May 1 All the news to report can now be found at the tipsheet. Since the Derby preps are over, there isn't too much to report other than the latest on individual horses, which can be found there. Good luck, pick a winner, and enjoy Derby 127. We'll see you in this space on Sunday after the Derby. Until then, stick to the tipsheet.    Apr. 24 Before we convey the most latest news, let's first give a quick recap of the action over the past weekend. In the Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, Keats scored a surprise victory over Distilled, who was the favorite, and had he won, would be on his way to Louisville. Instead, Distilled was clipped at the beginning of the race by Mr. John, who finished second but was then disqualified from the finish due to a steward's decision. Distilled was eventually pulled up by jockey Jerry Bailey. Keats, a 16-1 shot, will most likely not run in the Derby, while it has been learned that a decision to keep Distilled from running in the Derby has also been made due to cuts the horse received in the Lexington. After the disqualification, Griffinite was awarded second and Bay Eagle was moved up to third. D. Wayne Lukas' entry, Turnberry Isle, finished a disappointing sixth, and will now no longer point to the Derby. It marks the end of D. Wayne Lukas's streak of a record 20 consecutive years of running a Derby starter. Lukas has been philisophical about it, and simply has no horse he can justify running in the Run for the Roses, which will certainly create for an empty feeling at the Derby. Granted, Lukas has run some clunkers to keep the streak alive, but he's earned enough to throw in a clunker every now and then. Hope to see you next year, D. Wayne, though in fact, Lukas will be in attendance at Churchill Downs at the Derby. Other disappointment from the Lexington Stakes includes the death of Bonnie Scot, who fractured a right ankle during the race. Bonnie Scot joins Gold Trader as horses who have broken down during the Derby prep race season. And at Pimlico, in the 1 1/8 mile, $200,000 Federico Tesio Stakes, Marciano made a bold stretch move to continue his path to the Preakness Stakes. Marciano's win gives him his fifth in 11 career starts. One of the horses Marciano passed was Talk Is Money, who finished second and will run in the Derby. The favorite, Burning Roma, finished a lame third and will now be out of the Derby. Marciano was ridden by Mark Johnston and is trained by Tim Ritchey. Now to other important Derby news. We're hardly breaking a story here, but Godolphin Stable's Street Cry is out of the Derby due to an injury, but may return for other Triple Crown action, though that has yet to be decided. What a blow to us hear at Call to the Derby Post. We were really counting on Street Cry to make us a winner, and we really thought he was primed to run a great race. Oh well. Godolphin Stable will still have a horse in the Derby, Express Tour, who honestly could still pose a threat. In fact, he beat Street Cry head-to-head in the U.A.E. Derby. It's a major disappointment for the folks at Godolphin, and they are learning the hard way what it takes to win a Kentuck Derby: excellent breeding, impeccable training, an experienced mount and a tremendous amount of luck. And in other news, jockey Jerry Bailey is now slated to ride Talk Is Money, who as mentioned finished second the Tesio Stakes. The contract to ride Talk Is Money allows an escape clause for Bailey if, to be blunt, a better option somehow opens up. Interestingly, Bailley chose to ride Talk Is Money over Songandaprayer, who came in second in the Blue Grass Stakes. Thanks for the tip, Jerry. In a strange turn of events, another Derby starter has emerged in Tincin, who is winless in all seven career starts and has career winnings of $390. Only a small Derby field is keeping Tincin eligible for the race; he is trained by Steve Larue. The last maiden to run in the Derby was Great Redeemer in 1979. He didn't quite redeem anything though, as he finished in last, a compelling 47 1/4 lengths behind winner Spectacular Bid. However, three Derby champions were maidens, so it's not unprecedented, although these occured quite a while ago. Buchanan, in 1884, Sir Barton in 1919 and Brokers Tip in 1933 all had their first career wins in the Kentucky Derby. Sir Barton, of course, went on to win his next two races in capturing the first ever Triple Crown. For more Derby news, and a more polished look at the potential Derby starters, head to the tipsheet.    