On March 20, YAWANNA TWIST breezed four in :50.20 (8/10) at AQU.
On March 20, AWESOME ACT breezed four in :50.40 (51/70) at BEL.
On March 20, WILDCAT FRANKIE worked four in :48.80 (1/80) at CRC.
On March 20, TEMPTED TO TAPIT breezed five in 1:01.40 (4/19) at GP.
On March 20, FLY DOWN breezed four in :48.20 (1/37) at PMM.
On March 20, COOL BULLET breezed four in :47.00 (1/62) at FG.
On March 20, HOTEP breezed five in 1:01.00 (11/48) at FG.
On March 20, RON THE GREEK breezed four in :48.40 (7/62) at FG.
On March 20, THE PROGRAM breezed four in :52.00 (57/62) at FG.
On March 20, MOOJAB breezed four in :49.00 (9/58) at OP.
On March 20, WOW WOW WOW breezed five in :59.40 (1/29) at OP.
On March 20, STORMING SAINT breezed five in 1:01 (2/23) at SUN.
On March 20, THOMAS BAINES worked four in :48.20 (5/27) at HOL.
On March 20, OUTLAW MAN worked four in :47.80 (7/46) at SA.

On March 19, PULSION breezed three from the gate in :37.00 (1/5) at GP.
On March 19, LAUS DEO breezed four in :50.00 (13/24) at PMM.
On March 19, STAY PUT breezed five in 1:00.20 (5/32) at FG.
On March 19, TINY WOODS worked six in 1:14.00 (8/12) at SA.

On March 18, HOMEBOYKRIS breezed five in 1:03.00 (5/7) at GP.
On March 18, ASPIRE breezed three in :38.00 (4/5) at PMM.
On March 18, CITRUS KID breezed five in 1:01.60 (4/8) at PMM.
On March 18, JACKSON BEND breezed six in 1:14.00 (1/1) at PMM.
On March 18, LATIGO SHORE breezed four in :51.00 (31/34) at PMM.
On March 18, ALPHIE'S BET worked four in :49.40 (12/19) at HOL.
On March 18, SETSUKO worked five in 1:05.80 (29/29) at SA.

On March 17, SILVER CRAFT breezed four in :47.00 (1/22) at TAM.
On March 17, BACKTALK breezed five on a sloppy track in 1:01.20 (2/10) at FG.
On March 17, BERBERIS breezed six on a sloppy track in 1:12.00 (1/4) at FG.
On March 17, MAKE MUSIC FOR ME worked four in :48.40 (6/18) at HOL.

On March 16, DEPAUL breezed five in 1:00.80 (5/12) at FG.
On March 16, CONVEYANCE worked six in 1:12.60 (1/14) at SA.
On March 16, KETTLE RIVER worked four in :48.60 (9/25) at SA.

Fly Down to La. Derby
Fly Down (Worth Watching), trained by Nick Zito, worked a bullet half-mile in :48.20 (1/37) yesterday at Palm Meadows in advance of a planned start in the upcoming Grade II Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds.

Fly Down, a son of Mineshaft, broke his maiden by a half-length Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs and won his next outing at Gulfstream Feb. 21 by a head in his only start of 2010.

Outlaw Man, most recently fourth in the Grade III Sham Stakes, will run next in the Grade II Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park this Saturday.

Alex Solis, who worked the gray son of Forest Wildcat four furlongs on the main track at Santa Anita yesterday in :47.80 (7/46), will have the the mount in Kentucky.

“He leaves Monday for Kentucky,” said Jordan Blair, assistant to trainer Ken McPeek. “The work was good. He’s very happy.”

Back in California, he's content, and he's not going to New York this Spring.

“He jogged today and we’re just keeping him happy,” trainer Bob Baffert said of the Grade II Rebel winner Lookin at Lucky. “He’ll run next in either the Arkansas Derby or the Santa Anita Derby. I’ve ruled out the Wood.”

