HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - While many of the top 3-year-olds wintering in south Florida ran here Sunday, including Kentucky Derby favorite War Pass, there is still no shortage of Derby hopefuls waiting in the wings. Several of them will compete in Sunday's third race, going 1 1/8 miles under second-level allowance conditions.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The connections of Go Go Shoot will for now resist the urge to stretch their 3-year-old gelding out in distance. They will skip next Saturday's $250,000 Gotham Stakes and instead point for the $150,000 Bay Shore here April 5.

The Grade 3 Gotham is run at 1 1/16 miles around two turns, while the Grade 3 Bay Shore, run over Aqueduct's main track, is contested around one turn at seven furlongs.

ARCADIA, Calif. - George Schwary is trying to contain his excitement these days. He really is.

Schwary has watched in amazement in recent months as his California-bred gelding Georgie Boy won the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity last September and his 3-year-old debut in the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita last month.

The wins have put Georgie Boy, the first horse that Schwary bred on his own, on course for the Kentucky Derby on May 3.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Go ahead and ring Gorgeous Goose as the winner of Saturday's $90,000 China Doll Stakes at Santa Anita. That's the way trainer Mike Puype sees the race.

"It's not a tough spot, put it that way," Puype said. "We'll have to see if she's the real deal on Saturday."

Puype has a right to be confident. Gorgeous Goose was a convincing winner of the Blue Norther Stakes over a mile on turf for 2-year-old fillies on Dec. 30. More than two months later, Gorgeous Goose returns as a heavy favorite in the China Doll, run over a mile for 3-year-old fillies.

Curlin's prep race for the Dubai World Cup went off perfectly Thursday night in Dubai, with the 2007 Horse of the Year coasting to an easy 2 1/4-length victory, while both he and jockey Robby Albarado gained valuable experience competing under the lights of Nad Al Sheba Racecourse for the first time.

Hollywood Park will run two $750,000 races - the Grade 1 American Oaks and the Grade 2 CashCall Mile - as part of a five-stakes program on July 5, the track announced earlier this week. Hollywood Park is offering 55 stakes worth $8.5 million for the spring-summer meeting that runs from April 23 to July 13.

In 2007, the CashCall Futurity and American Oaks were run on consecutive days. This year, they will headline a program that includes the Grade 1 Triple Bend Handicap, Grade 1 Vanity Handicap, and Grade 3 Hollywood Juvenile Championship.

ARCADIA, Calif. - It looks like owner Alex Venneri has a case of blind optimism.

Venneri looks at the field for Saturday's $1 million Santa Anita Handicap and is unfazed that his Seminole Native has been largely dismissed by experts. Seminole Native will carry 113 pounds, the lowest of the 14 starters. He is 30-1 on the morning line, and is likely to be a higher price at post time.

Fine, Venneri says. That means the winning mutuel tickets will be more valuable, an added bonus for his friends and family who will crowd into the winner's circle if his horse pulls an upset.

Steve Asmussen will be in Dubai by Wednesday night, with Curlin scheduled to race the following evening in his 2008 debut, but before he departed for his long journey to the Middle East, Asmussen oversaw major workouts for his 3-year-old stakes horses Sunday and Monday in New Orleans. He also confirmed their upcoming starts.

Golden Hare is taking care of business on the home front while his owner, Scott Blasi, and his trainer, Steve Asmussen, are in Dubai this week with reigning Horse of the Year Curlin.

Golden Hare won his season debut at Will Rogers Downs on Monday, wiring a field of allowance rivals by a length and earning Beyer Speed Figure of 90.

Turf War, winner of the $1 million Delta Jackpot, may run in the $600,000 WinStar Derby at Sunland Park on March 16, trainer Mark Casse said.

Turf War finished in a dead heat for the win with Z Humor in the Grade 3 Delta Jackpot on Dec. 7. He comes off a ninth-place finish in his 2008 debut in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Feb. 18. Turf War broke slowly as the 2-1 favorite and was beaten 8 1/4 lengths by race winner Denis of Cork. Turf War has over $500,000 in graded stakes earnings.