Apr. 15 As usual, the last major weekend of the Derby prep race season doesn't really clear anything up, and in fact, it makes the picture a bit more muddled. What to do with horses who performed well this weekend, vs. ones who disappointed? It's a tough judgment call, but, hey, this is when the fun starts. At Aqueduct, in the 1 1/8 mile, $750,000 Wood Memorial, Congaree, trained by Bob Baffert, pulled away in the far turn and cruised to a 2 3/4 length victory over favored Monarchos. Monarchos had Jorge Chavez aboard, and closed well down the stretch despite never seriously challenging the leader. Might Monarchos be able to use the extra distance the Derby will provide? It's certainly one of the tougher questions to answer at the betting window come May 5. Trainer John Ward felt confident he got the ride he needed out of Monarchos and is confident headed to Kentucky. Critics of Congaree will point to his lack of experience: the Wood marks a victory in his first stakes race and only fourth career start. Gotham Stakes winner Richly Blended came in third. Congaree is the son of Arazi, and is named after the Congaree River in South Carolina. Both Congaree and Monarchos will head to the Derby; it's unknown to us if Richly Blended will make the trip. Down at Keeneland, Millennium Wind won his second of three starts this year in the 1 1/8 mile Blue Grass Stakes. The oft-injured horse took control early and looked confident the whole way in winning by 5 3/4 lengths over Songandaprayer. Millennium Wind had jockey Laffit Pincay aboard; Pincay will ride in his 20th Kentucky Derby aboard Millennium Wind, his first Derby mount since finishing 13th with Valiant Nature in 1994. The race's favorite, Dollar Bill, finished third. Dollar Bill's trainer, Dallas Stewart, said that his horse in on his way to Louisville, while Songandaprayer's trainer, John Dowd, said a decision has yet to be made on his horse. And in the other key Derby prep race, Balto Star won the Arkansas Derby to stamp his way to Louisville. Balto Star, the favorite, led almost wire-to-wire over a sloppy track. Balto Star, ridden by Mark Guidry and trained by Todd Pletcher, was winless as a two-year old. Jamaican Rum passed several horses to come in second, while Son of Rocket was third.    Apr. 10 The action was more than complete this past weekend, and now the Derby picture is taking some footing. After this weekend's races, we'll really be able to dive in and predict who will be the pretenders and who is really going to have a shot. But before that, there's lots to cover from this past weekend. Most notably, Point Given, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Gary Stevens, established himself as the favorite for Kentucky Derby 127. His 5 1/2 length victory over Crafty C.T. in the 1 1/8 mile Santa Anita Derby was so dominating, particularly on an off-track, that bettors will be hard-pressed to find a bigger, stronger horse running in the Derby. The horse may need to shed some weight, and may need a bit of a wake-up call (in the form of Gary Stevens' whip) but this horse looks tough. Gary Stevens has now won the last three Santa Anita Derbies he has ridden, and tied the all-time Santa Anita Derby victory record of eight, also held by Bill Shoemaker. Ironically, two of Stevens' Kentucky Derby victories have come on horses he finished second with in the Santa Anita, Silver Charm ('97) and Real Quiet ('98), although his first Santa Anita and Kentucky Winner was the filly Winning Colors ('88). Bob Baffert tied D. Wayne Lukas with all-time Santa Anita Derby victories for a trainer with four (Cavonnnier ('96) plus Indian Charlie ('98) and General Challenge ('99). Point Given is the son of 1995 Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch, and looks like he needs an even longer race, such as the mile and a quarter Derby, to break a sweat, and his connections say he only gets stronger. Jockey Stevens said he hasn't felt this "comfortable" going into a Derby since Winning Colors in '88. I Love Silver finished third, but like the rest of the horses that finished behind Point Given, will not move on to Louisville. This includes Scorpion, one of the last hopes for trainer D. Wayne Lukas. His streak of Derby appearances looks like it might be in jeopardy. Crafty C.T. will skip the Derby due to his trainer's best judgment, and will now shoot for the Swaps Handicap on July 15. But the real story is Point Given, who now looks like the one to beat. There was other racing on Saturday, races that will send horses to the Derby, though not as many as you might normally expect. Distilled won the $500,000 Illinois Derby from start to finish (after a rough jump in the gate), taking advantage of his speed and the speed track at Sportsman's Park. Distilled is trained by Todd Pletcher and was ridden by Mike Smith; his connections said a decision will come this week on whether or not to point to the Derby. Saint Damien finished second, while the strongly-favored second choice Dream Run came in third. And at Lone Star Park, Percy Hope won the 1 1/8 mile Lone Star Derby, making himself eligible for $1 million bonus if he wins a Triple Crown race. Percy Hope won by two lengths over Fifty Stars, who should be in Louisville getting ready for the Derby; Percy Hope would be a long shot at the Derby but could be a live threat at the Preakness. The Lone Star Derby favorite, Hoovergetthekeys, finished seventh, and is now questionable for the Derby. If he does make it to Churchill, do not consider. Percy Hope is trained by Tony Reinstedler, and was ridden by Jon Court. While we're here, we may as well add the news that Outofthebox, trained by Bernie Flint, is now out of the Derby (so to speak) due to a broken foot. He will miss the next two months of racing. Outofthebox had been favored in the Flamingo Stakes in Hialeah, but finished fifth. Outofthebox had run second in both the Florida Derby and Fountain of Youth Stakes. Thunder Blitz wound up winning the 1 1/8 mile, $250,000 Flamingo Stakes; he had prior only one a single win in his seven total career starts. Ridden by Edgar Prado, he won by 6 3/4 lengths over Tour of the Cat, while Talk Is Money showed. Thunder Blitz has run competitively with Monarchos, Distilled and Invisible Ink, all Derby hopefuls, so he did not come from nowhere. If he's building momentum, with a little luck he could be a long shot with a good price to sneak in for third at the Derby.    Mar. 29 Interesting stuff to report this week, including an historic race that throws a new Derby contender into the picture. And then of course there is the goings on in Dubai. Watch out folks. You've got some live ones coming in from overseas. In the Grade II, $600,000 1 1/8 mile, Spiral Stakes, Balto Star, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Mark Guidry, who won the biggest race of his career, won by a Stakes-record 12 3/4 lengths at Turfway Park. It was the 30th running of the Spiral Stakes. The Lexington Stakes could be the next race for this horse, and then the Derby is a real possibility. Balto Star is a gelding though, and a gelding hasn't won the Run for the Roses in a long, long time. We think it's 1929, but we're going to have to check on that. If Balto Star can win either the April 14 Blue Grass Stakes or the Lexington Stakes, and then the Derby, he will win a bonus of $1 million. This is a trend we've seen with several Derby prep races: adding to the "purse" to their race if the winner can go on to win the Derby. Of course, these tracks are trying to cement paths for Derby prep racing, which in all isn't a bad thing because a lot of these paths are already established. It makes it even more fun for the participants and spectators, and tries to give an allure to some of the Derby prep races, and we have nothing wrong with any of these. Halo's Stride, the longest shot in the field at 55-1, came in second, while Mongoose was third. Buckle Down Ben was the 3-1 favorite, but trainer D. Wayne Lukas's horse finished sixth in the nine-horse field. Meanwhile, overseas in the United Arab Emirates, two strong Kentucky Derby contenders emerged from the $2 million U.A.E. Derby. Express Tour, ridden by David Flores, knocked off the closely-watched Street Cry, who came on nicely but couldn't knock off the winner, who fought back after Street Cry made his run. We don't even know whether or not we should be going all out like this, but Street Cry...let's just say this: he's our top contender right now. Check out the tipsheet though, because there are some key races very closely on the horizon.    Mar. 18 In winning the $250,000 San Felipe Stakes, Bob Baffert's Point Given vaults to the top of the list of Kentucky Derby favorites. He won the race while leaving from the outside post, and ran wide throughout the race under the stewardship of Gary Stevens. Point Given held a 2 1/4 length victory over the strong-closing I Love Silver, who finished 1 1/2 length in front of Jamaican Rum. The victory was the fourth in seven career starts for Point Given, the last win being the Hollywood Futurity last Dec. 16. Point Given, owned by Prince Ahmed Salman's The Thoroughbred Corporation, which bred '95 Derby winner Thunder Gulch, will now point to the April 7 Santa Anita Derby. Baffert came in second in the San Felipe Stakes with his two prior Derby winners, Silver Charm in '97 and Real Quiet in '98. I Love Silver showed such an excellent closing move that it won't be surprising to see him in further Derby prep races. Along every Derby trail, leading contenders succumb to injury and circumstance. This bug had already infected the Derby 127 trail, with favorite Macho Uno not being able to compete during the prep race season. But it's a whole other sadness when horses like Gold Trader are injured than euthanized. Gold Trader's jockey, David Flores, said the horse was riding fine, but took just one bad step. It is a sad reality about the sport of horse racing that this occurs. The twisted irony of the situation is how well bred a horse Gold Trader was: he was the son of Storm Cat and Golden Attraction, plus a grandson to '90 Kentucky Oaks winner Seaside Attraction. Gold Trainer was owned by W.T. Young. Fragility is the word on people's minds after such a somber event, dealing with such a fine horse, in a fun Derby prep race. For now it least, it does cast a small pall over the Derby prep scene. There was other Derby prep action this weekend, in the form of the Gotham Stakes and the Tampa Bay Derby. Richly Blended led wire-to-wire in the 1 mile, $200,000 race at Aqueduct. The horse is now undefeated in three starts for his current trainer, who said the Wood Memorial on April 14 is a possiblity. The favorite in the race, Scorpion, finished sixth out of ten, but his trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, said the Wood might be a possiblity for this horse as well. Down at Tampa Bay Downs on Sunday, in the 1 1/16 mile, $200,000 Tampa Bay Derby, Burning Roma closed in on the leaders in the backstretch, then pulled away during the finish. And like in the Sam Davis Stakes, American Prince finished behind Burning Roma, who was ridden by Richard Migliore. Paging finished third, while the touted Mongoose was a late scratch. This was Burning Roma's second win in two starts as a three-year old. The Tampa Bay Derby has caught some recent attention over the last few years. Menifee finished second in the Tampa Bay Derby before doing the same in the Kentucky Derby in '99, and last year, Wheelaway, who won the Tampa Bay Derby, ran a game and surprising fifth in the Run for the Roses. So maybe Burning Roma might deserve some notice on Derby Day.    Mar. 16 (San Felipe Stakes Preview) The highlight of the Derby prep trail this weekend is the San Felipe Stakes, a Grade II, 1 1/16 mile race at Santa Anita with a $250,000 purse. And the highlight of this race is the seasonal debut of the Bob Baffert-trained Point Given. Point Given, the Hollywood Futurity winner, will face his stiffest challenge from Gold Trader, who won the Golden State Mile, and Skip to the Stone, who won the Baldwin Stakes. No question about it: the San Felipe is a tune-up for the California horses for the biggest West Coast Derby prep, the Santa Anita Derby on April 7. Point Given, who finished second by a head behind Macho Uno in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last year, will be ridden by Chris McCarron and could become the top Derby favorite if he wins. Gold Trader will also be making an important showing, as the D. Wayne Lukas horse will make his first