St. John’s River will be trainer Andrew Leggio’s first Grade 1 starter since Happy Ticket when she runs Friday in the $1 million Kentucky Oaks. Leggio’s stable is based at Louisiana Downs, and back in 2006 he brought Happy Ticket to Churchill for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

It was the final start of her career, and Happy Ticket, who retired a Grade 1 winner of $1.6 million, ran third but was moved up to second via the disqualification of runner-up Asi Siempre.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Coming off a big effort out of the main track chute at Aqueduct in the same condition, Opus A figures to be favored against four other 4-year-old fillies in Thursday’s second-level optional $50,000 claiming feature at Belmont Park.

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella is accepting blame for the seventh-place finish by Crown of Thorns in the Grade 2 Potrero Grande Stakes on April 3.

“He wasn’t as ready for it as I thought he was,” Mandella said.

The Potrero Grande was Crown of Thorns’s first start since a second in the Grade 1 Goodwood Stakes here last October. Saturday, he is back at Hollywood Park in another two-turn stakes, the $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap over 1 1/16 miles.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Years ago, they ran the La Troienne on the Thursday before the Kentucky Derby, and then it was the Mamzelle for filly and mare turf sprinters or the Kentucky Stakes for 2-year-olds. This year, owing to cutbacks and revisions in the spring-meet stakes schedule at Churchill Downs, it’s just allowance races anchoring what is loosely known as Derby Eve eve, a festive day when upward of 20,000 fans will be here to get their early Derby jones on.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Derby winners do not run in claiming races. An exception will be made Thursday at Hollywood Park, where Porfido is the horse to beat in the race 7 feature, a 1 1/4-mile turf allowance/optional claimer.

Porfido is a 9-year-old whose North American career fell short of his South American accomplishments. He won 7 of 13 in Chile, including the 2005 Chilean Derby. But in the United States, Porfido has won just one of 29 for the late Bobby Frankel and current trainer Humberto Ascanio.

In retrospect, it was easy.

Our Nautique’s wire-to-wire victory in the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile was one of those races where you know a horse will be on the lead, but you expect him to get caught late. Only it didn’t happen.

Our Nautique’s win in the San Francisco Mile gave trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and jockey Kevin Krigger their second straight stakes victory at Golden Gate Fields. One week earlier, Krigger rode the Hollendorfer-trained U R All That I Am to a win in the Work the Crowd, also on the turf.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Kentucky Derby on Saturday arrived too soon to fit the racing schedule of Clarke Lane.

The Belmont Stakes on June 11, however, could be the right Triple Crown race for the late developing colt, pending a start in Sunday’s $70,000 Alydar Stakes at Hollywood Park.

Clarke Lane was second in his American debut in an allowance race at Santa Anita on April 3, closing from eighth to miss by a neck. Trainer Simon Callaghan considered a start in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 16, but opted to wait for the Alydar, which is run over 1 1/8 miles.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After Kathmanblu won the Golden Rod Stakes in a romp last fall at Churchill Downs, the main goal for her connections was simply to get the filly back to the Kentucky Oaks in good shape.

So far, so good. Kathmanblu was assigned post 4, ideal for her stalking style, as one of the top contenders in the Grade 1, $1 million Kentucky Oaks, which will be run Friday at Churchill for the 137th time. In all, 13 3-year-old fillies are entered in the 1 1/8-mile Oaks, with Joyful Victory getting the inside post as the 5-2 morning-line favorite under Mike Smith.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Master of Hounds, the Irish raider who will attempt to win the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, arrived at Churchill Downs at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday morning following a flight from Ireland.

His van pulled into the stable area and was immediately taken to the quarantine barn, where he will reside during his stay here.

KENTUCKY DERBY NEWS: Track all the 3-year-olds on the Triple Crown trail

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tuesday morning was wet, cold, and unusually quiet at Churchill Downs, considering the Kentucky Derby is now only four days away.