Derby Updates

MIDWEST/TOP CONTENDERS LAWYER RON, PRIVATE VOW HEADLINE REBEL - Two horses considered to be near the top of the list of Kentucky Derby contenders, Lawyer Ron and Private Vow, turned in weekend workouts for competition in Saturday's $300,000 Rebel Stakes (GIII) at Oaklawn Park.

Lawyer Ron¸ owned by the estate of James Hines and trained by Bob Holthus, turned in a sharp five furlong work on Saturday. Jockey John McKee was up as the homebred son of Langfuhr covered the distance in :59.40, the fastest move of 40 at the distance on the day.

"I'm delighted with the work," Holthus said. "He put up steady '12s (12 second furlongs), did it easily, and picked it up down the lane."

Undefeated in five career races on the dirt, Lawyer Ron comes into the Rebel off a three-quarter-length victory over Robert and Lawana Low's Steppenwolfer in the Southwest Stakes and an 8 ¼-length romp in the Risen Star (GIII) at the Fair Grounds at Louisiana Downs. Back for another try at Lawyer Ron are the Danny Peitz-trained Steppenwolfer and Thomas Franks' Red Raymond, who is also trained by Holthus and finished third in the Southwest.

Mike McCarty's Private Vow, winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) and Belmont Futurity (GI), will make his 2006 debut in the Rebel. The son of Broken Vow worked five furlongs "handily" in 1:01.80 on Monday at the Palm Meadows training center in Florida. Private Vow is scheduled to ship to Oaklawn on Wednesday.

Another promising contender is Hargus Sexton's Well Said, a son of Aptitude who rallied for an impressive allowance win for trainer Walter Bindner on Feb. 16.

"It looks like Well Said is coming together at the right time," Bindner said. "He's a big, long, tall horse with a big, long stride."

WEST/HOLLENDORFER COLT GIVES OWNERS CAUSE TO BELIEVE - Following an easy victory in Saturday's $100,000 California Derby at Golden Gate Fields, Cause to Believe has his sights set on Churchill Downs and a special race on the first Saturday in May.

Owners Peter Redekop and Peter Abruzzo had been reluctant to push the colt onto the road to the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) until they were confident that he had a legitimate chance at Churchill Downs. After watching Cause to Believe earn his fifth career stakes victory on Saturday, his owners are ready to pay the $6,000 fee required by March 25 to make their improving colt a late nominee to the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown.

Cause to Believe was last in the early going under jockey Russell Baze, but the Jerry Hollendorfer trainee blew past the front-running Sinister Minister and pulled away to a four-length win. Sinister Minister, who drifted into the rail on at least two occasions during an erratic stretch run, finished 14 lengths in front of third-place finisher The Five J's.

Cause to Believe navigated the mile and a sixteenth in 1:41.07 over a course that was rated "fast," but was still drying out from rain on the previous day. The time was a full second faster than any other mile clocking turned in during the ongoing meet at the Berkeley, Calif. track. The field was reduced to five with the pre-race scratches of Racketeer and Sky Diving.

"There's more horse than he showed today," said Baze. "The other horse (Sinister Minister) hitting the fence made my job easier, but we were going to get him anyway."

Hollendorfer plans one more race for his colt before the May 6 Kentucky Derby.

"If things go the way I hope they do, the Illinois Derby will be his next race," said Hollendorfer. "The timing is perfect if we're going to run in the Kentucky Derby and it's been a successful prep in the past."

War Emblem won the Illinois Derby before taking the 2002 Kentucky Derby. This year's Grade II event will be run on April 8 at Hawthorne. The ultra consistent Cause to Believe improved his career record to 6-3-0 in nine starts. The winner's purse of $55,000 improved his earnings to $335,565. If more than 20 horses are entered in the Kentucky Derby, preference is given to horses with the highest earnings in graded stakes races. Cause to Believe's total in that area now stands at $137,500, all collected in an earlier win in the El Camino Real Derby (GIII). With his California Derby win, Hollendorfer's colt became the first to sweep Northern California's major prep races for the Kentucky Derby.

Baffert Could Have Four Shooters for San Felipe - Three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert has no shortage of Derby hopefuls in his barn this year, but he is a bit concerned about finding enough races for those horses.

As a result, Baffert could saddle as many as four entrants in Saturday's $250,000 San Felipe (GII) at Santa Anita. Baffert has pointed Stonerside Stables' Sham Stakes (GIII) winner Bob and John to the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe, but he could also saddle Point Determined and Point of Impact, sons of Point Given owned by the Estate of Robert Lewis, along with B. Wayne Hughes' Sky Diving, who was a late scratch from the California Derby.