I'm honestly at the most confused point going into the Derby since I first started following horse racing. A few I'll be looking forward to seeing in the upcoming weeks will be:

Awesome Act - Very impressive win last out. His competition, however, was questionable. It'll be nice to see him up against better in the Wood.

Alphie's Bet - This one has finally clicked. Looked good in last.

Setsuko - Good closer, and based off pace scenario if run today, may be necessary in this year's derby.

Caracortado - Didnt have any pace to close into in last, maybe can run back to other efforts in SA derby.

Drosselmeyer - Rebound in IL Derby? Show what he's really made of.

Stay Put - Good closer, may be major threat next weekend

Sidney's Candy - Really was looking forward to see what this guy could prove, but based off his easy lead its difficult to gauge how impressive his last actually was.

Just what we were talking about the other day....i just read that Ice Box, Pleasant Prince, and Rule are now going straight into the Kentucky Derby without another race. Seems like any horse that has enough earnings and at least two starts during the current year is going straight into the race now.

Regarding Setsuko, he may not qualify on earnings unless he runs at least second in the Santa Anita Derby. Third might be enough, but perhaps not.

Ranger Heartley Added to Lane's End Probables

Posted March 23, 2010

The list of probable starters for Saturday’s Grade II Lane’s End Stakes grew by one overnight with the addition of the John Sadler-trained Ranger Heartley, announced Turfway Park stakes coordinator Tia Murphy.

Ranger Heartley has four wins in 10 starts, each time leading all the way. He most recently was fifth in Golden Gate's Grade III El Camino Real Derby after setting the pace, beaten less than four lengths by Connemara, who also is expected for the Lane’s End.

“We’re looking for another chance to keep him on the Derby trail, and we wanted to keep him on the synthetic, so we decided to take him out of town,” said Sadler. “It wasn’t that smooth last time, but he’s been training forward since that race. He worked three-quarters in 12 and 2 yesterday. I’m not concerned about the distance, but he likes to be on the lead, so it depends on what kind of trip he gets.”

Sadler claimed Ranger Heartley for $32,000 at Hollywood Park last July for owners David and Herb Alpert. “You’re not thinking ‘Derby’ then,” said Sadler. “You just hope he’s worth the money. So he’s been a big thrill for us and the Alperts because he turned out to be better than that. He’s won four races for us, including (the California Derby). You always hope they’re as good as what you pay for them, but when they turn out to be better, that’s what keeps you in the game.”

Mott Brings Chief Counsel

Chief Counsel, named as a probable in yesterday's report, has a win, two seconds, and two thirds in five starts but has never raced past seven furlongs, so the Lane’s End’s 1 1/8-mile distance is the obvious question.

“For a $500,000 purse, we’ll see if he can get the distance,” said trainer Bill Mott, who won the Lane's End last year with Hold Me Back. “Seriously, he did well when we stretched him out on the Beard course at Keeneland, so there’s no reason to think he can’t get two turns.”

Chief Counsel most recently was second in the OBS Sprint Stakes, his first start since October. “I expect him to move forward in his second start off the layoff, if he can get the distance,” said Mott.

The colt breezed four furlongs Sunday at Payson Park Training Center, posting a bullet :49 flat among 31 at the distance. His rider Saturday has not been named.

Northern Giant: Synthetic 'Gray Area'

D. Wayne Lukas trainee Northern Giant was third in the Grade II Risen Star Stakes, beaten less than two lengths by Discreetly Mine.

“We had two options, the Louisiana Derby or Lane’s End,” said Lukas. “We thought he ran well enough in the Risen Star to merit trying this race and feel he’s well placed here. The distance won’t be a problem, and Calvin Borel is a plus. The only gray area is the synthetic surface.”

Northern Giant’s last work came Sunday at Oaklawn Park, a five-furlong breeze in 1:01.40, second-fastest of 20 at the distance over a track rated good.