CENTRAL /SCIPION LIVES UP TO POTENTIAL IN RISEN STAR WIN - While most of the pre-race talk centered on regally bred favorite Harlington, another colt with a high-priced pedigree placed himself in the Kentucky Derby picture with a victory in Saturday's $150,000 Risen Star (Grade III) at the Fair Grounds.

Virginia Kraft Payson's Scipion, who trailed the field of 11 through the first half-mile and was ninth at the head of the stretch, charged through the long homestretch at the New Orleans track to win the 1 1/16-mile test by a length over longshot Real Dandy. Lecomte (GIII) winner Storm Surge finished third, while pre-race favorite Harlington (6th) and the well-regarded Rush Bay (8th) failed to threaten.

Three-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Gary Stevens was aboard Scipion, who completed the distance in 1:44.54 over a "fast" track. The colt won for the second time in six races for trainer Patrick Biancone, who saddled last year's Derby runner-up Lion Heart, and boosted his career earnings to $143,240.

"Coming into the stretch, I said, 'No way, maybe I'll hit the board',' said Stevens. "I reached back and hit him a couple of times and I said, 'Geez, he's going to win by daylight'."

Scipion, a three-quarter brother to unbeaten 2002 juvenile champion Vindication who was purchased as a yearling for $1.9 million, won the "battle of the bluebloods" with the disappointing Harlington. The latter, a $2.8 million son of 1990 Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled out of the great mare Serena's Song, lost for the first time in three career races.

Scipion had finished a late-running third in a Santa Anita allowance race in his 2005 debut before Biancone shipped him to Louisiana.

"He is a late-comer horse and he did his job," Biancone said. "He is a very good horse. Normally, he's excited (before the race) but today, he was like a professional. It's a horse that we (think can) go a mile-and-a-half, or a mile-and-a-quarter, but you cannot rush him."

Trainer Steve Asmussen was pleased with the runner-up effort by Real Dandy, who went off at odds of 44-1.

"Needless to say, I was quite surprised by the 40-1," Asmussen told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "I'm not that bad a handicapper."

Greater Good Preps For Southwest - Lewis Lakin's Greater Good, winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) at Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Cup Juvenile (GIII) at Turfway Park, tuned up for a run in Saturday's $100,000 Southwest Stakes with a strong six-furlong workout on Saturday at Oaklawn Park.

The 3-year-old son of Intidab covered the distance in 1:13.20 under jockey John McKee and the move was the fastest of 13 works at the distance. Trainer Robert Holthus was pleased with the move by Greater Good, who will make his 2005 debut in the one-mile Southwest.

"A mile may be a tad short for Greater Good, but I won't be surprised if he catches them," said Holthus. "He's a nice colt. A lot depends on who's in there."

It appears that the field for the Southwest could be as small as four horses.

Fox Hill Farm's Rockport Harbor, the unbeaten winner of the Remsen (GII), worked a sharp five furlongs at Oaklawn on Friday in preparation for his season debut in the Rebel Stakes on March 19. The John Servis-trained son of Unbridled's Song covered the distance in 1:01.60 under exercise rider Bobby Velez.

"This was Rocky's best work yet," said Velez. "He's getting real fit. John told me to take it easy the first part, but I didn't want to take too much hold."

"Rocky went picture perfect," said Servis. "He's coming up to the Rebel just right."

EAST/SORT IT OUT SURPRISES IN WHIRLAWAY - Saturday's $75,000 Whirlaway at New York's Aqueduct was expected to be a showcase for New York-bred star Galloping Grocer, but another state-bred stole the show.

Galloping Grocer left the starting gate as the 1-2 favorite in the 1 1/16-mile race, but it was fellow New York-bred Sort It Out who was in front at the finish. The son of Out of Place, a 20-1 shot who is not nominated to the Kentucky Derby and Visa Triple Crown, rallied in the stretch to blow past the fading favorite and held off Native New Yorker, another New York-bred, to win by a neck.

Scrappy T edged Galloping Grocer for third. The favorite, making his first start since a runner-up finish to unbeaten Rockport Harbor in the Remsen (GII) in November, was beaten by 1 ¾-lengths in a disappointing start to his 3-year-old campaign.

The Whirlaway marked the third consecutive win for Sort It Out. All of those wins have come at 1 1/16-miles on Aqueduct's inner track. He is owned by the Preferred Pals Stable and trained by Allen Iwinski.

"We're so excited," Preferred Pals managing partner Larry Paltrowitz told the New York Post. "Ever since he went long, he's been steadily improving."

Galloping Grocer was pushed by Diamond Wildcat through three quarters of a mile in 1:11.27, but gave up the lead inside the final furlong. Trainer Dominic Schettino said the gelding came out of the race with a cut that could have been a problem during the race.

"He's got a pretty big gash on the back of his left hind leg," Schettino said. "I don't know if a horse stepped on him on the first turn. I'll have to check him out. He was coming off a layoff [and] I didn't think they would go that fast that early. He punched late, but just got a little tired. He'll move forward off this race."

Jockey Tim Thornton rode Sort It Out, who covered 1 1/16-mile Whirlaway distance in 1:43.32. The winning time was the second fastest in 26 runnings of the race.