"I need the race for them because an allowance race I wanted to go in didn't' fill," Baffert said. "I was going to run them one more time and then go for the big one. I did that with Congaree to try and get some experience into him."

That "big one" is the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (GI), California's preeminent prep race for the Kentucky Derby. The San Felipe is the track's final major stakes prep for the Santa Anita Derby, which will be run on April 8.

"I can get the graded earnings in their last prep," Baffert said. "If they don't get it then, they're not going to get there. You've got to punch your ticket in that last race going a mile and an eighth."

Others considered likely for the San Felipe include Refinery, who is owned by Hughes and trained by Richard Mandella; Simon Pure, a recent maiden winner owned by the Lewis estate trained by D. Wayne Lukas; Stan Fulton's A.P. Warrior, runner-up in the Norfolk (GII) and recently transferred to the barn of 2005 Kentucky Derby-winning trainer John Shirreffs; Ellenay Racing's New Joysey Jeff, third last out in the San Vicente (GII); and Stronach Stables' Racketeer, another late scratch from the California Derby.

The San Felipe will be renamed the Robert B. Lewis Memorial next year in honor of the prominent Californian and two-time Kentucky Derby winning owner who died on Feb. 17.

EAST/PLETCHER'S TOP HOPES TO RUN ON SATURDAY - Two-time Eclipse-Award winner Todd Pletcher has experienced enormous success in his young training career, but wins this weekend by Starlight, Saylor and Lucarelli's Keyed Entry and WinStar Farm's Bluegrass Cat would move him a step closer winning his elusive first Kentucky Derby.

Keyed Entry, winner of the Hutcheson (GII) at Gulfstream Park, will head to New York to represent Pletcher in the 1 1/16-mile Gotham (GIII) at Aqueduct. He tuned up for his first test at a two-turn distance by working five furlongs "handily" in :59 Sunday at Florida's Palm Meadows training center. The move by the son of Honour and Glory was the fastest of 38 works at the distance. Awaiting Keyed Entry at Aqueduct is Paraneck Stables Achilles of Troy, the top 3-year-old based in New York over the winter and an easy winner of Aqueduct's Whirlaway.

Arriving from Maryland will be Joseph Balsamo and Ted Theos' Sweetnorthernsaint, winner of the Miracle Wood at Laurel Park. The son of Sweetsouthernsaint worked a half mile in :49.60 on Monday at Laurel Park for trainer Michael Trombetta.

Closer to Pletcher's winter base in south Florida is WinStar Farm's Bluegrass Cat. The son of Storm Cat won the Sam F. Davis last time out at Tampa Bay Downs and will be favored on Saturday when he returns to that track to compete in the $250,000 Tampa Bay Derby (GIII). Tagg Comes Up With Another Derby Contender - Barclay Tagg knows what it feels like to have young 3-year-old blooming at the right time after saddling Sackatoga Stable's Funny Cide to win the 2003 Kentucky Derby.

Tagg could be getting a similar feeling with Lael Stable's Showing Up, who notched an impressive one-mile allowance win on Saturday at Gulfstream Park. A four-length winner in his career debut on Feb. 11, the son of Strategic Mission went off as the 8-5 favorite and justified that support with an easy 2 ¼-length win over Lazy F Ranch's Chatain. Flanders Fields, making his first start of 2006, was third.

Showing Up's winning time of 1:34.05 for the mile eclipsed a Gulfstream track record set earlier in the day.

"I knew it was going to be a tough race," said Tagg. "That was a Grade 1 'a-other-than.' When I saw the way he was repelling horses and then I saw Angel Penna's horse (Chatain) coming at him I thought, 'Oh no,' but he dug in so well."

The ultimate strength of Saturday's allowance race will be determined later, but Showing Up will undoubtedly face some very tough foes in his next start. Tagg is looking at the $750,000 Wood Memorial (GI) on April 8 as the next race for Showing Up. Funny Cide was runner-up to Empire Maker in the 2003 Wood before he turned the tables on that rival in the Kentucky Derby.

Showing Up is not nominated to the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown, but the colt's owner plans to make him a late nominee by the March 25 deadline. The ownership group also campaigns unbeaten Derby contender Barbaro, winner of the Holy Bull (GIII) and the likely favorite for the Florida Derby (GI) on April 1. The unbeaten son of Dynaformer worked five furlongs for trainer Michael Matz 1:00.40 on Monday at Palm Meadows. The move was the second fastest work at the distance.

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