LEXINGTON, Ky. - In Greek mythology, Odysseus the king perpetrated the famous Trojan horse ruse, a ploy that allowed his army to prevail in a lengthy war. Given the way Eskendereya dominated the Wood Memorial last weekend, Odysseus the Thoroughbred might need something similarly tricky to prevail in this year's Kentucky Derby.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Uh Oh Bango is the kind of horse who could step up at a nice price and run a big race Saturday in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby. The fourth-place finisher in last month's Grade 2, $300,000 Rebel, he finished more than six lengths behind winner Lookin At Lucky.

"I think he really should show an improvement off his Rebel race, and if he does show a good improvement, then we'll go ahead and think about taking him to the next level," said Kory Owens, who trains Uh Oh Bango for Triple AAA Ranch.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario With an eye toward the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, trainer Ian Howard said Resentless will take a pass on Saturday s Star Shoot, a six-furlong stakes that is the first local stepping-stone to the Oaks.

The Oaks is a 1 1/8-mile race for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies June 13.

If we re going to go to the Oaks, then sharpening her up to run six furlongs wouldn t make sense, Howard said. We d have to send her a little bit, and by the end of last year she was relaxing, stretching out. I d prefer to run her at seven furlongs.

WHO'S HOT

As expected, winter-raced runners were dominant throughout the first three days of the meet, from April 2-4. The fitness edge they possessed over the layoff horses who were legged up at Woodbine was paramount. The locals seemed to hold their own only in races that contained no raiders from south of the border.

The only two Oaklawn invaders were victorious, and each was trained by Steve Asmussen. The eight Tampa shippers posted an impressive record of 4 wins, 2 seconds, and 1 third. They included the 15-1 longshot winner Golden Tarique.

SOFT-PACE DERBY

Want to back Sidney's Candy in the Kentucky Derby? Good luck. Sidney's Candy crushed by 4 1/2 lengths April 3 for his third consecutive stakes win, but he also had another soft trip. After a slight stumble, Sidney's Candy crawled up front with zero pressure, waltzing the opening half in 48.50 and six furlongs in 1:12.33. No surprise that Sidney's Candy (overlay at $9.60) was gone.

DISTANCE TEST

Noble's Promise will have to outrun his pedigree to win the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday at Oaklawn Park. The race will be his first start at 1 1/8 miles, which many consider a distance that determines who might be effective in next month's Kentucky Derby.

Noble's Promise is a top prospect for the 1 1/4-mile classic because of a record that includes a win in at Oaklawn last month.

WHO'S HOT

Jockeys

Getting off to a fast start is a good sign at any race meet, especially a short meet like Keeneland. Kent Desormeaux did quite well over the first two racing days, winning with four of nine mounts (44 percent). He also rode a second- and a third-place finisher for 67 percent in the money. His ROI is $3.96.

WHO'S HOT

Once again, nobody is doing it any better these days than jockey Paco Lopez. After setting the 2010 one-week standard the previous week with 10 victories, Lopez came back to win a dozen races from March 31-April 4, including hat tricks on the Thursday, Friday, and Sunday cards. Lopez saved perhaps his best performance for , in which he slipped Arson Squad through along the biased rail to register a popular win against older horses. The streak blew the 2010 jockey race wide open and all but assured Lopez of his first Gulfstream Park title.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Although she has trained and raced almost exclusively on synthetic surfaces, being based in Southern California, Zenyatta ran one of the best races of her life here at Oaklawn Park two years ago in the Apple Blossom, and she went around the main track Thursday morning as if reunited with an old friend.

"She was bouncing on the track," said her exercise rider, Steve Willard, after Zenyatta took a one-lap gallop on the one-mile track. "She loves real dirt. She was happy as a pig in pie."

WHO'S HOT

The Chalk

Favorites lost eight straight races opening day on the main track but then went on a 17-for-23 tear, a streak that began with Star Orchid ($4.10) in the March 31 nightcap and went through Cajun Jet ($4.50) in race 4 on Wood Memorial Day.

The post-time choice won 8 of 9 races on April Fool's Day. The only one to be defeated was Taza, who stumbled at the start and settled for second at 55 cents to $1 - the shortest price of the afternoon.