Derby Updates

EAST/FIRST SAMURAI TRIES TWO TURNS IN FOUNTAIN - Bruce Lunsford and Lansdon Robbins III's First Samurai will look to snap a two-race losing streak as he makes his first attempt at a two-turn distance in Saturday's $300,000 Fountain of Youth (GII) at Florida's Gulfstream Park.

The winner of the Hopeful (GI) and Champagne (GI) suffered the first loss of his career when he finished third in 1 1/16-mie Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI), which was run around one sweeping turn at Belmont Park on Oct. 29. The Frank Brothers-trained son of Giant's Causeway was then upset at odds of 3-5 in his 3-year-old debut on Feb. 4 by Starlight, Saylor and Lucarelli's Keyed Entry in the 7 ½-furlong Hutcheson (GII) at Gulfstream.

First Samurai was the 7-1 favored individual wagering interest in the Jan. 26-29 opening pool of Churchill Downs' Kentucky Derby Future Wager ("KDFW"). The colt was listed at as a 10-1 shot on the morning line for KDFW Pool 2, which was launched on Thursday and will conclude on Sunday at 6 p.m. (all times Eastern).

First Samurai retains the services of jockey Edgar Prado, who took over riding duties on the colt following the retirement of Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey on Jan. 28.

First Samurai will break from post six and is the 6-5 morning line favorite in a field of 10 that includes the second through fifth-place finishers in the Feb. 4 Holy Bull (GIII) at Gulfstream. West Point Stable's Flashy Bull, runner-up to the highly regarded Bluegrass Cat in the Remsen (GII) and fourth in the Holy Bull, is the second choice at 5-1. Bob LaPenta's Great Point, the Nick Zito-trained Holy Bull runner-up is 6-1. Centaur Farms My Golden Song and Burr Travis' Itsallboutthechase, third and fifth respectively in the Holy Bull, are listed at 12-1.

New faces in 1 1/8-mile Fountain of Youth include Hallandale Beach winner Can't Beat It (10-1), who will make his first stakes attempt on the dirt, and allowance winners Rehoboth (12-1) and Corinthian (8-1). Jazil (12-1), second behind Corinthian in a Feb. 2 allowance, and Hemingway's Key, 11th in the Holy Bull, are also entered.

Noonmark Could Give Asmussen Another Top Derby Contender - Members of a full field of 12 3-year-olds will seek to place themselves on the Kentucky Derby trail in Saturday's seven-furlong $150,000 Swale Stakes (GII) on the Fountain of Youth undercard. A win by George Bolton, Joan Corrigan and Antony Beck's favored Noonmark would give trainer Steve Asmussen another potential Derby 132 hopeful to go with Mike McCarty's Belmont Futurity (GI) and Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) winner Private Vow.

Noonmark is a son of Unbridled Song who exits a two-length allowance score over the Gulfstream Park surface on Feb. 11. Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan will ride the 3-1 morning line choice.

Other Swale contenders include Lael Stables' Showing Up, an impressive maiden winner in his first outing on Feb. 11 for trainer Barclay Tagg; Kinsman Stable's Flash (GIII) winner Beacon Shine, now trained by Zito; Purdedel Stable's dual stakes winner Sharp Humor; and Thomas McCann's Iroquois (GIII) winner Catcominatcha.

Barbican Out Following Workout Injury - An ankle injury following a Thursday morning workout has knocked Darley Stable's Barbican off the Kentucky Derby trail.

The injury was discovered following a light breeze by the Eoin Harty-trained colt at Florida's Palm Meadows training center. Jimmy Bell, president of U.S. operations for Darley Stable, told a Churchill Downs official that the son of A.P. Indy suffered what he described as a "small fracture" in his right hind ankle. He said the injury does not appear to be career threatening.

The colt, a brother to 2001 2-year-old filly champion and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) winner Tempera, has a career record of 2-0-0 in three races with earnings of $32,790.

Wagering on Barbican was suspended in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opened its four-day run on Thursday. Money wagered on Barbican will remain in the pool, as there are no refunds in the Derby Future bet.