WEST/FUSAICHI ROCK STAR UPSETS IN SAN VICENTE - The anticipated 2005 debut of Kentucky Derby contender Roman Ruler in Sunday's San Vicente (GII) at Santa Anita was postponed because of trainer Bob Baffert's concerns over a tender hoof, but things still worked out well for the three-time Kentucky Derby-winning conditioner.

With his star son of Fusaichi Pegasus on the sidelines, Baffert saddled Fusaichi Rock Star to score a front-running one-length victory in the one-mile San Vicente. He held off the late-running Don't Get Mad as Kirkendahl finished third and the favored Consolidator came home last in the four-horse field.

The San Vicente was the first race for the son of Wild Wonder since a fourth-place finish in the Cowdin Stakes at Belmont Park in October. It was also Fusaichi Rock Star's first outing since he underwent throat surgery late last year to correct a breathing problem.

"This horse had been training great," said Baffert. "It's nice to win this because, when you lose Roman Ruler it's sort of a downbeat. But we've always been very high on this horse as a 2-year-old. He's always shown us a lot."

Fusao Sekiguchi, the Japanese businessman who owned Fusiachi Pegasus, also owns Fusaichi Rock Star. The San Vicente was the second victory in five races for Fusaichi Rock Star and raised his career earnings to $138,366.

Stellar Magic upsets Texcess - Stellar Magic, a California-bred gelding who is not nominated to the Kentucky Derby and Visa Triple Crown, rallied from fifth to catch odds-on favorite Texcess in the stretch and pull away to score a 1 ½-length upset in the $100,000 San Mateo Mile at Northern California's Bay Meadows.

The victory leaves trainer and co-owner Brian Pitnick with a decision to make before the late nomination deadline to the Visa Triple Crown arrives on March 26. An early nomination would have cost $600, but the fee required at the late deadline is $6,000.

"Up until now, I was trying not to put pressure on my horse," Pitnick told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Now he's put pressure on me."

Texcess was favored on the strength of a victory in the $1 million Delta Jackpot at Delta Downs and a recent third-place finish in the San Rafael (GII) at Santa Anita. He opened a clear lead in the stretch, but could not hold off the late run by Stellar Magic and jockey Dennis Carr.

California Invader General John B Wins At Turf Paradise - Jockey Jon Court made Churchill Downs his home base before moving to California last year, but a victory by Southern California invader General John B in Saturday's $100,000 Turf Paradise Derby at the Arizona track has Court thinking of a trip back to the Louisville.

General John B skipped over a muddy surface to romp to a six-length victory over Quiet Money. Local hope Lead for Speed rallied for third.

The winner covered the distance in 1:45.48 and appeared to give Court at least a slight case of the spring malady known as "Derby Fever."

"We have a lot of high hopes for this horse," said Court. "We all have that dream to shoot for the big one on the first Saturday in May and I would love to see that transpire. That's why I followed this horse here."

Roger Stein trains General John B, who has won three of five races for owner Ross McCleod.

"ALL OTHERS" FAVORED IN OPENING DERBY FUTURE POOL - The morning line for the first of three pools of the 2005 Kentucky Derby Future Wager ("KDFW") predicted that racing fans across North America would not settle on a single horse as the favorite for the 131st running of the Kentucky Derby (GI) on May 7.

Oddsmaker Mike Battaglia's opinion was validated as the mutuel field - which includes all 3-year-olds other than the 23 individual horses listed among 24 betting interests in the opening pool of the wager - was a strong 2-1 favorite when betting on the four-day Derby Future pool wound to a close on Sunday evening.

The "all others" wager has now been favored in Pool 1 in each Derby Future Wager since the bet was introduced in 1999. Pool 1 attracted total wagering of $620,362 - a record for the pool and for any single pool in the Future Wager's seven-year history.

Adding to the attractiveness of the mutuel field were the results of five Kentucky Derby prep races run over the weekend - and all won by horses in the "all others" category. Those winners included Scipion in the Risen Star, Fusaichi Rock Star in the San Vicente, Sort It Out in the Whirlaway, General John B in the Turf Paradise Derby, and Stellar Magic in the San Mateo Mile.

If you're looking for one more reason to back the mutuel field in Pool 1, try this: three of the six Derby winners since 1999 were members of the "all others" betting interest in the opening pool in February. Charismatic ('99), War Emblem ('01) and even 2004 winner Smarty Jones were not listed among the 23 individual horses in the first Derby Future Pool of their 3-year-old seasons.

Unbeaten juvenile champion Declan's Moon was the favored individual horse and overall second choice in this year's first pool. He closed and 9-1 and was followed by unbeaten Rockport Harbor (13-1), Afleet Alex (15-1), Roman Ruler (18-1), Sun King (19-1), Bandini (20-1), Lost In the Fog (21-1) and 2-year-old filly champion Sweet Catomine (21-1).

Two more Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools are scheduled this year. Pool 2 is set for March 10-13, while the third and final pool will run from April 7-10.

More information on the Kentucky Derby and the Derby Future Wager is available at www.kentuckyderby.com.

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