HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Gayego put himself in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby by holding Z Fortune at bay to win the Grade 2, $1 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday. He won by three-quarters of a length before an ontrack crowd of 56,326, on closing day of the Oaklawn Park season.

Tres Borrachos finished third, four lengths behind runner-up Z Fortune.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Hey Byrn improved his chances of making the Kentucky Derby with a popular 2 1/4-length win over Dream Maestro in Saturday's $150,000 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

"We did what we needed to do," trainer Eddie Plesa said. "Now we sit still and see what happens."

Hey Byrn increased his graded earnings to $140,000 with his victory in the Grade 3 Holy Bull, which figures to put him near the cut-off point for the 20th and final spot in this year's Derby lineup.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Assuming Polytrack results mean something toward the Kentucky Derby, Todd Pletcher is back in business. Normally a huge factor on the Triple Crown trail, Pletcher had been a non-factor this spring as things took shape for the May 3 Derby.

Until Saturday. Pletcher sent out the one-two finishers in the 84th running of the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes over Polytrack at Keeneland when Monba, ridden by Edgar Prado, edged past stablemate Cowboy Cal in the final yards to prevail by a neck, while heavily favored Pyro never threatened when finishing 10th of 12 3-year-olds.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The connections of Sherine had several stakes options from which to choose for their New York-bred 3-year-old filly this weekend. In the end, they chose the most challenging and, as it turned out, the most rewarding.

Last as the favorite in the listed Dearly Precious Stakes in February, Sherine rebounded as the longest shot in the field to win Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Comely Stakes at Aqueduct.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Rutherienne was one of the best 3-year-old turf fillies of 2007 but had never been tried outside her division. Thrown to the older wolves Saturday when making her 4-year-old debut, the Pulpit filly responded with a spectacular effort, driving through a narrow opening in deep stretch to register a neck victory over longshot Stormy West in a hotly contested 20th running of the Grade 2 Jenny Wiley Stakes on the Blue Grass Stakes undercard at Keeneland.

Trainer Art Sherman was fined $7,500 and began a 10-day suspension Saturday in a stipulated agreement with the California Horse Racing Board for a pair of carbon dioxide violations.

Brahma Bull, second in the fourth race at Bay Meadows on Dec. 2, 2006, and Hatif, second in the 10th race at Golden Gate Fields on June 10, 2007, both exceeded the permitted carbon dioxide level of 37.0 millimoles per liter of blood, with Brahma Bull recording 37.9 millimoles and Hatif 40.1.

Heavily favored Devereux ($3.60) stalked the early pace in Friday night's $62,230 Inaugural Stakes at Evangeline Downs before drawing clear in the stretch under Donnie Meche to win by 2 1/2 lengths. Early pacesetter Bluehard held second, a length in front of longshot Fiery Choice.

Eye Can't Look Back ($11.20), despite bobbling at the start, still managed to defeat 11 other Ohio-bred 3-year-old fillies in the $50,000 Royal North at Beulah Park.

Eye Can't Look Back was rushed up by jockey Jane Magrell and took the lead after splitting horses on the backstretch. She took a three-length lead into the stretch and finished 1 3/4 lengths in front of the previously unbeaten Great Goin Rose.

Got Bling, part of the three-horse Tim Hamm entry at 4-5, was 2 1/4 lengths farther back in third.

Stuck in Traffic set sizzling fractions before holding off Not Bourbon in the $150,400 Achievement Stakes at Woodbine.

Struck in Traffic's time of 1:08.62 was just .06 of a second off the six-furlong Polytrack record, which was set last year by Financingavailable. He returned $3.60 as the favorite, and earned $90,000 in the race for Ontario-breds.

The final margin was a lot closer than when they met a month earlier in Florida, but Lady Digby still got the better of Mary Louhana in the $80,000 Dahlia Stakes at Laurel Park.

Lady Digby ($3.80) had finished second behind former juvenile filly champion Dreaming of Anna in the Grade 3 Hillsborough at Tampa Bay Downs on March 15, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Mary Louhana.