WEST/EIGHT SEEK TO KNOCK OFF BROTHER DEREK IN SANTA CATALINA - Cecil Peacock's Brother Derek, winner of the Hollywood Futurity (GI) and the San Rafael (GIII) in his last two outings, looks to cement his credentials as the top Kentucky Derby contender in California as the 6-5 favorite over seven rivals in Saturday's Santa Catalina (GII) at Santa Anita.

Considered by many to be the top Derby contender in the country, the Dan Hendricks-trained colt was the favored individual horse and a close 6-1 second choice in Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia's morning line for Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. The California-bred son of Benchmark, who closed at odds of 16-1 in the year's opening Derby Futures pool, emerged as the top West Coast contender for the Derby when injury sidelined 2005 2-year-old champion Stevie Wonderboy. He had defeated that rival in winning the San Rafael in January.

Brother Derek will be ridden by three-time Kentucky Derby runner-up Alex Solis, who was named as a finalist for Thoroughbred racing's Hall of Fame earlier this week. Hendricks' colt has trained sharply since his San Rafael score with "bullet" workouts at five and six furlongs over the Santa Anita strip.

Strong support is also expected for Juddmonte Farm's Latent Heat, who makes his stakes debut off a dazzling maiden win and enters the Santa Catalina as the 5-2 second choice. Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel had considered sending his bay Maria's Mon colt into an allowance, but decided instead to tackle the Santa Catalina's tougher competition.

Other notables in the Santa Catalina's field of nine include Mike Pegram's Wanna Runner, third to Brother Derek in the San Rafael prior to a dull performance in Bay Meadows' El Camino Real Derby (GIII); James McIngvale's Objective, second in El Camino and now in the stable of Peter Miller; Chris Carney's Hawkinsville and Amerman Racing's Sacred Light, second and third respectively to the well regarded Bob and John in the Sham (GIII); and B. Wayne Hughes' Mister Triester, an impressive maiden winner last time out.

MIDWEST/FULL FIELD OF TWELVE SET FOR BATTAGLIA - Twelve 3-year-olds have been entered in Saturday's $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park, with Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and John Magnier's California shipper Kilimanjaro listed as the 3-1 favorite.

The son of Boundary scored his first career win at Saratoga, then returned to racing on Feb. 3 with strong fourth in a Santa Anita allowance behind Derby contenders One Union, Point Determined and Refinery. Trainer Patrick Biancone then shipped the colt to the Florence, Ky. track, where he has turned in three "bullet" workouts over its Polytrack surface. Apprentice Julien Leparoux, who leads the nations jockeys in wins, has the mount.

Bakster Farm's Go Bucky Go, recent allowance winner at Gulfstream, is the second choice at 4-1. The son of Elusive Quality bested Superfly, who had finished fifth in the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) at Belmont, in that event and will run for the first time for Greg Foley, Turfway Park's leading trainer.

David Ross' Warrior Within will seek his second consecutive stakes win at Turfway Park following a dominating 5 ¼-length score in the Feb. 4 WEBN Stakes. Mark Stanley's Malameeze, the WEBN runner-up, will also run in the 1 1/16-mile event. Both are listed at odds of 6-1.

Claiborne Farm's Laity, winner of the Cradle at River Downs, returns from a long layoff and makes his 2006 debut as the 9-2 third choice. The Frank Brothers-trained son of Pulpit will be running for the first time as a gelding.

Keyed Entry To Join Crowded Rebel Field - Unbeaten Keyed Entry, a track-record setting winner of Gulfstream's Hutcheson (GII), will ship to Oaklawn Park to make his next start in the $300,000 Rebel (GIII) on March 18.

Trainer Todd Pletcher had also considered the Gotham (GIII) at Aqueduct on the same day, but finalized plans for the son of Honour and Glory earlier this week.

Keyed Entry will join the first three finishers from the Feb. 25 Southwest Stakes - Lawyer Ron, Steppenwolfer and Red Raymond - along with Private Vow in what is shaping up to be one of the strongest fields in the history of the race. The Rebel is Oaklawn Park's most important prep for the $1 million Arkansas Derby (GII). That 1 1/8-mile prep for the Kentucky Derby is scheduled for April 15.

