Kinsman Farm's Bellamy Road, a 17 ½-length winner in the Wood Memorial (Grade I) and the likely favorite for the 131st running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby, cruised through a five-furlong workout on Thursday at Churchill Downs.

The Nick Zito-trained son of Concerto was eager to start the breeze, which was conducted from the half-mile pole to the seven-eighths marker midway around the historic track's first turn, and completed the distance in 1:02.80 over a "fast" track. The colt worked around 6:45 a.m. (all times EDT), a time that Zito had scheduled to avoid rain that had been forecast but never materialized.

Exercise rider Carlos Correa was in the saddle as Bellamy Road covered the distance in splits of :13.20, :25.40, :38 and :49.40 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:16.40.

"He's a good horse," said Zito. "Like every good athlete, they like what they do. And that's what he likes right now."

Zito, who has a total of five Kentucky Derby contenders in his care, said he was not looking for fast times or anything special in the breeze, which ranked eighth out of 14 at the distance on the day. He said that he was looking for an effort that would maintain the edge Bellamy Road displayed in his dominating romp in the Wood Memorial.

"I'm just trying to keep him there," said Zito. "Obviously, the horse won by so many lengths and he was so impressive. So that's what we're trying to do, just keep everything the same and hopefully it will work out."

Zito's other Kentucky Derby 131 contenders are Live Oak Plantation's High Fly, My Meadowview Farm's Noble Causeway, Tracy Farmer's Sun King, and Robert LaPenta's Andromeda's Hero. All but the latter are stabled at Churchill Downs, with the high-strung Andromeda's Hero remaining at Keeneland to train in the relative quiet in the days leading up to the Derby.

"For me, it'll never happen again," Zito said. "It's five different ownerships - it's a once-in-a-lifetime deal and I don't think it'll happen for me again, certainly. We just hope we make the best of it, that's all. You just hope that every single one of them is worthy of that honor. It's a privilege to be here."

Zito is again looking for a rider for one of his Derby contenders as Corey Nakatani, who rode Andromeda's Hero to a third-place finish behind Afleet Alex in the Arkansas Derby (GII), has committed to ride Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) winner Wilko in the "Run for the Roses." Zito said Nakatani had expressed concern that Andromeda's Hero might not have the graded stakes earnings required to get into the Derby field if more than the maximum of 20 horses are entered.

Zito said he is in no rush to find a replacement.

"They've never led one over there yet without a rider," said Zito. "We'll take our time and see who's available."

MEDIA ADVISORY: Nick Zito has requested that, after this weekend, media members who wish to discuss his Derby 131 contenders gather each morning for a question-and-answer session beginning at 9:30 a.m. His horses are stabled in Barn 36.

AFLEET ALEX SETTLES IN - Cash Is King Stable's Afleet Alex, winner of the Arkansas Derby (GII) by a record eight lengths, was on the Churchill Downs track for a jog on Thursday morning, just hours after his arrival at Churchill Downs to continue his preparations for Kentucky Derby 131. The Tim Ritchey-trained son of Northern Afleet traveled from Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. to Louisville by van.

"He's doing well," said Ritchey. "He came out of the race very well. I walked him two days. He went to the track on Tuesday at Oaklawn. I was just going to jog him twice around with the lead pony, but he was full of himself and I wanted to take a little bit of the edge off before we put him on the van the next day. So we jogged one mile with the pony, turned him around and let him gallop about a mile and a half. He came out of that well, shipped up well and have had no problems at all."

Afleet Alex jogged twice around the Churchill Downs' one-mile oval on Thursday, his first experience over the track over which the Kentucky Derby will be run on Saturday, May 7. Ritchey said that it is not unusual for Afleet Alex to make a pair of visits to the track on any given morning.

"He goes out early and just stretches his legs and then we go out a little later and do our training," said Ritchey. "Tomorrow he'll go out and jog two miles early. He'll come back, we'll cool him out and, after the break sometime he'll go back out and jog a little bit and then gallop."

Ritchey said that Afleet Alex would have a pair of works before the Derby. The first would likely come on Monday or Tuesday of next week, followed by a final move on Monday or Tuesday of Derby Week. MEDIA ADVISORY: Ritchey has requested that media members with questions about Afleet Alex gather each day at 10:30 a.m. Afleet Alex is stabled in Barn 41.

LUKAS TO SADDLE TWO IN COOLMORE LEXINGTON - Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas will saddle a pair of contenders in Saturday's $325,000 Coolmore Lexington (GII) at Keeneland.

Robert and Beverly Lewis' Going Wild had been set to compete in the mile and a sixteenth race for several days, but Lukas has now added Michael Paulson's Sky'n Thunder will also contest the mile and a sixteenth race.

"He's just a maiden winner and he ran second in his next out, but he's a damn useful horse," said Lukas. "He (Paulson) wants to run and I'm going to accommodate him. It's just that simple."

Lukas said that Going Wild continues to do well since his mystifying last place finish behind Bellamy Road in the Wood Memorial. "He's really bounced back," said Lukas. "He looks good and his energy is good. I'd be hard-pressed to make an excuse for him this time. I don't know what happened there."

Lukas said his other Kentucky Derby contender, the Lewis' San Felipe (GII) winner Consolidator, is scheduled to work early next week but that he would "play it by ear" in scheduling that move.

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