Florida Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - According to trainer Bob Baffert, Bodemeister is not the kind of horse who flashes his ability gratuitously. If you want to see the best the son of Empire Maker has to offer, you better be prepared to ask for it. "When he's just galloping, he's sort of lazy," Baffert said. "That's what took me so long to get him to the races is we thought maybe he needs more time. But finally we said, 'We're going to run him,' and then, boom. " The Arkansas Derby winner answered the bell when called upon Sunday, working five furlongs in 59.60 with Kentucky Oaks hopeful Jemima's Pearl at Churchill Downs in his last major move before Saturday's Kentucky Derby.

UNION RAGS HAS been relaxing in South Florida since the day after his dramatic late run in the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs fell just short. The first loss of his career did not change the colt's status as the early favorite for the 2012 Kentucky Derby. While Union Rags gets some rest and time to grow, trainer Michael Matz has mapped out a two-race plan to get the colt back to Churchill for the May 5 Derby. Matz is looking at the $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes on Sunday, Feb. 26, and the $1 million Florida Derby on Saturday, March 31. Both races are at Gulfstream Park.

  1. Verrazano (Todd Pletcher, trainer; John Velazquez, jockey): Worked 5 furlongs in 1:00.20 Sunday at Churchill Downs, third fastest of 40 at the same distance. ... Wood winner is unbeaten in all four starts and will try to become the eighth unbeaten Derby winner. ... Final Derby future wager odds: 7-1. 2. Orb (Shug McGaughey, Joel Rosario): Fountain of Youth, Florida Derby winner worked five furlongs in 1:02.20 Sunday at Payson Park. ... Gets original rider back now that Johnny V has chosen Verrazano.

When Needles exploded out of Churchill Downs' No. 3 gate in the 1956 Kentucky Derby, jockey Dave Erb knew instantly this wasn't the same horse that had come from far back to win the Flamingo Stakes and the Florida Derby. "Normally, when you'd come out of the gate, he'd just drop back himself," Erb, now 82, recalled this week from his home near Saratoga Springs, N.Y. "But he was so doggone fresh, as fresh as the devil, that he wanted to make his run right away. I had to rassle him to get him to slow down.

The top three favorites for Saturday's Kentucky Derby all drew difficult starting positions yesterday. Favored Unbridled's Song drew the outside post in the field of 20 3-year-olds, a starting spot that has produced only one winner in the history of the race. Still, the winner of the Florida Derby and the Wood Memorial was made the early 8-5 favorite. Unbridled's Song was followed by Blue Grass winner Skip Away at 7-2, and the Overbrook Farm entry of Editor's Note and Grindstone, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, at 6-1. Skip Away drew the No. 17 post and Editor's Note drew No. 18. There have been 157 starters from post 15 to 23 in the auxiliary gate and only four have won. The gelding Clyde Van Dusen, in 1929, was the only winner to start from the No. 20 post.

With Masterful Advocate in California and West Coast invader Capote finally in New York, the first of the Super Saturdays leading to the Kentucky Derby has begun to take shape. Masterful Advocate, unbeaten in three starts this year, will be favored to win the $500,000 Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park. He will face a small field - probably no more than six other 3-year-olds - in the 1 1/8-mile race. Capote, last year's 2-year-old champion, arrived by plane yesterday morning for Aqueduct's $250,000 Gotham Mile.

Graham Motion was hoping Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom got a post from the middle to the outside of the 14-horse Preakness field. So, Post 11 for Saturday's 1 3/16 mile-race was just about what the trainer wanted. "It's great," Motion said. "I couldn't be happier, really. I just would rather be on the outside than stuck down on the inside. I was a little worried when 1 and 14 were left. I've started from 14 before and you're almost on the outside rail. That's a tough spot. " Animal Kingdom was 20-1 when he won the Derby.

Six springs ago, Frank Brothers stood on the Churchill Downs backstretch talking about a brilliant colt he hoped would take him to the Kentucky Derby winner's circle. That colt, Hansel, was bet down to 5-2 favoritism. He ran a dismal 10th. Brothers didn't understand. He understood it less when Hansel dominated the Preakness and won the Belmont Stakes, too. The only explanation? It was the Derby. Answers seldom emerge - ever. Brothers is back with a colt more talented than Hansel.

Holy Bull established himself at the favorite for the May 7 Kentucky Derby with his 3 1/2-length victory in the Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. It was Holy Bull's third win in four starts this year and his seventh in eight career races. He has led all the way in five of those victories, including the 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby in his previous start March 12 at Gulfstream Park. "That's pretty exciting," owner-trainer Jimmy Croll said when told that Mike Battaglia, oddsmaker for both Keeneland and Churchill Downs, said he would make Holy Bull the favorite for the 1 1/4-mile Derby.

JOHN VELAZQUEZ has won nearly 5,000 races and is closing on 750 stakes wins. He has won 22 riding titles at New York's three major tracks, nine Breeders' Cup races and two Triple Crown races. He was just elected to the Horse Racing Hall of Fame. If you said he was the best jockey in America today, you really would not get much of an argument. If "Johnny V" had not been committed to ride another horse this spring, he would have ridden Union Rags in his Florida campaign and the Kentucky Derby.