Dan Illman

I'LL HAVE ANOTHER deservedly received the headlines for his victory in the Kentucky Derby, but a couple of salty older runners made their mark under the Twin Spires as well.

This week's HandiGambling 280 exercise is Saturday's eleventh race at Churchill Downs, the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at 1 1/4 miles for 3-year-olds. REMEMBER, IF YOU ARE DECLARED THE WINNER OF THE HANDIGAMBLING EXERCISE; PLEASE CONTACT FORMBLOG@DRF.COM WITH YOUR DRF LOGIN AND PASSWORD IN ORDER TO ACCESS YOUR PRIZE PACKAGE.  PAST PERFORMANCES ARE AVAILABLE AT THE PREVIOUS BLOG POST. 

Let's take a look at Friday's stakes races at Churchill Downs. LA TROIENNE STAKES - RACE 6:

Despite a layoff of almost five months, WISE DAN was rightly considered the horse to beat in last Sunday's Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland.  After all, the versatile son of Wiseman's Ferry stamped himself as one of the top older horses in the country last year with a victory in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs on November 25. Although he was expected to run very well, I highly doubt that anyone thought he would earn the fastest Beyer Speed Figure ever recorded on a synthetic surface.  He did.

Let's take a look at this weekend's graded stakes races: *** *Some quick-and-dirty tablesetters: *Jerome Stakes:  TERM LOAN, THE LUMBER GUY, STIRRED UP *Lexington Stakes:  NEWS PENDING, JOHANNESBOURBON, MORGAN'S GUERRILLA *San Simeon Handicap:  AIN'T NO OTHER, COMPARI, IRISH ART *** SIXTY SAILS HANDICAP - HAWTHORNE - RACE 9: