HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Despite offering a $1 million purse and 170 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and being one of the most prestigious of all the Kentucky Derby preps, the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 29 seems to be lacking interest among horsemen.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Dale Romans said he will skip the Florida Derby with Medal Count, who finished fifth, beaten 8 1/4 lengths by Wildcat Red, in the Fountain of Youth. Medal Count won his turf debut in a dead heat here this winter under high-priced entry-level optional-claiming conditions.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – In order for Noble Moon to be ready to run in the $1 million Wood Memorial on April 5, he had to start showing trainer Leah Gyarmati more in his morning training than he had been.

On Monday, Noble Moon took a positive step toward the Wood Memorial by working five furlongs in 1:01.54 over the Belmont Park training track. It was the second-fastest of 10 works at the distance, with the fastest move having been posted by a horse who worked out of the starting gate. Noble Moon, who worked in company, worked from the pole.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Jockey Edgar Prado badly bruised his right shoulder after falling from his mount Go Go Romeo during Sunday’s 10th race. The stewards called the race a no-contest and had the riders pull their horses up prior to the finish line as a safety precaution, with Prado still laying on the course near the clubhouse turn.

[Clocker Reports: Get Mike Welsch’s clocker reports from Gulfstream Park and Palm Meadows]

ARCADIA, Calif. - Rafael Bejarano, the meet’s leading rider, won three races on Sunday, highlighted by Stormy Lucy’s victory in the Grade 2 Santa Ana Stakes for female turf runners.

Bejarano had never ridden Stormy Lucy, hadn’t even worked her, but no one does more extensive homework before a race. Bejarano pores over past performances, and gets eye strain from watching videos. All that preparation paid off.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Sahara Sky, who won the San Carlos Stakes on March 8, worked a half-mile in 50.80 seconds on Sunday morning as he prepares for his next start, either the Grade 1 Carter at Aqueduct on April 5 or the Grade 2 Potrero Grande at Santa Anita on April 12.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Sonja’s Angel will put her four-race local winning streak on the line when she steps up in class to take on seven fillies and mares in Wednesday’s $54,500 optional-claiming feature at one mile.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The elongated season under which Santa Anita now operates could be advantageous for Let Faith Arise, who has progressed mightily this meet and reached new heights by capturing the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Stakes on Saturday.

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Just prior to the opening of the 2013-14 Tampa Bay Downs meeting, trainer Jamie Ness was asked for an assessment of his expectations for the season.

“I think we’ll have a good meeting but we’ve had a long year,” Ness said. “Many of our horses need a little break, and we’re also leaving some horses up north, so while I’m cautiously optimistic, I also realize it will be tough this winter.”

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Bob Baffert, the trainer of Hoppertunity, on Sunday morning at Santa Anita said the Rebel winner would run next in either the Santa Anita Derby on April 5, or return to Oaklawn for the Arkansas Derby on April 12. Both are $1 million races at 1 1/8 miles. Hoppertunity earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 100 for his half-length win over Tapiture in the Rebel, a Grade 2, $600,000 race run Saturday.  

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]