OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Owner Ron Lombardi and trainer Jason Servis have a very simple and logical explanation for keeping Kentucky Derby prospect Firenze Fire in New York this winter.

“Ron and I talked about it, and he thought New York was the softest path to the Derby, and I agreed with him,” Servis said.

Weather permitting, New York’s path to the Kentucky Derby is scheduled to begin Monday with the $150,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct, and Firenze Fire was one of eight horses entered Friday for the one-turn mile.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Bolt d’Oro has been taking it fairly easy since the Breeders’ Cup, but soon he and the rest of the 3-year-old class of 2018 at Santa Anita will begin their serious preparations toward the May 5 Kentucky Derby, which locally based horses have won four times in the last six years, with California Chrome, Nyquist, I’ll Have Another, and, of course, Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

$402,400 Springboard Mile; one mile; Remington Park; Dec. 17, 2017
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: Greyvitos, by Malibu Moon
Trainer: Adam Kitchingman
Jockey: Victor Espinoza
Owner: Triple B Farms
Beyer Speed Figure: 88

Grade 1, $300,000 Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity, 1 1/16 miles, Los Alamitos, Dec. 9, 2017

(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: McKinzie, by Street Sense
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Mike Smith
Owner: Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman
Beyer Speed Figure: 91

Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen Stakes, 1 1/8 miles, Aqueduct, Dec. 2, 2017
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: Catholic Boy, by More Than Ready
Trainer: Jonathan Thomas
Jockey: Manny Franco
Owner: Robert LaPenta
Beyer Speed Figure: 91

Grade 2, $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes; 1 1/16 miles; Churchill Downs; Nov. 25, 2017
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: Enticed, by Medaglia d’Oro
Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
Owner: Godolphin, LLC
Beyer Speed Figure: 81

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The mutuel field, the 24th or "all others" option, closed as usual as a decisive favorite in Pool 1 of the 2018 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which closed Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern after a four-day wagering window.

With $177,103 in the win pool, the field closed at 6-5 and was followed by Bolt d'Oro (7-1), Good Magic (11-1), McKinzie (12-1), and Montauk (17-1). Another $73,156 was bet in exactas, making for a combined handle of $250,259. The lowest $2 exacta will-pay combination of Bolt d’Oro over the field (2-24) is worth $40.80.

Meiner Yukitsubaki, a colt by 2012 Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another, is part of a projected field of eight in Saturday’s $170,894 Cattleya Sho at Tokyo Racecourse, the first race of a three-race series that could produce a Japan-based runner for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 5.

The qualifying series was introduced last year, but there was not a Japan-based runner in the Kentucky Derby in May. A similar series will begin in Europe this winter, with one berth available to a horse that earns points in races in England, France, and Ireland.

Grade 1, $1,840,000 Breeder’s Cup Juvenile; 1 1/16 miles; Del Mar; Nov. 4, 2017
(20 Derby qualifying points for a win, 8 for second, 4 for third, 2 for fourth)

Winner: Good Magic, by Curlin
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Owner: eFive Racing Thoroughbreds and Stonestreet Stables LLC
Beyer Speed Figure: 100

Grade 3, $150,000 Iroquois Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Churchill Downs, Sept. 16, 2017

(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: The Tabulator, by Dialed In
Trainer: Larry Rivelli
Jockey: Jose Valdivia Jr.
Owner: Carolyn Wilson
Beyer Speed Figure: 76