DERBY WINNERS BUSY ON BOTH COASTS - Kentucky Derby fans will get a bonus this weekend as two of the last three winners of the famed "Run for the Roses" are scheduled to race on separate coasts.

It's a rarity in an era in which Derby winners often make a rapid transition to a breeding career, but 2005 winner Giacomo and 2003's Derby king Funny Cide will compete in major stakes races on Saturday.

The 4-year-old Giacomo makes his second start of the year in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap (Grade I) at California's Santa Anita, while Sackatoga Stable's 6-year-old gelding Funny Cide will attempt to return to the winner's circle in the $300,000 Gulfstream Park Handicap (GII) at the Florida track.

Santa Anita's "Big 'Cap" will actually feature the first and last place finishers from last year's Derby - and the latter will be the favorite. Mary and Gary West's High Limit trailed the field as 50-1 shot Giacomo rolled to victory at Churchill Downs in last year's Derby, but back-to-back stakes wins have made the Bobby Frankel-trained colt the early favorite for Saturday's race.

The John Shirreffs-trained Giacomo ran third to High Limit in the Strub Stakes (GII) in the most recent race for both. That race was the Derby winner's first outing since last year's Belmont Stakes (GI).

"Giacomo has changed a lot since his 3-year-old year," said Shirreffs. "He is bigger and heavier. He is a little more aggressive than he was as a 3-year-old, and he has all that experience behind him. I was very happy with his race in the Strub because I really didn't know what to expect."

Funny Cide, who is coming off a runner-up finish in a Gulfstream Park allowance race, is not among the favorites in a field of eight horses in the 1 3/16-mile Gulfstream race headed by the favored Suave. A victory by Funny Cide would be his first since a win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) at Belmont Park in the fall of 2004. Edgar Prado will ride the son of Distorted Humor for trainer Barclay Tagg.

THERE'S STILL TIME TO GET ON THE "ROAD TO THE ROSES" - Racing fans who have yet to register for the 2006 "Road to the Roses" fantasy challenge have an opportunity this weekend to enter the online game with a splash.

A crowded schedule of Kentucky Derby prep races in Florida, California and Kentucky will allow new players to make up for any ground they may have lost since official RTTR scoring started on Feb. 11.

The "Road to the Roses" Fantasy Challenge is hosted by Churchill Downs Incorporated ("CDI"), the parent company of Churchill Downs, and allows racing fans to manage a stable of Kentucky Derby contenders. "Road to the Roses" players earn points based on how well their fantasy stable performs during the spring prep races leading up to and including the May 6 Kentucky Derby. The stables are made up of 10 horses, along with two trainers and two jockeys. Players must select five "active" horses for each weekend's prep races and can add additional horses to their stables later in the season.

The grand prize for the winner of the fantasy challenge is a VIP trip for two to the 2007 Kentucky Derby, which includes airfare and hotel accommodations, a private backstretch tour, a trip to the paddock on Derby Day, and VIP passes to the Derby press party. Other prizes include a 30" LCD flat-screen TV courtesy of Gateway, a Gateway desktop computer, and limited edition Derby 132 jackets. Also, a $500 Kentucky Derby wagering voucher will be given away weekly to the player who earns the most points each weekend.

Information and registration is available at www.roadtotheroses.com. New players must have registered and selected their eligible horses by noon (Eastern) on Saturday, March 4 for an opportunity to score points in this weekend's rich schedule of Kentucky Derby prep races.

LOUISVILLE'S COURIER-JOURNAL OFFERS DERBY STATS SITE - The Louisville, Ky. Courier-Journal has introduced a new Web site devoted to Kentucky Derby statistical data.

"Derby DataTrack" is a free site filled with statistical data designed to help racing fans of all levels as they make their choices for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager pools and the Derby itself. The data includes historic factors that annually come into play in the discussion of possible Kentucky Derby winners.

The "Derby DataTrack" section can be found on the Web at http://www.courier-journal.com/cjsports/trackside/database/index.html.

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