With the departure of CLOSING ARGUMENT and BANDINI from the potential field of Saturday's Grade I, $1,000,000 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, Fountain of Youth winner HIGH FLY probably will be a prohibitive favorite to capture the 1 1/8-mile classic and move into a prominent spot among Visa Triple Crown prospects. Both now will be trained toward Keeneland's Blue Grass Stakes on April 16.

Prior to this morning's announcements of the foot bruises suffered by CLOSING ARGUMENT and BANDINI, the Gulfstream fixture appeared to be building into a definitive match among the Fountain of Youth winner and runner-up (BANDINI) and the Holy Bull Stakes winner. Now, the field is in a certain amount of disarray, but the dust could settle when the entries are taken later today and any number of new shooters could show up in the entry box.

Whatever the case, HIGH FLY, who has had problems of his own that have been overcome in the past couple of days, appears to be the solid morning-line favorite for the race. The son of Atticus spiked a fever on Friday and his status was in question, but he came out of that by Monday and turned in a solid half-mile workout Tuesday morning for owner Live Oak Plantation and trainer Nick Zito. The colt was clocked in 48.40 for the 4 furlongs.

Zito figures to have a second horse - NOBLE CAUSEWAY -- in the Florida Derby. He was an impressive allowance winner at Gulfstream on March 3 and will be making his stakes debut.

Also expected to join the field is PAPI CHULLO, a maiden who has been based in Southern California previously but who remained in Florida following a fourth-place finish in the Fountain of Youth Stakes. Prior to that, the son of Comeonmom finished second in Santa Anita's Sham Stakes.

Two-thirds of the way across the country, in New Mexico, Sunland Park will present its premier Kentucky Derby prep with the $500,000, 1 1/16-mile WinStar Derby. The horse that figured to be the probable favorite - Uncle Denny - is off the Triple Crown trail as a result of a bone chip in his right front ankle, but the top three finishers from the track's earlier Borderland Derby are back to vie for the top spot. SOUTHERN AFRICA, THOR'S ECHO and DOVER DERE will offer plenty of competition for the big prize, and late nominee SORT IT OUT will have a chance to redeem himself for a poor showing in the Louisiana Derby by tackling the top three.

SOUTHERN AFRICA is owned by Al and Sandee Kirkwood and trained by Mike Puhich, THOR'S ECHO races for Suarez Racing and Royce Jaime Racing, and DOVER DERE is owned by Jason Wood, and both are trained by Doug O'Neill. Three-time Kentucky Derby-Preakness winner Bob Baffert conditions SORT IT OUT for owners Stonerside Stable and Preferred Pals. Stonerside bought the majority interest in the horse following his victory in Aqueduct's Whirlaway Stakes.

DUBAI PAIR HEADING FOR DERBY; PLETCHER GETS A SURPRISE After a two-year hiatus, Godolphin Racing is planning at least a two-pronged attack on the Kentucky Derby following a sharp showing in Saturday's United Arab Emirates Derby at Nad al Sheba in Dubai. Derby winner BLUES AND ROYALS and third-place finisher PAROLE BOARD have been made nominees to the Visa Triple Crown and $5 million Visa Triple Crown Challenge and both will be trained toward the Kentucky Derby on May 7 at Churchill Downs. Godolphin, the A Team of Dubai brothers Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum and Sheikh Maktoum al Maktoum, may even send a third runner - England's top 2-year-old of 2004 SHAMARDAL, despite the fact the 3-year-old, an early nominee to the Triple Crown, was well-beaten in the Derby.

Victory in the same day's Lane's End Stakes halfway around the world at Turfway Park in Kentucky pushed the lightly raced FLOWER ALLEY, owned by Laura and Eugene Melnyk of Barbados and trained by Todd Pletcher, into the Kentucky Derby picture. Racing at 10-1 odds in a field that included stakes winners SPANISH CHESTNUT, MAGNA GRADUATE and TEXCESS, FLOWER ALLEY finished like an old pro though he was making his stakes debut. The Pletcher trainee figures to run next in either the Arkansas Derby or the Blue Grass Stakes, both on April 16.

Runner-up WILD DESERT, beaten only a half-length on the muddy Turfway oval, will stay on the Triple Crown trail with a possible run in the Arkansas Derby. MAGNA GRADUATE, fourth-place finisher, may go on to the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland on April 23, but a run in the Kentucky Derby doesn't appear likely now, according to trainer Patrick Byrne. While Pletcher basked in the glow of victory in the Lane's End, he did so with something of a heavy heart after watching another of his Derby prospects - dual graded stakes winner PROUD ACCOLADE - run poorly in Turfway's 1 1/16-mile Rushaway Stakes just before the Lane's End. Sent away as the odds-on favorite, the son of Yes It's True finished sixth. It was the fourth time the colt had failed to win a race at the distance. The Rushaway winner, longshot CAT SHAKER, earned a late nomination to the Visa Triple Crown and has his owner William Callis and his son, Craig, who trains the 3-year-old, thinking Kentucky Derby.

14 NOMINATED LATE TO THE VISA TRIPLE CROWN - Aside from the four aforementioned late nominees, 10 other 3-year-olds were added to the list of nominees for the Visa Triple Crown and $5 million Visa Triple Crown Challenge at the close Saturday of the late-nomination period. Each horse joined the list for a fee of $6,000 and increased the total nominations to 372.

During the early nomination period, 358 horses were listed for $600 each.

Here are the other nominees, with owners and trainers: BRIDGE LOAN, Hesmonds Stud, Jeremy Noseda; GENERAL JOHN B, Ross McLeod, Steve Bryant; B.B. BEST, Bea Oxenberg and Laurie Plesa, Edward Plesa Jr.; MR SWORD, Paraneck Stables, Jennifer Pedersen; MALIBU MOONSHINE, Woodrow Marriott, King Leatherbury; WATCHMON, Paul Pompa Jr., Patrick Reynolds; RIKMAN, Peter Vegso and Gary Seidler; William I. Mott; EVIL MINISTER, Namcock Stables, Erik Juvonen; MIGHTY MECKE, Puglisi Stables, Steve Klesaris; and HELLO JERRY, owner-trainer Cathal Lynch.

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