WHO’S HOT

Constitution, the undefeated winner of the Florida Derby, will miss the Kentucky Derby and the rest of the Triple Crown because of a shin fracture, Elliott Walden, president and chief executive of co-owner WinStar Farm, said Wednesday.

Constitution, trained by Todd Pletcher, has won all three of his races at Gulfstream Park. He defeated maidens in his debut Jan. 11, then won a first-level allowance Feb. 22 before his victory in the Florida Derby on March 29.

Ricardo Santana Jr. will have the mount on Tapiture if he runs in the Kentucky Derby, trainer Steve Asmussen said Tuesday.

Asmussen said he wants to see how Tapiture trains in the next two weeks before committing to the race but added that if Tapiture runs, Santana rides.

"He was fourth on Saturday," Asmussen said, referring to the Arkansas Derby, "which was disappointing. He arrived safely at Churchill Downs, is scheduled to gallop tomorrow, and is scheduled to breeze on Monday."

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Jose Garoffalo confirmed Tuesday that Rafael Bejarano will ride Wildcat Red in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 3. Bejarano will be the sixth different jockey to be aboard the Fountain of Youth Stakes winner and Florida Derby runner-up in as many starts.

The chairman of The Jockey Club released a statement Monday calling for trainers of horses entered in the Triple Crown events to make the horses’ veterinary records publicly available beginning 14 days before each of the three races.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Lexington Stakes is the last race with eligibility points toward the Kentucky Derby, but that will be a moot point Saturday when the 1 1/16-mile race is run at Keeneland.

None of the 3-year-olds under consideration for the Lexington have any Derby qualifying points, and with just 10 points to the winner, it seems impossible that any can crash the 20-horse field for the Kentucky Derby, since 20 points appears the likely threshold to make it.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Twenty-one is great if you’re playing blackjack, but not so terrific if you’re trying to get into the Kentucky Derby.

However, if trainer Gary Contessa were a gambling man, he’d double down on his chances to make the Derby with his 3-year-old Uncle Sigh, who currently sits 21st on the list of horses with qualifying points for the May 3 Kentucky Derby. The field is limited to 20 starters and the field is based on points earned in races designated by Churchill Downs. All the major points races have been run.

Although Saturday’s Grade 3, $500,000 Illinois Derby at Hawthorne does not offer qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby, the race is set to have a possible Kentucky Derby starter in the lineup Saturday in Midnight Hawk.

Trainer Bob Baffert said Monday that Midnight Hawk would be entered in the Illinois Derby, with Martin Garcia to ride. His confirmation comes after HRTV’s Scott Hazelton reported Baffert’s intentions on Sunday.

With the final round of Kentucky Derby preps with rich point values having been run Saturday, the current point standings mirror the prospective 20-horse field for the May 3 Derby. But there are several horses in the top 20 whose Derby status is uncertain, most notably Blue Grass Stakes winner Dance With Fate, so the possibility looms large of horses currently on the outside eventually earning a berth in the starting gate in the Derby.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Dance With Fate, winner of the Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland, will return to California on Monday, and a decision as to whether he runs in the Kentucky Derby will be made by his owners, trainer Peter Eurton said Sunday at Santa Anita.

Eurton, as he did immediately following the race Saturday, said he would prefer not to run on dirt in the Derby on May 3, believing Dance With Fate is better on synthetic or grass. He also thinks coming back in three weeks would not be ideal for a horse who prefers time between races.