start since the Golden State Mile. Bank Street, who claims Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew as a grandfather, will have the inside post. He'll start next to another Bob Baffert-trained horse, Silvertongue Fox. Next in the gate is Gold Trader, then Jamaican Rum, which is a fine thing to have on a Saturday afternoon. Alex Solis will ride Jamaican Rum. Then we've got another grandson of Seattle Slew, and son of A.P. Indy, in the third Baffert-trained horse, Indy Lead. (Talk about dangerous connections/pedigree.) I Love Silver, a speed horse, is next in the gate and will have veteran jockey Eddie Delahoussaye aboard. Skip to the Stone leaves out of the seven hole, and the favorite Point Given has the outside position in the 8 gate. Call to the Derby Post Pick: Point Given, Indy Lead, Gold Trader The San Felipe Stakes has produced three of the past four Kentucky Derby winners, and 10 over all: Fusaichi Pegasus ('00) won the San Felipe, while Silver Charm ('97) and Real Quiet ('98) both placed in the San Felipe. Other Derby winners coming from this race were Sunday Silence ('89), Triple Crown winner Affirmed ('78) and 1954 Derby champ Determined.    Mar. 12 In the $1 million, 1 1/8 mile Florida Derby at Gulfstream, Monarchos shed the mystery surrounding him and established himself as one of the strongest contenders for Derby 127. By coming from behind--at one point Monarchos was 11th in the 13-horse field--this colt, ridden by Jorge Chavez, took control of both the race and the list of East Coast Derby contenders. It was the third win for Monarchos at Gulfstream this winter, and he did it by passing tired horses in the stretch, an ability you love to see in Derby contenders. Outofthebox was 4 1/2 lengths behind the leader to finish in second, while Invisible Ink was another two lengths back for third. Monarchos is trained by John Ward and owned by John Oxley. Oxley has a 24% share in Invisible Ink as well, so the two ran as a coupled entry. Monarchos will now most likely point to the Wood Memorial on April 14, while Outofthebox may head to the Flamingo Stakes next. One trend Monarchos hopes to end is the losing streak of Florida Derby winners: the last three winners of the race haven't won again. The final order of the race is as follows: Monarchos, Outofthebox, Invisible Ink, Dream Run (who ran well in his first race around two turns), Fountain of Youth winner Songandaprayer, It's So Simple, You Know Who, Talk is Money, City Zip, Turnberry Isle, Cee Dee, Trailthefox and Radical Riley. If Monarchos helped clear up the Derby picture a little bit in establishing a heavy favorite out of the Florida Derby, the Louisiana Derby did just the opposite. Fifty Stars, who had run fourth in the Lecomete and fifth in the Risen Star, came from well of the pace to win the 1 1/16 mile, $750,000 Louisiana Derby over a formidable trio of Derby favorites, Dollar Bill, the race's 8-5 favorite, Millennium Wind, who finished second, and Hero's Tribute, who came in third. Millennium Wind was two lengths back from the leader, but finished just a neck in front of Hero's Tribute, who in turn was only a head in front of the favorite, Dollar Bill. Fifty Stars comes from Quiet American, who gave us '98 Derby champ Real Quiet, and was ridden by Donnie Meche and is trained by Steve Asmussen. Like Monarchos in the Florida Derby, Fifty Stars came from way behind to win the race: Fifty Stars was last in the pack with a half-mile to go, but showed the impressive ability to come from behind and off the pace. Fifty Stars went off as a 20-1 shot and paid $43 even to win. The colt may be pointed to the Lone Star Derby next, while the trio of Dollar Bill, Millennium Wind and Hero's Tribute may meet again in the Blue Grass Stakes. Chris McCarron said that his mount, Millennium Wind, may have been tired in the stretch in what his first race in two months, and jockey Jorge Chavez, who rode Monarchos to victory in the Florida Derby, said Hero's Tribute, who had a rough trip, began to lose focus in the stretch. Chavez now faces an interesting dilemma of riding Monarchos or Hero's Tribute in the Derby. If Fifty Stars wins the Kentucky Derby, he will gain a $1 million bonus from Fair Grounds Park for winning both the Louisiana and Kentucky