STICKNEY, Ill. - It is hard to be the Kentucky Derby prospect of the moment when you don't race during an entire month.

Denis of Cork had pundits yapping when he sharply won the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, but come on, that was, like, a lifetime ago. Since the Southwest's running Feb. 18, we have seen Pyro cement his top-end status in the Louisiana Derby, War Pass flop at Tampa Bay Downs, and most recently, Florida Derby winner Big Brown come screaming onto the scene.

Denis of Who?

ARCADIA, Calif. - B.J. Wright first met Michael Pender when Pender was a 12-year-old kid running around a Glendale, Calif., ball field, playing flag football with Wright's son.

Wright got hooked into coaching the youngsters and made a quick assessment of Pender.

"I decided to make Pender my quarterback," he said. "He looked like he was a kid with confidence."

Thirty years later, Wright's confidence in Pender continues, but in a different sport.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Bennie Stutts Jr.'s phone has been ringing off the hook since Smooth Air finished an easy second behind runaway winner Big Brown in Saturday's $1 million Florida Derby. And rightly so since the 70-year-old Stutts will be one of the more engaging stories when he arrives in Louisville later this month with his first Kentucky Derby starter.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - When War Pass finished last as the 1-20 favorite in the Tampa Bay Derby, it stood to reason that the number of starters for Saturday's Wood Memorial at Aqueduct would swell considerably.

After all, the Wood is a Grade 1 race worth $750,000 run at 1 1/8 miles over a regular dirt surface four weeks before the Kentucky Derby. The Wood has produced a bevy of Kentucky Derby winners, including Fusaichi Pegasus, Monarchos, and Funny Cide this decade alone.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer H. James Bond picked a good time to win his first race of the meet, sending out Hostess to a 1 1/4-length victory over 9-5 favorite Mauralakana in Sunday's $150,000 Orchid Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

Hostess, a 5-year-old daughter of Chester House, rallied from last after the opening mile of the 1 1/2-mile Orchid. With John Velazquez sitting patiently until nearing the stretch, Hostess slipped along the hedge and with a late burst of speed overtook Mauralakana in the final sixteenth of a mile to win going clear.

El Mirage ($5.20) led all the way to easily win his first grass attempt in the $30,700 Tempe Handicap for 3-year-olds at about a mile at Turf Paradise on Saturday. He crossed the wire 2 1/4 lengths clear of 6-5 favorite Nordic Wind.

Gold Coyote ($3.20) powered to a nine-length win over Ferdinand's Flyer in the $50,000 Fort Bend County for 3-year-old Texas-breds at Sam Houston Race Park.

Bandido ($6.20) got two turns in his first attempt Saturday when he rolled to a 3 1/2-length win in the $50,000 Cocodrie for Louisiana-breds on the final card of the meet at Delta Downs. John Charles finished second in the race restricted to horses who had never won a stakes. Also on the program, Coach Mike ($5.40) led throughout for a 6 1/4-length win in the $50,000 Gardenia for fillies and mares bred in Louisiana.

Bevys Best ($5.40) extended his streak of stakes wins to four and marked himself the top sprinter at Fonner Park with a two-length win in the $26,800 Budweiser-Tondi Stakes on Saturday.

Frankenbean got back on track as he powered home to win the $100,000 Mt. Cristo Rey Handicap on Saturday at Sunland Park.

Owned by Sammy Means and David Ratliff and trained by Emmitt Burelsmith Jr., the 4-year-old gelding stalked the early pace in the 4 1/2-furlong event for New Mexico-breds, pounced into the lane, got the lead by midstretch, and gamely held on to win by a length. Boom Boom rallied from well back to be second, a neck ahead of Gulchrunssweet.

Frankenbean covered the distance in 50.79 seconds under Miguel Perez and paid $5 as the favorite.