He's not nominated to the Triple Crown nor has he ever raced past seven furlongs, but Lost in the Fog, who won the grade II Swale Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park in South Florida by four and three-quarter lengths, remains one of the most talked about three-year-olds in the nation.

Owned by former major league baseball pitcher Harry Aleo, Lost in the Fog broke sharply from an outside post and was quickly taken back by Hall of Famer Russell Baze, in from Northern California for the assignment. Content to sit in second behind early pacesetter More Smoke, Lost In The Fog rallied at the top of the stretch to take over and win going away in a final time of 1:22.21 for the seven furlongs. Around the Cape came on for second, three-quarters of a length in front of More Smoke.

"We never have been concerned about having this horse on the lead," offered Baze, who ha been aboard the son of Lost Soldier in each of his four lifetime starts. "He doesn't need the lead, but he's so rapid it just usually works out that way. But that other horse (More Smoke) was very fast today so we just let him go on and when that horse started to get a little tired my horse just drug me to the lead. Whether he can get two turns has never been much of a question in my mind. I'm looking forward to having him go two turns. I can't wait."

The question of two turns is not the only question remaining for Lost in the Fog, who is now undefeated in four races including the Sunshine Millions Dash and the Arizona Juvenile, which he won by 14 lengths. Trainer Greg Gilchrist, who is based in Northern California, is still uncertain where he'll race next, and he's not even certain where he'll train the colt leading up to his next start.

"The Florida Derby is a possibility, I think the horse likes it here and can do real well. I'd say he went from being 75-25 to being 50-50 for the Florida Derby (April 2), and we'll put up the $6,000 (to supplement to the Triple Crown). Other possibilities might be the Santa Anita Derby or the Wood Memorial in New York. It will depend on how quick he snaps back from this race. We'll be here for a couple days, and we'll talk it over and do right by the horse."

As for the excitement of training a possible Kentucky Derby horse, Gilchrist remains even-tempered.

"Pressure? I wish I could do this every day," the trainer said. "Pressure was trying to win a $30,000 race 30 years ago to pay the rent. A freak? I'd like to have a lot of freaks if this is what they are like."

Bred in Florida by Susan Seper, Lost in the Fog was the heavy favorite at post time for the $150,000 Swale Stakes and paid $3.00 to win.

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