derbies. Lone Star Park also has a similar deal, offering $1 million to a horse that wins the Lone Star Derby and any of the three Triple Crown races. And let's not forget our friends out on the West Coast. Another key Derby contender fell in Albany, Calif. when Startac was upset by Hoovergetthekeys in the $200,000, 1 1/6 mile El Camino Real Derby. Trained by Brian Koriner and winner of the Golden Gate Derby, Hoovergetthekeys showed patience and the ability to run late in pulling ahead of the race's leaders in the stretch then pulling away. Koriner said his horse is definitely pointed to the Kentucky Derby with a possible pit-stop in the Lone Star Derby on the way to Kentucky from the West Coast. Koriner acknowledged the $1 million bonus of winning the both the Lone Star Derby and Kentucky Derby as an incentive to run his colt down in Texas before the Derby, but feared a tough loss there might shake his colt's Derby chances. Here's hoping he enters the Derby, because he'll be among the first to be thrown out of who we might actually bet on. Startac, the 3-5 favorite, was lethargic in coming in second place just ahead of Mo Mon. Although he closed well, Startac jockey Alex Solis said his mount never got untracked in the race. Hoovergetthekeys had Ron Warren aboard, and is owned by Carl Odegaard.    Mar. 8 (Florida Derby Preview) This weekend showcases a Derby prep doubleheader that will definitely help form the Derby picture. Will we have more answers? More likely, we'll have more questions, but at the very least we will see some horses look extremely promising, while others will leave us with question marks. At the top of the list of horses to watch at the $1 million, 1 1/8-mile Florida Derby is Fountain of Youth Stakes winner Songandaprayer. Trainer John Dowd hopes Sondandaprayer will lay off the lead, in third or fourth, before making his move for the lead. One very intriguing entry in the Florida Derby is that of the pair of horses owned by John C. Oxley, Monarchos and Invisible Ink. We're excited to finally see Monarchos in action, as there is plenty of hype around him. Another trainer combination to keep your eye on is You Know Who, who by the way will have Kent Desormeaux aboard, and Invisible Ink, both trained by Todd Pletcher. Outofthebox looks to improve upon his place finish in the Fountain of Youth; he might have something to prove. And again, some newcomers to the scene make the Florida Derby a hot ticket. D. Wayne Lukas's Turnberry Isle comes in from Santa Anita. Why Lukas wouldn't run Turnberry Isle in California is not known to us, but we're just excited to see what D. Wayne has to offer to this year's Derby scene. Exactly what type of trick does Lukas have up his sleeve? The other fresh colt on the scene is City Zip, a 2-year old star with Corey Nakatani aboard. It's So Simple is a Nick Zito-trained horse, and was a late entry for the race. Like Turnberry Isle, Trailthefox comes in all the way from California to race at Gulfstream; like It's So Simple, Trailthefox is a late addition to the field of 13. Talk is Money will wear blinkers for the first time, while a pair of horses who fared well in the Holy Bull Stakes but stumbled in the Fountain of Youth hope to rebound in Florida Derby: Holy Bull winner Radical Riley, and Holy Bull runner-up Cee Dee. Rounding out the field is Dream Run, who finished second in an allowance to Hero's Tribute at Gulfstream a few weeks ago. Call to the Derby Post Pick: City Zip, Outofthebox, Turnberry Isle    Mar. 8 (Louisiana Derby Preview) After the opener of the Florida Derby on Saturday, the Triple Crown trail moves to Louisiana, to the Fair Grounds for the $750,000, 1 1/16-mile Louisiana Derby. Eight colts are scheduled to race, including three colts that at least going into this weekend and three of the strongest Derby favorites: Millennium Wind, Dollar Bill and Hero's Tribute. Hero's Tribute is trained by John Ward, who will Monarchos in the Florida Derby. It could turn out to be one special weekend for Ward if he gets lucky, and he could be riding a hot trail to Louisville if his colts show up to run in both Florida and Louisiana this weekend. Millennium Wind is making his first start since winning the Santa Catalina Stakes, but has been enduring feet