his sophomore debut at Santa Anita in February's Baldwin Stakes (GIII) on the turf. After not being able to crack the overflow field, Mandella resorted to "Plan B" and entered the colt in two allowance races at Santa Anita where he ran third and second.

Mandella shipped Minister Eric, Action This Day and 2-year-old filly champion Halfbridled from Keeneland to Churchill Downs Friday afternoon.

Coolmore Lexington Stakes - The race for the final few precious spots in the Kentucky Derby starting gate is winding down but Saturday's $325,000 Coolmore Lexington Stakes (GII) at Keeneland provides a few horses that final chance to earn important Graded Stakes money.

One of those horses in the overflow field of 15 is 4-1 morning-line favorite Song of the Sword. The Paragallo Stable-owned son of Unbridled's Song, who is 23rd on the Graded Stakes earnings list, is coming off a runner-up finish to Pollard's Vision in the Illinois Derby (GII) nearly two weeks ago. The Jennifer Pedersen trained colt has won three of four and jockey Norberto Arroyo, Jr. comes in from his New York-base to ride.

The intriguing second-choice in the field is the Vladimir Cerin-trained Boomzeeboom. The son of Explosive Red has won two straight, including a victory over Minister Eric in his last start, and earned Beyer Speed Figures of 106 and 102 in his last two appearances. The colt is making his stakes debut and Cerin said a win in the Lexington doesn't necessarily make him a Derby contender.

"We're just looking at that race," he said. "For $325,000, that's a lot of money. We don't have Derby fever, just Coolmore fever."

The talent-laden Lexington also has the top two finishers from Aqueduct's Gotham Stakes (GII); Evelyn Pollard's Saratoga County and Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor's Pomeroy. The former, who never has been worse than third in his five races, drew the dreaded outside post (14) for trainer George Weaver.

Pomeroy's connections, which include trainer Patrick Biancone, are looking for their second Kentucky Derby hopeful as they already have Toyota Blue Grass (GI) runner-up Lion Heart. Pomeroy resides 28th on the Graded Earnings list with $80,000.

Other horses that are looking to possibly get into the Kentucky Derby that are in need of earnings are Quintons Gold Rush, who was transferred to the barn of Steve Asmussen shortly after his fourth-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby. He has $57,000 in Graded Earnings.

Four Kentucky Derby winning-trainers also have entrants in the Lexington. D. Wayne Lukas, who has won four Kentucky Derbys including 1999 with Lexington winner Charismatic, will saddle longshot Race for Glory for owners Bob & Beverly Lewis. Lukas also has four Lexington wins to his credit.

Barclay Tagg, who trained Funny Cide to a victory in the 2003 "Run for the Roses," brings Bride's Best Boy to Kentucky with two wins in three starts.

Three-time Derby winning trainer Bob Baffert, who has two Derby hopefuls in Mike Pegram's Preachinatthebar and James McIngvale's Wimbledon, brings longshot Totally Platinum to Keeneland. Nick Zito, who also has a pair of Derby contenders, brings El Prado Rob from Churchill to run in the Lexington.

Post time for the Lexington is 5:15 p.m. and it will be broadcast tape delayed on ESPN at 6:00 p.m.

EAST - MARYLAND - Although no horse is likely to emerge from Saturday's Federico Tesio, trainer Michael Dickinson will showcase another one of his talented sophomores.

Gallop U's Paddington will make his three-year-old debut in the 1 1/8 miles test at Laurel Park. The son of Saint Ballado has not raced since a runner-up finish to Derby contender Read the Footnotes in last November's Nashua (GIII) at Aqueduct. The colt has won two of five starts and has been installed as the 7-5 morning-line favorite. Other horses that bear watching are the Linda Rice-trained Water Cannon, who has won four in a row, including the Private Terms Stakes and the filly Pawyne Princess, who has won two of three.

WEST - CALIFORNIA - A horse that was on the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" is the morning-line favorite in the $100,000 California Derby. Capitano is coming off a runner-up finish in the El Camino Real Derby (GIII) but trainer Thomas Bell elected to keep his colt in California as opposed to running in the Derby. The son of Belong to Me is the 2-1 early choice. The other top two candidates are Dream Place and Trieste's Honor.

KENTUCKY DERBY HORSES AT CHURCHILL - With the arrival of trainer Richard Mandella's two Derby hopefuls, 2-year-old champion Action This Day and Minister Eric, there are 11 contenders for the first Saturday in May underneath the Twin Spires.

That number is expected to grow over the next three days as trainer Todd Pletcher will bring Illinois Derby (GII) winner Pollard's Vision and Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) victor Limehouse from Keeneland on Sunday. On Monday, Kristin Mulhall will come to Churchill Downs with San Vicente (GII) and San Rafael (GII) winner Imperialism. Imperialism got his final workout at Hollywood Park on Thursday as the son of Langfuhr breezed five furlongs in 1:01.20 under Mulhall.

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