After two difficult races, Tapiture bounced back to his best form last time out in the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs. On Saturday, he will shoot for the biggest victory of his career in the Grade 2, $750,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Racetrack and Casino.

Tapiture had six weeks to recharge between the Kentucky Derby and his Winn victory and has now had a seven-week break between the Winn and the West Virginia Derby.

“Giving him time between races seems to be working for him,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “We expect a big race from him this weekend.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Itsmyluckyday was among the early-season leaders of the 3-year-old division in 2013, and one of many highly regarded horses who didn’t run well over the sloppy Churchill Downs surface in the Kentucky Derby.

OPELOUSAS, La. – The summer in South Louisiana started out mildly enough, but lately, the mercury has climbed back to its balmy seasonal norms.

The same could be said for trainer Troy Hardy. After beginning the season with two wins from his first 20 starters, the Cecilia, La., native’s winning percentage has risen quicker than the temperatures. He is 9 for 24 since, including 7 of his last 11.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Even though the 2-year-old filly Desert Steel set a track record for five furlongs Sunday when defeating maidens, trainer Simon Callaghan said he would keep her in races for California-breds for now, rather than aim high against the likes of the highly regarded Luminance and Tara’s Tango in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante.

Instead, Callaghan said the $150,000 Generous Portion Stakes on Aug. 27 was the next intended start for Desert Steel.

DEL MAR, Calif. – After Fed Biz won the San Diego Handicap last Saturday at Del Mar – his third win in a Grade 2 stakes race – his trainer, Bob Baffert, said the next order of business was trying to get Fed Biz a Grade 1 win.

The 1 1/16-mile San Diego is often used as a prep for the Grade 1 Pacific Classic, run this year on Aug. 24, but Baffert believes Fed Biz is more effective at seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles, not the 1 1/4 miles of the Pacific Classic. So, Fed Biz is likely headed to Saratoga for the Grade 1 Forego at seven furlongs Aug. 30.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Dale Romans said he is considering a run in the upcoming Gardenia Stakes for Molly Morgan, who has returned to the trainer’s main base at Churchill Downs after finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Delaware Handicap.

“I imagine it’d be a pretty good spot for her, but I’m going to wait a little longer to decide whether that’s what we want to do,” said Romans.

Molly Morgan was a two-back winner of the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis at Churchill, where last weekend she had her first breeze since the July 12 Del Cap.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Palace Malice, the leading older male dirt horse in training, drew post 5 and was installed as the even-money favorite for Saturdays’ Grade 1, $1.5 million Whitney Invitational at Saratoga.

Palace Malice, trained by Todd Pletcher for Cot Campbell’s Dogwood Stable, is 4 for 4 this year and is coming off a one-length victory in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park on June 7. John Velazquez will ride.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer Mark Casse brought a number of his best 2-year-olds to Del Mar this summer and plans to run two of them Sunday in the Grade 2, $200,000 Best Pal Stakes, this track’s major prep for the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Futurity on closing day, Sept. 3.

Conquest Bigluck E, a winner of his lone start against maidens at Churchill Downs on June 5, and Skyway, third in the Grade 3 Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs last time out, give Casse a strong one-two punch in the 6 1/2-furlong race.

Burn the Mortgage, a 4 1/2-length winner of the Eight Miles East Stakes last Saturday, will remain at Gulfstream and probably run next in the $75,000 The Vid on Sept. 13, said owner-trainer Mike Maker.

Edgard Zayas gave Burn the Mortgage a trouble-free ride in the Eight Miles East, which was the only one of four scheduled turf races to remain on the course Saturday after heavy rain forced the others to the main track.

“The horse was trying to lug in a little bit all the way, but I was trying to stay out of trouble,” said Zayas.

The West Virginia Derby card, which has a special 2 p.m. Eastern first post time, consists of nine stakes, all of which have drawn good-sized fields. As many as 100 horses might run.

The unquestionable star of the undercard is Moonshine Mullin, an astounding $40,000 claim by trainer Randy Morse who will run in the $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s. Moonshine Mullin has won five races in a row, including the Grade 1 Stephen Foster and Grade 2 Alysheba. He earned a fees-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Classic in the Foster, which is a BC Challenge Series race.