problems due to sloppy weather conditions in California. Perhaps this is why Turnberry Isle and Trailthefox ship to Florida for the Florida Derby? Dollar Bill is trained by Dallas Stewart, who will also have Clutch Player running in the Louisiana Derby. The winner of the Lecomte Stakes, Sam Lord's Castle makes his first appearance back since his victory, while Fifty Stars, who was favored in the Lecomte but has been struggling lately, gives it one more shot as a Derby contender. Two other possible runners include Keats and Gracie's Dancer. Call to the Derby Post Pick: Dollar Bill, Sam Lord's Castle, Hero's Tribute    Mar. 5 The most impressive horse of the weekend turns out to be, at least so far, not in contention for the Kentucky Derby. Crafty C.T. won the $200,000 San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita. Crafty C.T., trained by Howard Zucker and unraced as a two-year old, won the 1-mile race by four lengths over Palmeiro and will now point to the Santa Anita Derby, where, if he runs in the Kentucky Derby or not, can still impact the Derby picture. Early Flyer was third in the race; the winner was ridden by Eddie Delahoussaye. Kent Desormeaux rode Palmeiro, who raced second to Millennium Wind in the Santa Catalina. Early Flyer was the San Vicente winner and had Chris McCarron aboard. Palmeiro will also be pointed toward the Santa Anita Derby. Not much else news to report from racing action over the weekend. We'll keep you posted.    Feb. 20 In what is considered the first major Derby prep, the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Florida, the Run for the Roses for Derby 127 kicks off. We apologize for the delay in getting the weekly reports started, but a daytime job, the flu and unfortunate family circumstances led to the lapse. Onward and upward. Trust us, the Derby picture is still muddled enough that we didn't miss anything that could foreshadow anything resembling a clear pick for May 5. Now to the Fountain of Youth Stakes. Longshot Songandaprayer led wire to wire to win this $200,000 Grade I stakes. Songandaprayer has former Duke star Bobby Hurley as a majority owner, and had jockey Edgar Prado aboard. The favorite was Outofthebox, who despite a rough start at the gate was able to rally to come in second. Hey, it sounds so trite, but the fact is, no Derby winner has had one of those several words with no spaces names. Is it a logical way to handicap? Of course not. Does it make as much sense as some other ways of picking a Derby winner? Why not? No Derby winner has ever had such a name, and we do like to look for trends. Songandaprayer is out of the first crop of Unbridled's Song and finished fifth in his last race, the Holy Bull. City Zip finished third in the Fountain of Youth, while Global Gait was fourth. In more important news from Gulfstream on Saturday, Hero's Tribute, trained by John Ward, won an allowance race that followed the Fountain of Youth. Ward, who also trains Holiday Thunder, who finished a disappointing sixth in the Fountain of Youth, watched Hero's Tribute win by four lengths in the seven furlong race. Dream Run placed, while highly-watched A P Valentine, trained by Nick Zito, came in third. Hero's Tribute is a son of 1993 Kentucky Derby winner Sea Hero and made his first start since a second-place finish in a race on Breeders' Cup Day. Jorge Chavez, who had been A P Valentine's rider until Pat Day replaced him, made it worth the while in guiding to Hero's Tribute to the victory. Hero's Tribute, along with another Ward-trained horse, Monarchos, will now head towards the Louisiana Derby on March 11, while the schedule for Holiday Thunder is up in the air. Zito said he was pleased with A P Valentine's efforts and will next race his star in the Florida Derby. Another name to keep your eye on is Dollar Bill, who won the $125,000 Risen Star Stakes as a favorite with jockey Chris McCarron aboard. Dollar Bill, who received rave reviews from McCarron, won the 1 1/16 miles race by two lenghts with an impressive stretch run. Dollar Bill was making his first start of the year, is trained by Dallas Stewart and will be pointed to the Louisiana Derby. Gracie's Dancer, who Dollar Bill passed in the home stretch, finished second, while Rahy's Secret finished third.