HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Allen Jerkens doesn’t have a Kentucky Derby horse, but he does have a big rooting interest in the race: Wicked Strong, who is trained by Allen’s son Jimmy and rallied to beat Samraat and Social Inclusion in the Wood Memorial.

The Wood represented a big turnaround in form for Wicked Strong, who finished ninth in the Grade 2 Holy Bull and fourth in an optional-claiming race here in his two previous starts. Wicked Strong came from sixth place to win the Wood by 3 1/2 lengths over Samraat.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – One of the horses pointing for the Sir Bear, a one-mile overnight stakes here on Kentucky Derby Day, is Little Daddy, who is unbeaten in two starts. Trainer Carlo Vaccarezza said Wednesday that if Little Daddy were to run well in that race, he’d strongly consider pointing him for the Belmont Stakes five weeks later.

Ricardo Gonzalez lost his best friend three weeks ago, but he’s rebounded nicely.

The 18-year-old rider from Mexico became a journeyman rider, losing his five-pound apprentice allowance after two wins March 23, his last day with the bug.

Losing the bug can be traumatic for riders, and Gonzalez didn’t record a victory his first week as a journeyman. Of course, he only had one mount his first day and two his third day while riding 12 horses that week, when he finished with one second and one third.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Wednesday was a good morning for Social Inclusion, who worked a sharp three furlongs here in 35.04 seconds over a muddy track. Social Inclusion also moved a step closer to earning a place in the Kentucky Derby field when it was announced that Florida Derby winner Constitution had been taken out of consideration for the race due to injury.

ALTOONA, Iowa – Following an arduous winter that has produced snow well into April, Prairie Meadows readies for its 25th annual spring/summer Thoroughbred meet with a game plan largely unchanged from recent seasons.

Racing secretary Pat Pope, who just completed another successful Oaklawn meet, returns to his native Iowa after a five-year stint at the helm of Delaware Park’s racing office.

WHO’S HOT

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Frivolous, an impressive winner at Keeneland in her 4-year-old debut Sunday, will remain on Polytrack by racing next in the Grade 3 Matron on May 24 at Arlington Park, said trainer Vicki Oliver.

“It looks like she’s finally putting it all together,” said Oliver, who trains Frivolous for her father, G. Watts Humphrey Jr. “She was rather inconsistent in some of her races last year but really trained well over the winter.”

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Up With the Birds, the 2013 Canadian Horse of the Year, will ship from Keeneland to his Woodbine base with the possibility of returning to the United States for the Dixie Stakes at Pimlico on the May 17 Preakness undercard, trainer Malcolm Pierce said.

Up With the Birds finished last of six as the 9-5 favorite in a classified turf allowance on opening weekend of the Keeneland spring meet, the first time the 4-year-old Stormy Atlantic colt has run worse than third in 10 career starts.

Constitution, the undefeated winner of the Florida Derby, will miss the Kentucky Derby and the rest of the Triple Crown because of a shin fracture, Elliott Walden, president and chief executive of co-owner WinStar Farm, said Wednesday.

Constitution, trained by Todd Pletcher, has won all three of his races at Gulfstream Park. He defeated maidens in his debut Jan. 11, then won a first-level allowance Feb. 22 before his victory in the Florida Derby on March 29.

Trainer Bret Calhoun and jockey David Cabrera jumped out to early leads in the trainer and jockey standings. Calhoun was the only trainer to win more than two races over the meet’s opening week, going 5 for 10, and Cabrera won with six of 23 mounts, giving him a two-win edge over Lindey Wade, who went 4 for 24.

The jockey colony is deeper this week with the additions of veterans Cliff Berry and Luis Quinonez, who sat out the first few days of Lone Star to complete the Oaklawn Park meet.