A field of seven 3-year-olds has been entered for Saturday's $1,000,000 Florida Derby to be run at 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream Park.

The 9-5 morning-line favorite in the race is Empire Maker who drew post six and will be ridden by Jerry Bailey. Empire Maker is trained by Bobby Frankel who just scored an upset victory in last weekend's Louisiana Derby with Peace Rules. Empire Maker has won one of his three lifetime starts to date, and has stakes placings in both last month's restricted Sham Stakes at Santa Anita and last fall's Remsen-G3 at Aqueduct.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Rosemary Homeister Jr. is the undisputed First Lady of the south Florida jockey colony. On Saturday she also hopes to become the first woman to win the Grade 1 Florida Derby when she rides Supah Blitz for trainer Manny Tortora in the marquee race of the Gulfstream Park meeting.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Beyond an occasional dirt-race experiment, 3-year-old turf fillies are not much use during the winter at Santa Anita. That changes Thursday when 3-year-old fillies race a mile on grass in the $75,000 Some Sensation Stakes. The sun shines. A new season begins.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The San Felipe Stakes on Sunday is the turning point of the Santa Anita meet for 3-year-olds heading toward the Santa Anita Derby and beyond. Domestic Dispute, Atswhatimtalknbout, and Man Among Men are the principals, but with as many as 10 starters expected, the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe is anything but a three-horse race.

ALBANY, Calif. - The weather could be a key factor in determining which horses are in the field for Sunday's $150,000 Grade 3 Golden Gate Breeders' Cup Handicap.

With a weekend storm looming, trainers were hesitant about committing to the 1 1/8-mile turf race.

Only two horses, both locally based, are listed as definite for the race. Ninebanks, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, and the Dennis Ward-trained Surprise Halo will run.

Most trainers are like Gloria Buckridge, who is considering entering Capt. Fly Hook.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Now that trainer Michael Matz has found the Gulfstream Park winner's circle, he would like to become a more frequent visitor.

Sunday, Matz broke an 0-for-27 skid at the meet when he saddled Political Attack to victory in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf Handicap. While the stakes won't be as high Thursday, Matz hopes to be just as successful when he sends out Banished Lover in the day's feature, a $38,000 second-level allowance race for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Last weekend, he won the Santa Anita Handicap with his second-tier older horse and the Louisiana Derby with a horse that had never before won on dirt. So, what does Bobby Frankel have planned for this weekend?

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - This is officially the first week of Aqueduct's spring meet, but nobody sent Mother Nature a condition book. Recent rain, sleet, and snow, along with persistent freeze-thaw cycles, have conspired to keep the main track in hibernation.

Last week's spate of cancellations means handicappers may experience a strong sense of deja vu as they peruse Thursday's card.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Trainer Grant Forster will shoot for his second win from four starters at the Oaklawn Park meet on Thursday with comebacker Youcan'ttakeme. Forster, the son of longtime Pacific Northwest horseman David Forster, is training on his own for the first time after having worked for his father.

A 3-year-old filly, Youcan'ttakeme is one of seven in a six-furlong conditioned allowance race worth $32,000.

NEW ORLEANS - Lady Tak went into last weekend an undefeated filly with something to prove on a national level. She came out of it an easy winner of the Fair Grounds Oaks and a leading contender for the most important 3-year-old filly race in the country, the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks.

But Lady Tak has other business before the May 1 Oaks. Trainer Steve Asmussen confirmed on Monday that Lady Tak's next scheduled race is the Grade 1 Ashland on April 5 at Keeneland.

"This way we can train her here [at Fair Grounds] and go straight to Kentucky," said Asmussen.