LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A torrential downpour at Churchill Downs on Saturday resulted in the scratch from the featured of morning-line favorite Mayakovsky, the only horse in the race who could run back in next Saturday's Kentucky Derby.

Sky Terrace won the $112,800 Derby Trial, beating odds-on favorite Cashel Castle by two lengths, but the major news of the day focused on Mayakovsky.

Patrick Biancone, the trainer of Mayakovsky, made the decision to scratch his colt midway through the card, after watching steady rain soak the track into sloppy condition.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Tempera, last year's Eclipse Award-winning juvenile filly, spiked a fever Friday morning, putting her status for Friday's Kentucky Oaks in jeopardy, Tom Albertrani, assistant trainer for Godolphin Racing Inc., said.

"It's unlikely,' said Albertrani on Saturday, indicating he wanted to wait another 24 hours before officially declaring Tempera's status, "unless she gives us all the right signs that she's back to herself.'

JAMAICA, N.Y. - Pyrus briefly lost the lead but came on again to win the $112,100 Fort Marcy Handicap at Aqueduct on Saturday when the 9-5 favorite, Sharp Performance, was pulled up in deep stretch with a leg injury.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Even though he was scheduled to face Decarchy and Sarafan, ranked first and second among turf males in Daily Racing Form, trainer Darrell Vienna was eager to run Suances in Saturday's Grade 2 San Francisco Breeders' Cup Mile at Bay Meadows.

"This is not a horse to duck challenges with," Vienna said explaining why he was entering the European Group 1 winner in northern California's highest graded race.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - For the sixth time in six runnings, the favorite was beaten in the Grade 3, $300,000 at Lone Star Park on Saturday when Unrullah Bull, a $25,000 claim a year ago, darted clear in the stretch to win the race by 1 1/2 lengths. Hal's Hope, the 6-5 favorite, finished fourth.

Reba's Gold finished second, 1 1/2 lengths clear of third-place finisher Compendium.

"This is the biggest purse I've ever won, and the best claim I've ever made," said Cole Norman, who trains Unrullah Bull for owner Jim Donnan.

CICERO, Ill. - For jockey Larry Sterling, business went on as usual Saturday at Sportsman's Park, where Sterling rode his fourth stakes winner in a meet less than two months old. He did it the same way he won the other three, taking Emeraldforajudge straight to the lead, making all the pace, and holding off a belated rally from Summer Delight to win the $100,000 National Jockey Club Oaks by a three-quarters of a length.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Favored Wake at Noon vaulted over the $1 million mark in career earnings with a daylight score in Saturday's Grade 3, $165,000 Vigil Handicap at Woodbine.

It was the third straight stakes victory for Wake at Noon, who pressed front-running Dream Launcher through moderate splits of 22.77 and 45.48 seconds. He assumed command at the top of the stretch, and went on to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths over a closing Exciting Story.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Saturday was a feel-good kind of morning for Kentucky Derby hopefuls, the crisp, cool temperatures having most of the prospective starters on their toes before, after, and especially during their gallops.

A number of horses made positive impressions during training hours Saturday, including likely favorite Harlan's Holiday, who had a busy morning. With exercise rider Helen Pitts aboard, Harlan's Holiday jogged once around, going clockwise first, then reversing directions at the seven-eighths pole, then galloping a brisk mile and three-eighths.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Ken McPeek, who trains Harlan's Holiday, has bravely soldiered on in the stable area this past week despite a broken left foot, but not without a struggle. McPeek has to hop up stairs on the clockers' stand to watch his horses work, and ducking in and out of stalls is a chore.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With so many terrific races to be run here later in the week, it only makes sense that some of the less-accomplished horses on the grounds would help fill out the Tuesday card at Churchill Downs.

And while it is true that eight of the 10 races are for claiming horses, the eighth and ninth races are solid allowance races. In fact, the ninth-race feature, a $45,500 allowance sprint for 3-year-olds, attracted Storm Commander, winner of the Hansel Stakes, and shapes up as an appropriate tease for what lies ahead.