Daily Racing

Orb's path to the finish line in the second leg of the Triple Crown remains uncrowded. Normandy Invasion, the fourth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby, dropped from contention for Saturday's 138th running of the Preakness on Sunday. Trainer Chad Brown and owner Rick Porter decided to stick with their original plan and point the horse toward prestigous races for 3-year-olds later in the summer. That leaves Orb, the colt co-owned by Baltimore County resident Stuart Janney III and Ogden Mills "Dinny" Pipps' stable, with only seven confirmed challengers at this point.

Secretariat wins again. More than 39 years after the super horse won the Preakness on his way to a Triple Crown, the Maryland Racing Commission ruled Tuesday that he had set what was then a track and is still a race record, covering the mile-and-three-sixteenths in 1:53. Secretariat now holds the race record in all three Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont) events. "It's nice to finally have this recognized, because the sport depends on accuracy," said Secretariat owner Penny Chenery, who helped pushed for the adjustment.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Decades of breeding, training and riding - the precise combination of star-studded careers - coalesce at this select moment. Empire Maker is the heavy favorite to win the 129th Kentucky Derby today at Churchill Downs. From even before his unsteady feet touched down in Kentucky on April 27, 2000 - from the planning of his breeding - he was destined to run for the roses. Shortly after he turned 2, the manager of Juddmonte Farms, the nation's preeminent breeding establishment, told trainer Bobby Frankel: "Here's your Derby horse for 2003."

By the time Seattle Slew arrived at Pimlico for the 102nd Preakness on May 21, 1977, the fairy tale was one-third told.A modest $17,500 purchase as a yearling, Seattle Slew had starred in the rags-to-riches story of winning the Kentucky Derby. His owners -- two fun-loving couples in their 30s dubbed the "Slew Crew" -- were the darlings of American racing.The nation's sports fans watched eagerly as Seattle Slew -- this dark-brown blaze of speed so awkward as a baby that his handlers called him "Baby Huey" after the clumsy comic-strip character -- tried to do what no horse had ever done: win the Triple Crown without having lost a race.

Coronado's Quest begins his march to the Kentucky Derby today in the $100,000 Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park.Owned by Stuart S. Janney III, a resident of Butler in Baltimore County, the chestnut colt makes his 3-year-old debut in a race tarnished by the late defection of Lil's Lad. The fifth-ranked Kentucky Derby contender according to the Daily Racing Form, Lil's Lad will run instead in an allowance race today at Gulfstream Park.(Lil's Lad's race and the Hutcheson will be shown on ESPN in a broadcast beginning at 4: 30 p.m.)

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Angel Cordero won his 7,000th career race at Belmont yesterday. Again. As far as some records are concerned, Cordero, just 21 days shy of his 49th birthday, moved into the record books as Don't Cross The Law galloped through the slop to win yesterday's eighth race.In a situation that should have a sport greatly embarrassed, however, it turns out no one is quite sure how many winners Cordero has had. It was originally felt that records kept by the Daily Racing Form, from which the 7,000 figure was derived, were accurate.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Preakness and Breeders' Cup Classic winner Curlin swept Horse of the Year and 3-year-old male honors at the 37th annual Eclipse Awards last night. Curlin overwhelmed the competition in Horse of the Year voting, receiving 249 first-place votes to 12 for Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches. Last year's winner, Invasor, earned two votes. Corinthian, English Channel and Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense received one each in balloting by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers Association.

Kentucky Derby runner-up Nehro will not enter the Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course, owner Ahmed Zayat said this morning at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. With Nehro out, that moves Isn't He Perfect into the prospective starting field of 14. On Monday, Concealed Identity, a Maryland-bred horse, moved into the field when Ruler on Ice passed on the Preakness. The Preakness draw is Wednesday and it looks like there are 15 horses contending for the 14-horse field.

The battle is about to begin between Daily Racing Form and its new competitor, Racing Times.Racing Times will begin publishing a past-performance paper April 13. The publication will be sold in major markets, including Maryland, before expanding its availability throughout the country.Racing Times is owned by Robert Maxwell, publishing adversary to Rupert Murdoch, who owns the Form. The pair already has a past-performance war going in England, where Murdoch started Racing Post as a challenger to Maxwell's long-established Sporting Life.

Edgar Prado plans on appealing a five-day suspension for careless riding -- issued yesterday by Laurel Park stewards -- so he can continue riding through the end of the year.The nation's winningest jockey in 1997 was suspended Dec. 26, 27, 28, 31 and Jan. 1 for "riding in a careless manner" during the third race Wednesday at Laurel Park. Prado's mount, Dragonryder, veered out in the stretch and jostled Wicklow Flyer. Dragonryder finished first by 2 1/2 lengths, but the stewards disqualified her to second.