Santa Anita Derby

Pioneerof the Nile has won the Santa Anita Derby, holding off Chocolate Candy by one length. Saturday's victory sends Pioneerof the Nile into next month's Kentucky Derby for trainer Bob Baffert, a three-time Derby winner who hasn't had a starter in the Run for the Roses since 2006. Pioneerof the Nile ran 1 1/8 miles on the artificial surface in 1:49.17. He was sent off as the 4-5 wagering favorite after main rival The Pamplemousse was scratched because of a soft-tissue injury in one of his legs.

War Pass, the 2-year-old champion, finished last in his last Kentucky Derby prep race. Double or Nothing, a 3-year-old who won the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park last Saturday, earned a higher Beyer's speed figure (the scale used by many prognosticators to determine a horse's effort) than Adriano, who won the Grade II, $500,000 Lane's End at Turfway in Kentucky the same day. Elysium Fields, who could wind up the betting favorite in today's Florida Derby because of his big second-place performance in the Fountain of Youth Stakes, was 0-for-3 as a 2-year-old and couldn't break his maiden at Laurel Park in two November attempts.

Not many of the 19 horses in today's 128th Kentucky Derby can be completely dismissed, and none can be selected with any real confidence. Morning line favorite Harlan's Holiday (No. 14), has won two major prep races while turning in moderate clockings that give him no apparent edge over several evenly matched rivals. Juvenile champion Johannesburg (1) has had only one prep, a seven-furlong turf race in Ireland in which he was caught from behind. Santa Anita Derby winner Came Home (15)

Tom Keyser's comments USS Tinosa He was a highly regarded Kentucky Derby contender until finishing fifth in the Santa Anita Derby. He encountered much trouble in that race, and then he was excluded from the Derby because of insufficient earnings. He's ready now, and he could light up the board with a late charge against tiring front-runners. Magic Weisner What else can be said about this Cinderella horse? Longtime local horsewoman Nancy Alberts bought his crooked-leg dam for $1, nurtured her, raced her and then bred her to local sire Ameri Valay.

NEW YORK -- So, this is how horse racing clears up the picture for its May 3 Kentucky Derby? A weekend of three Derby prep races and not one favorite wins? In the Wood Memorial, here at Aqueduct Racetrack, favorite War Pass ran hard but was beaten by a half length by Tale of Ekati, who had finished sixth in his previous race. In Chicago, Illinois Derby favorite Denis of Cork suffered his first career defeat, finishing fifth. Recapturetheglory, whose only other victory had come in a maiden race, won for trainer and owner Louie Roussel.

Bob Baffert says the same thing every winter: Don't get excited until the Kentucky Derby contenders start racing 1 1/8 miles. If that's the case, then the fun begins Saturday with the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. The California-based Baffert knows his way along the Kentucky Derby trail. He has won three, and he uncovered another contender yesterday in Wimbledon, surprise winner of the Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. The Louisiana Derby doesn't fit Baffert's criteria for a significant Kentucky Derby prep.

Bob Baffert isn't certain whether Lookin At Lucky will run in the 135th Preakness Stakes on Saturday. But he is certain Garrett Gomez won't be the jockey. Looking for a change of luck, the Hall of Fame trainer will put Martin Garcia on Lookin At Lucky if the Kentucky Derby favorite runs at Pimlico, as appears likely. Gomez is one of the nation's elite riders and has been aboard Lookin At Lucky for all nine career starts. But he had a troubled trip in the Santa Anita Derby and finished third.

Some years, a majestic 3-year-old thoroughbred will trot onto the scene and immediately emerge as a favorite in the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby. He'll look great in workouts, dominate the prep races and tantalize the sport, injecting hope into the elusive dream of seeing a horse win a Triple Crown. This is not one of those years. In fact, if you have $2 and a hunch, you might have just as good a shot as the experts at picking a winner in the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby, even if you barely know the difference between a furlong, a furlough and a fur coat.

It's not often Bob Baffert makes it to the barn when the first number on the clock is a six, much less a five. But there was Baffert at 5:50 a.m. Sunday morning, looking bright-eyed, satisfied and downright elated the day after winning his fifth Preakness with Lookin At Lucky. He was in such a good mood, he said, that he bounced out of bed and wanted to go straight to the barn. He was having so much fun talking to a handful of bleary-eyed reporters, he decided to parody Robert Duvall's famous line from "Apocalypse Now."

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- They've been running the Kentucky Derby since 1875, and three fillies have won. When the 125th renewal of this great race for 3-year-olds takes place tomorrow, at least one filly will line up in the Churchill Downs starting gate. Three Ring, owned in part by Barry K. Schwartz, CEO of Calvin Klein Inc., has been pointed to the Derby for more than a month. A second filly, the Bob Baffert-trained Excellent Meeting, is also entered in the Derby. She's entered as well in today's Kentucky Oaks, the filly's counterpart to the Derby.