ACTION THIS DAY/MINISTER ERIC - The weather holds the key for the first Churchill Downs work for 2003 2-year-old champion Action This Day. "We may work in the morning," trainer Richard Mandella said. "We will get here in the morning and see."

Forecasts called for heavy rain later Wednesday with a 50 percent chance for rain Thursday.

Mandella has indicated Action This Day could work Thursday or Friday with track condition being the key variable. With exercise rider Paul Nilluang up, Action This Day galloped a mile and a half before the renovation break, as did Minister Eric, who isn't scheduled to work until next week.

BIRDSTONE/THE CLIFF'S EDGE - Two-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Nick Zito sent his two Derby hopefuls to the track for gallops before the renovation break.

Birdstone galloped a mile and a half under exercise rider Maxine Correa and The Cliff's Edge, in his first day back to the track after a five-furlong work of :59.60 on Monday, galloped a mile and a quarter. Zito plans to work Birdstone on Saturday and The Cliff's Edge on Monday.

BORREGO - With exercise rider Andy Durnin up, Arkansas Derby runner-up Borrego jogged a mile before the renovation break. Trainer Beau Greely said the El Prado colt would not have any gate schooling prior to the Derby, but a couple of paddock sessions were likely.

"We will probably go over early in the week and see how he does," Greely said. "Maybe on Oaks Day. The biggest thing is not the paddock itself, but the crowds lining the rail."

FRIENDS LAKE - Mary and Chester Broman's Friends Lake, winner of the Florida Derby (Grade I), is settling into new surroundings in Barn 45 after the colt arrived at Churchill Downs on Wednesday morning following an overnight van ride from Florida.

Groom Salvador Martinez led the John Kimmel-trained son of A.P. Indy off a Brook Ledge van just after 9:30 a.m. (EDT). Overcast skies and intermittent raindrops greeted the colt as he made his quick walk to his new barn.

Pedro Moreno, who works as a stable foreman for Kimmel, also traveled on the van and said Friends Lake handled the journey well. "He was fine," said Moreno. "He was nervous when we shipped into Gulfstream (for the Florida Derby), but he was fine today. He did all right."

The New York-bred Friends Lake won the Florida Derby at odds of 37-1 to improve his career record to 3-0-1 in five races. He has earned $695,600. He will bid to become the second consecutive New York-bred - and just the second ever - to win the Kentucky Derby. Funny Cide became the first horse bred in Empire State to win the "Run for the Roses" in 2003.

IMPERIALISM - Steve Taub's Imperialism jogged a mile and galloped a mile and a half before the renovation break with trainer Kristin Mulhall up. Mulhall plans to work Imperialism six furlongs in the morning, likely going out when the track opens for training at 5:15.

LIMEHOUSE/POLLARD'S VISION - Trainer Todd Pletcher's two Kentucky Derby hopefuls galloped a mile and a half before renovation break. Michelle Nihei was on Limehouse and Patti Krotenko on Pollard's Vision. Sunday works are scheduled for both.

LION HEART - Trainer Patrick Biancone sent Lion Heart back to the track at Keeneland to jog Wednesday morning, a day after working five furlongs in :58.40. Biancone moved Lion Heart's work up a day because of a rainy forecast.

"It did not rain a drop; we got lucky here," Biancone said. "Lion Heart is doing great this morning."

MASTER DAVID - Wood Memorial (GI) runner-up Master David walked under trainer Bobby Frankel's shedrow on the morning after a strong five-furlong work at Churchill Downs.

"He's doing fine," said Frankel. "He's got a lot of life in him."

Georgica Stables, Stephen Mack and Andrew Rosen own Master David, a son of Grand Slam who has a career record of 2-3-1 in six races with earnings of $118,756. He won the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita.

PREACHINATTHEBAR/WIMBLEDON - Trainer Bob Baffert's two Kentucky Derby contenders - James McIngvale's Wimbledon and Mike Pegram's Preachinatthebar, had a routine morning of training, but the search has resumed for a jockey for the latter.

Wimbledon, winner of the Louisiana Derby (GII), jogged once around the track and then galloped 1 3/8 miles with exercise rider Dana Barnes in the saddle.

