Think of it this way. If a terror on the Idaho racing circuit took his act to Santa Anita, or a Finger Lakes standout shipped into Saratoga, could the horse compete in something like a Grade 2 stakes? If you think not, then you probably wouldn't have liked the chances of Mystical when he started in the $110,000 Property Weekly Cup on Feb. 15 at Nad Al Sheba.

ARCADIA, Calif. - It is a long way from the five-eighths-mile track at Fonner Park to Santa Anita, but for apprentice jockey Dylan Williams, now is the right time for the move. The lanky 16-year-old arrived Monday from Nebraska, and he begins riding regularly this week at Santa Anita. Williams, whose agent is Jim Pegram, will be the only apprentice riding regularly in Southern California.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Michael de Kock, dressed in black shorts and black warm-up jersey, came ambling across his training yard Monday through a blanket of late afternoon Dubai heat. Balding, gone a bit thick in the waist, de Kock could have been a suburban dad thinking about firing up the grill. Closer up, de Kock's bright eyes crackle. They see things in horses others don't.

For example, de Kock's bloodstock shopping trip to South America last spring landed a colt named Asiatic Boy.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - Street Sense is scheduled to leave his winter base at the Palm Meadows training center Saturday, but not before having a serious workout prior to departure, said trainer Carl Nafzger.

"I want to get one more real good work in him before we leave out of here," said Nafzger. "When? Oh, I don't know. I'll let him tell me. Everybody knows the way we do things around here. You don't want to plan too much ahead because things can always change."

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Horses with the word "humble" in their name are making a big rumble this meet at Oaklawn Park. Most race for Jim Danaher, the 85-year-old breeder, owner, and trainer who ships in to run from his training center base in Pine Bluff, Ark.

Although Danaher has just 10 horses racing at the meet, he has won eight races. Overall, he is winning at a 29 percent rate, which is the third highest among the top 20 trainers at Oaklawn. His horses are prepared on a one-mile track located 72 miles from Oaklawn.

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. - Beyond the more compelling legacies that Barbaro left behind when he died in January, he blazed a trail that becomes relevant as the 56th Florida Derby approaches: He was the first Kentucky Derby winner in 50 years to enter after such a long layoff. Barbaro won the 2006 Florida Derby by a half-length over Sharp Humor, then was given five weeks off before romping by 6 1/2 lengths at Churchill Downs.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 7 will be a race for the boys.

On Sunday, trainer Todd Pletcher said that the brilliant filly Rags to Riches will not start in the Santa Anita Derby and will be trained up to the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 4.

Since Rags to Riches won her second Grade 1 race of 2007 in the Santa Anita Oaks on March 11, Pletcher and owner Michael Tabor had given thought to the possibility that Rags to Riches might take on males in the Santa Anita Derby. But Pletcher said Sunday they opted for the Kentucky Oaks.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Ramon Dominguez thought about being leading rider here even before the Aqueduct winter meet began. Now, with just four days left in the inner-track season, and despite missing four weeks due to injury, Dominguez's goal is within reach.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Boogie Boggs will be among the longest prices on the board and appears ambitiously placed when he runs for trainer Nick Zito in Saturday's $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. But one need only look at the results of the eighth race here last Saturday to understand why Zito plans to give Boogie Boggs a chance in the Grade 1 event.

Zito won with Compromise, who paid $193.40 after improving dramatically off a ninth-place finish in his career debut to win going a mile in a field of promising 3-year-old maidens.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Unlike a year ago, when the undefeated Barbaro went into the $1 million Florida Derby a prohibitive favorite, this year's edition of the Grade 1 event couldn't be more wide open with Scat Daddy, Stormello, and Notional expected to vie for favoritism in a likely field of 10 3-year-olds. Post positions for the Florida Derby will be drawn on Wednesday.