[bc_video_id:290591:]LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The threat of heavy rains, forecast to start sometime Saturday, forced the hands of several trainers looking to assure they would have a fast track for the all-important final Kentucky Derby works scheduled this weekend. A number of breezes originally penciled in for Sunday were moved up 24 hours, including five of trainer Todd Pletcher’s six potential Derby starters, and Chad Brown’s horse Normandy Invasion.[:slideshow-right:]

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Saint Loup moved closer to a stakes appearance in Southern California with an eventful victory in an optional claimer over 1 1/4 miles on turf at Betfair Hollywood Park on Friday.

After the race, the idea of a stakes was mentioned by a representative of co-owner Michael Whieldon, but not with any urgency to do so in the near future.

Bloodstock agent Brad Martin, representing Whieldon, said that another allowance race would be preferred before a stakes.

"I'd like to run have him go through his conditions first," Martin said.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Every day is a logistical challenge for trainer Todd Pletcher, with all the horses for whom he’s entrusted, and though the stakes are magnified for the Kentucky Derby, his carefully planned workout scheme for Saturday morning at Churchill Downs seemed to go off flawlessly, as five of his prospective Derby runners, including unbeaten Verrazano, concluded serious preparation for next Saturday’s race.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The connections of Princess of Sylmar entered the weekend still on the fence about whether to run their 3-year-old filly in Friday’s $1 million Kentucky Oaks.

On Saturday morning, Princess of Sylmar put in her two cents with a solid four-furlong workout in 48.88 seconds at Churchill Downs that seemingly has owner Ed Stanco and trainer Todd Pletcher now leaning toward running in the prestigious race for 3-year-old fillies.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Derby week racing schedule has undergone quite a bit of tinkering over the years, but now that the Saturday opener is run at night, Churchill Downs officials seem to have settled on something that will work for years.

As of 2011, the first would-be Sunday of the spring meet is dark, replaced by the first (and only) Tuesday of the meet, allowing for some continuity and momentum-building into Derby weekend. And with three allowances and some decent-sized fields, the 10-race Tuesday card serves toward that end.

As the 7-2 second choice on the track’s morning line, Lucy Stragmore has a realistic chance to provide rookie trainer Jeff Englehart with his first career victory as a trainer in Monday’s featured eighth race at Finger Lakes. But to accomplish that feat, Englehart’s mare will have to find a way to beat the projected favorite, Untapped Secret, trained by the track’s perennial leader – and Jeff’s dad – Chris Englehart.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Stablemates Revolutionary and Verrazano topped a very busy Kentucky Derby/Oaks training session Saturday morning at Churchill Downs as trainers scrambled to beat the heavy rains predicted for later in the day.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Normandy Invasion was one of three potential  Kentucky Derby starters to work prior to the renovation break Saturday at Churchill Downs, a session that also included breezes from all four of trainer Todd Pletcher’s prospective Oaks runners led by Dreaming of Julia.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - After the races Friday, Keeneland announced records for all-sources total handle ($158,640,589) and attendance (278,415) at the 16-day meet that began April 6.

The all-sources gross narrowly eclipses the former record of $158,368,309 set during the15-day spring meet in 2007. The attendance bettered the 269,292 who turned out here last spring during a 15-day meet.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Putting the proverbial icing on the cake, the owner-trainer-jockey team that dominated the 16-day spring meet at Keeneland had a final hurrah Friday when Dark Cove, exiting claiming races, ran off to a 4 1/4-length victory in the closing-day feature, the Grade 2, $150,000 Elkhorn Stakes.