Exercise rider Mick Jenner was in the irons as Preachinatthebar galloped 1 3/8 miles.

Jerry Bailey is scheduled to ride Wimbledon in the Kentucky Derby, but Baffert has been forced to reopen the search for a rider for Pegram's colt after he received word that three-time Derby winner Gary Stevens would not be able to travel to Churchill Downs from France to ride in the Kentucky Derby or the Kentucky Oaks. Baffert had said earlier in the week that Corey Nakatani would be a backup for Stevens, but Nakatani is now out of the picture for Preachinatthebar after he accepted the mount aboard Quintons Gold Rush in the "Run for the Roses."

PRO PRADO - Pro Prado galloped a mile and three-quarters before the renovation break under exercise rider Lee Lockwood. Trainer Robert Holthus said Pro Prado would work six furlongs Thursday after the break with jockey John McKee up.

QUINTONS GOLD RUSH - Padua Stable's Quintons Gold Rush returned to the track on Wednesday for the first time since his breakthrough victory in the Coolmore Lexington (GII) on Saturday at Keeneland. The son of Wild Rush galloped over a "fast" track under assistant trainer Scott Blasi and Asmussen said the colt was doing well.

Asmussen has also picked up a jockey for his colt as Corey Nakatani has committed to ride Quintons Gold Rush in the Derby. Jerry Bailey had ridden Quintons Gold Rush in the Coolmore Lexington (GII), but had committed to ride Louisiana Derby (GII) winner Wimbledon in the Derby.

The ride aboard Quintons Gold Rush will mark the California-based Nakatani's 10th ride in the Kentucky Derby. His best finish to date was fourth aboard Green Alligator in his first Derby in 1991 and aboard Halory Hunter in 1998. Nakatani will also ride Padua's Class Above in the Kentucky Oaks.

READ THE FOOTNOTES - "Spectacular" was how trainer Richard Violette termed a five-furlong work at Palm Meadows by Read the Footnotes Wednesday morning.

"He went in 59 3/5 and out in 1:11 and 2 or 3, depending on whose watch had him," Violette said. "Morna (exercise rider Morna McDowall) never asked him to run. He will have a blowout the beginning of next week."

The work was the fifth for Read the Footnotes since a fourth-place finish in the Florida Derby.

"He has not missed a step," Violette said. "When everything goes right, it's a little scary. The work today, he didn't go too slow that we have some catching up to do, and he didn't go too fast where we have to tiptoe next week."

The Smoke Glacken colt is scheduled to walk in the morning and then leave Palm Meadows around 11 a.m. Friday for the flight to Louisville. Violette said McDowall would likely handle the Derby Week work at Churchill Downs.

ROCK HARD TEN - With exercise rider Andy Durnin up, Rock Hard Ten visited the starting gate and then galloped a mile and a half after the renovation break.

"He is still a little reluctant at the gate, but he doesn't get worked up," trainer Jason Orman said.

Rock Hard Ten, who would need many defections to earn a spot in the Derby starting gate because of lack of graded earnings, remains a possibility for Saturday's Derby Trial (Grade III).

"The owners have been thinking about it, and I should know something tonight," Orman said.

SINISTER G - Sinister G continued his Kentucky Derby preparations at Belmont Park, galloping a mile and a half under exercise rider Lou Chiari.

"So far, so good," said trainer John Toscano, who never has saddled a Kentucky Derby starter.

Toscano plans to work Sinister G on Saturday and ship to Louisville next Wednesday.

SMARTY JONES - Someday Farm's undefeated Smarty Jones galloped a mile and a half at Keeneland under regular exercise rider Pete Van Trump.

Trainer John Servis said Smarty Jones would gallop in the morning and then van over to Churchill Downs Thursday afternoon with a scheduled departure around 1:30.

The colt is scheduled to work five furlongs Saturday morning.

TAPIT - Ronald Winchell's Wood Memorial winner (GI) Tapit breezed five furlongs on the grass in 1:00.60 with jockey Ramon Dominguez in the saddle at Tapeta Farm in North East, Md. Trainer Michael Dickinson said "he went today according to plan."

According to Dickinson, Tapit began his work four lengths behind three of his stablemates and finished two lengths in front. Tapit is tentatively scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs on Tuesday, April 27.

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