WEST/SWEET CATOMINE TAKES ON THE BOYS AT SANTA ANITA - When it comes to fillies that have competed in the Santa Anita Derby (Grade I) and the Kentucky Derby (GI), good things have come in threes. Three fillies have won the Santa Anita Derby and the same number of females that have taken the Kentucky Derby during its storied 130-year history. On Saturday, Mr. and Mrs. Martin Wygod's homebred Sweet Catomine will attempt to raise the bar for her gender in the 68th renewal of the Santa Anita Derby and also take a giant step toward becoming the fourth filly to win the big race at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. The reigning 2-year-old filly champion is the 7-5 morning line favorite to defeat a field of 10 males in the $750,000 race that is California's key Kentucky Derby prep.

The daughter of Storm Cat won the Santa Anita Oaks (GI) for trainer Julio Canani in her most recent start and will attempt to become the first filly since the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Winning Colors (1988) to turn back males in the mile and an eighth race. Winning Colors went on to score a front-running Kentucky Derby win and is the only filly to have won both races.

Corey Nakatani will ride Sweet Catomine, who will break from post two.

"She's just a real big, strong filly," said Nakatani. "If I didn't think she was capable of doing this I probably wouldn't be riding her. She's as big as the colts and she's got the heart of a champion."

Ciencia (1939) and Silver Spoon (1959) preceded Winning Colors as fillies that won the Santa Anita Derby. The last to attempt to beat males in the race was Overbrook Farm's eventual 3-year-old filly champion Surfside, who finished fifth in the 2000 renewal. Other major Santa Anita Derby contenders include 2004 Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) winner Wilko, who will be ridden by European riding star Frankie Dettori; the stretch-running Don't Get Mad, who was third in the San Vicente (GII) and San Felipe (GII) in his only starts of the year; and Giacomo, runner-up in the recent San Felipe (GII).

EAST/ZITO'S BELLAMY ROAD FAVORED IN WOOD - Bellamy Road has run only once in 2005, but his 15 ¾-length romp in a one-mile allowance race at Gulfstream Park was so dazzling that it has earned him the role of morning line favorite against seven rivals in Saturday's $750,000 Wood Memorial (GI) at New York's Aqueduct.

The homebred son of Concerto, who is owned by the Kinsman Farm of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, is the 2-1 choice in the mile and an eighth prep that has produced three of the last five winners of the Kentucky Derby. Fusaichi Pegasus won both races in 2000, while Monarchos (2001) and Funny Cide (2003) each won the roses at Churchill Downs following a runner-up finish in the Wood.

Bellamy Road is one of five horses still being pointed toward the Kentucky Derby by two-time Derby winner Nick Zito. The colt's Gulfstream allowance romp was his first start under Zito's care. Javier Castellano will ride Bellamy Road.

The close 5-2 second choice in the Wood is Robert and Beverly Lewis' Going Wild, who was a good runner-up to unbeaten juvenile champion Declan's Moon in the Santa Catalina (GII) before that rival was injured and taken off the Kentucky Derby trail.

On the Wood Memorial undercard, unbeaten Lost In The Fog will be heavily favored to win the $150,000 Bay Shore (GIII) for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs.

MIDWEST/NINE HOPE TO EARN KENTUCKY BID IN ILLINOIS DERBY - None of the major stars of this year's wide open Kentucky Derby campaign turned up in the entry box for Saturday's $500,000 Illinois Derby (GII) at Hawthorne Park, but a big effort by any of the nine horses that did enter the mile and an eighth race could put them squarely on the road to Churchill Downs and May 7 "Run for the Roses."

The likely favorites for the Illinois Derby are the Ken McPeek-trained Kansas City Boy, the runner-up in the Holy Bull (GIII) at Gulfstream and third in the Fair Grounds' Lecomte (GIII), and Magna Graduate, the winner of the John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park. Kansas City Boy is the 7-2 morning line favorite under jockey Chris Emigh, while Magna Graduate is the 4-1 second choice under jockey Eddie Razo, Jr.

Impressive newcomers include the California-based Greeley's Galaxy and the Bill Mott-trained Rikman. Greeley's Galaxy is not nominated to the Visa Triple Crown, but trainer Warren Stute said a victory in the Illinois Derby could earn the colt a supplemental nomination to the Kentucky Derby. Rikman, a late nominee to the Visa Triple Crown, has a pair of allowance wins this year at the Illinois Derby distance.

The Mott-trained Around the Cape is the morning line favorite in the $125,000 Lost Code Breeders' Cup at six furlongs on the Illinois Derby undercard.

Dubleo heads a field of nine entered in Friday's $150,000 Central Bank Transylvania Stakes (GIII) for 3-year-olds on the turf, the opening day feature of the Keeneland meet.

The $100,000 Lafayette (GIII) for 3-year-olds at six furlongs tops Sunday's racing card at the Lexington, Ky. track. Silent Bid and Razor head a field of five for that race.

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