Verrazano solidified his position as the likely favorite for the Kentucky Derby with a convincing 3 ½-length victory over the slow-breaking Java’s War in Saturday’s $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby. Falling Sky, who contested the early pace, finished a tiring and well-beaten third.

Verrazano, a son of More than Ready owned by the partnership of Lets Go Stable and Coolmore, earned 50 qualifying points for his third convincing win in as many starts. The 50 points figure to be enough to clinch his spot in this year’s Derby field.

NEW ORLEANS – Ive Struck a Nerve, the 135-1 winner of the Risen Star Stakes last month at Fair Grounds, suffered an ankle injury in a Saturday morning workout and will miss the Triple Crown series, trainer Keith Desormeaux said.

“It’s very disappointing,” said Desormeaux. “It doesn’t look like it’s career-threatening and he’s not in peril. It’s the kind of injury that happens quite a bit in this game. The good news is we know we still have a nice horse.”

Titletown Five, a promising 3-year-old for trainer D. Wayne Lukas who finished second in the $60,000 Gazebo in his seasonal debut at Oaklawn on March 2, is possible for the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Park Derby on March 24. Lukas said another option for the horse is the Louisiana Derby on March 30.

“I’m strongly considering the Sunland Derby if his next two works fall into place like I think they will,” Lukas said Friday.

Lukas said part of the appeal of the Sunland Derby is its timing in comparison to the timing of the Louisiana Derby a week later.

Departing, who remained undefeated in three starts with his win in the $50,000 Texas Heritage Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park on March 2, is to run next in the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby, trainer Al Stall Jr. said Friday. The 1 1/8-mile race will be run at Fair Grounds on March 30.

Demonic, who missed a scheduled start in Saturday’s $300,000 San Felipe Stakes because of a bruised foot, worked a half-mile in 48 seconds at Hollywood Park on Friday.

The workout was the fastest of 14 recorded works at the distance, leaving trainer John Sadler hopeful that Demonic can start in April, possibly in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 6.

“We have a couple of weeks to get back to where we want,” Sadler said. “We’ll learn a lot more in the next couple of weeks.”

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – By no means does owner Jim Riccio Sr. have Derby fever. But his 3-year-old The Truth and K G gave him something to think about with his first-level allowance win Thursday at Aqueduct.

Attempting two turns for the first time, The Truth and K G put away a pace challenge from debut winner Now and Then and held off the late-running Go Get the Basil – who had won three consecutive races – to win by a nose. The Truth and K G, trained by Rudy Rodriguez, ran a mile and 70 yards in 1:42.01 and both he and Go Get the Basil earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure.

Not even the biggest proponents of the occasional handicap race believe that racing’s most important events, such as the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, should be run at anything except equal weights. So it is increasingly unclear why the key preps for those events continue to be run at unequal weights – especially now that the results of those preps are used to guarantee or deny berths in the main events.

The eighth season of Countdown to the Crown returns as one of the most comprehensive handicapper’s scouting reports of the 3-year-old scene. Posted each Friday at DRF.com from Jan. 4 through the Belmont Stakes, Countdown keeps you apprised of the rising stars of the 3-year-old class from the maiden ranks through the Grade 1 stakes. You can access daily updates, opinions and interactive features at Countdowntothecrown.com as well.

Straight from the gate

No one said there would be this much arithmetic in horse racing beyond odds, fractions, Beyer Figures, and beer prices. But here we are, on the brink of the final push to the Kentucky Derby, obsessively consulting point charts and point totals and projecting like crazed math majors on an all-night binge. My colleagues have picked up on the madness.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Like a couple of hawks, Flashback and Goldencents have circled their prey for months at Santa Anita.