Derby Updates

MIDWEST/CAUSE TO BELIEVE HEADLINES ILLINOIS DERBY - A healthy cast from around the country headed by Northern California star Cause to Believe is expected to descend on Chicago's Hawthorne Race Course for Saturday's $500,000 Illinois Derby (GII).

Cause to Believe, owned by Peter Abruzzo and Peter Redekop, worked five furlongs over a "muddy" course on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields in preparation this weekend's race. The Jerry Hollendorfer-trained son of Maria's Mon covered the distance in 1:01.60 and is expected to ship to Hawthorne at midweek.

Cause to Believe has been ultra consistent throughout his career with six wins and three second-place efforts in nine career outings. His top effort was a win in the El Camino Real Derby (GIII) at Bay Meadows. His owners then paid the $6,000 late nomination fee for the Kentucky Derby and the Triple Crown following an easy four-length win in the California Derby at Golden Gate.

Two other West Coast invaders, Stronach Stables' Racketeer and B. Wayne Hughes' Mister Triester, will join Cause to Believe at Hawthorne on Saturday. Both are maiden winners that are coming off fourth-place finishers in Grade II races at Santa Anita. Mister Triester finished fourth to Brother Derek in the Santa Catalina on March 4 while Racketeer exits the March 18 San Felipe.

Trainer Bobby Barnett plans to send Mark Stanley's Malameeze to Illinois just two weeks following his third-place finish in Turfway Park's Lane's End (GII).

"Malameeze continues to improve," Barnett said, "and that's something you really like to see in a 3-year-old at this time of the year. He had only one horse headed early in the Lane's End, then made a good, late rally five-wide."

Jockey John McKee, who rode Malameeze in the Lane's End, will again pilot the son of Saint Ballado on Saturday.

Shipping from the East and Southeast are Joseph Balsamo and Ted Theos' Maryland-based Sweetnorthernsaint and Centaur Farms' My Golden Song, who campaigned through the winter in Florida for trainer Todd Pletcher. The Michael Trombetta-trained Sweetnorthernsaint was a close third last out in the Gotham and had considered a run in the Wood, but opted to run at Hawthorne. My Golden Song was just 1 ¾-lengths back in fourth in the March 4 Fountain of Youth.

Also expected are Lewis Michael, Itsallboutthechase and Devilofarush. Devilofarush is the only expected runner to have a prior start over the Hawthorne strip.

Mister Triester, Malameeze and Devilofarush joined Cause to Believe on the list of late nominees to the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown.

BARBARO CONQUERS FLORIDA, LOOKS NORTH - Lael Stable's unbeaten Barbaro will head to Churchill Downs as one of the favorites for the $2 million Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands after he turned back pacesetter Sharp Humor for a half-length win in Saturday's $1 million Florida Derby (Grade I) at Gulfstream Park.

The Michael Matz trainee broke well from the outside and sat just off the leader and wore that rival down in a stretch-long duel for his fifth career win. Aaron and Marie Jones' Sunriver, forced outside for much of the race, finished three lengths behind Sharp Humor in third.

Barbaro, one of a handful of promising 3-year-olds ridden this spring by Edgar Prado, covered 1 1/8-miles in 1:49.01 over a "fast" track.

"I saw Sharp Humor break sharp, so I just followed him," said Prado. "He was pretty much in control of the race. So far this is my Derby horse. We'll see how he comes back over the next couple of days and make a decision from there."

Despite being sent off as the 8-5 favorite, some observers questioned the fitness of the homebred son of Dynaformer as he came off an eight-week layoff since his win over a "sloppy" track in the Holy Bull (GIII). They were also concerned about his ability to handle Saturday's outside post and a "fast" racing surface. Although he passed those tests, Barbaro is sure to face more scrutiny in the weeks leading up to Derby 132 as he attempts to become the first horse since Needles in 1956 to win the Derby off a layoff of more than four weeks.

But don't count Matz among those who are worried about Derby history.

"I'm no more concerned now than I was about the eight-week layoff (since the Holy Bull Stakes)," said Matz, an Olympic silver medalist in the 1996 Atlanta Games. "I think he's a good horse. He's done everything we've asked of him."

Matz said he would likely keep Barbaro in Florida for another week before he ships to Keeneland and later to Churchill Downs.

Runner-up Sharp Humor, strong in his first race at a two-turn distance, is also bound for the Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs-based trainer Dale Romans said the son of Distorted Humor would not race again prior to the "Run for the Roses."

"That's a nice horse that beat us," Romans said. "If you would have told me yesterday that I'd get beat a head, I'd be ecstatic, but my horse just fought so hard and kept looking like he was going to win. It's become a disappointment. But tomorrow I'll be ecstatic again. We're going to train him up to the Kentucky Derby."

Trainer Todd Pletcher will also point Sunriver toward the Derby, but may need additional graded earnings if the race should attract a field of more than the maximum of 20 horses. The full brother to 2004 Kentucky Oaks winner Ashado earned $100,000 on Saturday, but there's a chance that would not be enough to get him into an overflow field in the Derby.

"He got shuffled going into the first turn, and that cost him a little bit of position, and then he was stuck out wide the rest of the way," said Pletcher. But he continued to close and was still inching up at the end. We were using this as a Kentucky Derby prep. He needed to run well to go forward and I think he did that, but now it will be a question of graded stakes earnings."

Another Florida Derby contestant that is still dreaming of Churchill Downs is West Point Thoroughbred's Flashy Bull, who finished seventh in the field of the 11. The Kiaran McLaughlin-trained son of Holy Bull was sent off as the second choice following his second-place finish in the Fountain of Youth (GII). McLaughlin said Sunday that his colt's poor performance in the Florida Derby could be attributed to an electrolyte imbalance commonly known as the "thumps."

"They call it the 'thumps' because the horse's body actually thumps a little bit when they are suffering from it," McLaughlin said. "It was hot yesterday, and usually the 'thumps' are caused by heat and/or dehydration in the horse's body.

"There are various things you can do, such as an addition of calcium in the horse's diet to prevent a recurrence of the condition, so as of right now, we're still pointing toward the Kentucky Derby."

Wood Memorial Field Takes Shape - A field of 10 boasting four graded stakes winners is expected for New York's premier Kentucky Derby prep, Saturday's $750,000 Wood Memorial (GI) at Aqueduct.

The Wood will feature a rematch of John Dillon's homebred Like Now and Starlight Stables, Saylor and Lucarelli's Keyed Entry, the top two finishers in Aqueduct's Gotham (GIII). Like Now held off the Hutcheson (GII) winner by a neck in that March 18 affair at odds of 36-1.

Also returning from the Gotham is fourth-place finisher Greeley's Legacy, owned by Donald Flanagan. The George Weaver-trained son of Mr. Greeley finished just 1 ½-lengths back from Like Now. Gotham third-place finisher Sweetnorthernsaint had considered the Wood, but will instead ship to Hawthorne Race Course for the $500,000 Illinois Derby (GII), also contested on Saturday.

Two notable shippers from the South and the West will try and knock off the top pair. Joseph Lacombe's Deputy Glitters, winner of the Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) for trainer Tom Albertrani, and Stonerside Stables' Sham Stakes (GIII) winner Bob and John for trainer Bob Baffert are expected for the race. Bob and John fired a bullet six-furlong in 1:11.20 at Santa Anita Sunday.

Also expected are Niagara Causeway, Platinum Couple, Scanlon's Song and Lael Stable's Showing Up.

Trainer Bob Baffert ships San Vicente (GII) winner Too Much Bling from California in for the $150,000 Bay Shore (GIII) on the Wood undercard. The son of Rubiano owned by Stonerside and Blazing Mead is expected to duel with Darley Stable's Songster in that seven-furlong contest.

WEST/HENDRICKS DODGING FAVORITISM FOLLOWING BARBARO'S ROAR - Perhaps trainer Dan Hendricks knows the spotty recent history of post-time favorites in the Kentucky Derby as it appeared the first-time Derby trainer was already trying to deflect the early money away from his star, Santa Anita Derby (GI) favorite Brother Derek, following Barbaro's win in Saturday's Florida Derby.

"It looks like the horse did what he had to do," Hendricks said of the Florida Derby winner. "He won another race yesterday, he's undefeated and he won at a mile and an eighth twice. He's the likely (Kentucky) Derby favorite. I want to be second choice."

Only two favorites - Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000 and Smarty Jones in 2004 - have won the Kentucky Derby since 1979. But if Cecil Peacock's son of Benchmark wins Saturday's Santa Anita Derby, he'll most likely be the Kentucky Derby favorite. A win on Saturday would be his fifth graded stakes victory at a two-turn distance and he has beaten virtually every contender on the West Coast, including the injured 2-year-old champion Stevie Wonderboy.

A small but strong contingent of six is expected to challenge the West's leading 3-year-old in Saturday's 1 1/8-mile race. Amerman Racing's Sacred Light, second behind Brother Derek last out in the Santa Catalina, and the 1-2 finishers in the San Felipe (GII), Stan Fulton's A.P. Warrior and the Estate of Robert Lewis and Beverly Lewis' Point Determined, are among those most likely to knock off the favorite. Also expected in the race are Indy Wildcat, Fast Parade, and Wildfang.

Baffert Runs 1-2 in WinStar - At long last, three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert has a win in the $600,000 WinStar Derby at Sunland Park.

Baffert sent Mike Pegram's favored Wanna Runner to an easy 4 ¾-length win at the New Mexico track on Saturday. The trainer had finished second twice and third twice in previous attempts to win the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds. Baffert also saddled B. Wayne Hughes' runner-up Sky Diving, who was well clear of third-place Belligerence.

While Baffert would not rule out a shot at the Kentucky Derby for Wanna Runner, a bid by the Ontario-bred son of El Corredor for the Canadian Triple Crown seems more likely. The first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown is the famed Queen's Plate at Woodbine in June.

Wanna Runner's winning time was 1:48.80 on a "fast" track, which broke the stakes record set last year by Thor's Echo.

FINAL KENTUCKY DERBY FUTURE POOL SET FOR APRIL 6-9 - The last of three pools in the 2006 Kentucky Derby Future Wager ("KDFW") is set to launch on Thursday, April 6 and Churchill Downs will announce the roster of the pool's 24 wagering interests on Tuesday, April 4.

The April 6-9 pool will open at noon (all times Eastern) on Thursday and wagering will conclude on Sunday, April 9 at 6:00 p.m. Odds that are in place at the conclusion of the pool will determine the payouts in the wager when the 132nd Kentucky Derby is run on May 6.

The Derby Future Wager allows racing fans to wager on contenders in the race weeks or months in advance at odds that could be better than they would receive on Derby Day.

The mutuel field, which features all 3-year-olds other than the 23 individual horses in the pool's 24 wagering interest, has been favored in the first two pools of the year. "All Others" was a lukewarm 4-1 choice in last month's second pool and was the 3-1 favorite in the opening KDFW pool in late January.

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