HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainer Bob Baffert, who last year swept Oaklawn’s graded series for 3-year-olds, said Super Ninety Nine is scheduled to ship to Arkansas for Monday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest. The horse breezed a half-mile in 47.60 seconds at Santa Anita on Tuesday and is due to arrive Thursday aboard at Tex Sutton flight from Southern California.

Most of the major prep races for the Kentucky Derby will be broadcast live this year on the NBC Sports Network, according to a Tuesday announcement from the Jockey Club, which is co-funding the broadcasts, and NBC.

Live coverage of races will include the March 30 Florida Derby and Louisiana Derby, the April 6 Santa Anita Derby and Wood Memorial, and the April 13 Blue Grass Stakes and Arkansas Derby. With the exception of the Blue Grass, which will appear on NBC during a 90-minute broadcast, all the races will be shown on the NBC Sports Network.

After briefly considering the Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Gotham as possibilities, trainer Todd Pletcher on Tuesday said that the unbeaten Verrazano would make his stakes and two-turn debuts in the Tampa Bay Derby on March 9.

Verrazano, 2 for 2 in his brief career, most recently romped in a Gulfstream Park allowance race, a one-turn mile, by 16 1/4 lengths on Feb. 2 while earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 105.

The first round of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager featured 23 leading 3-year-olds, but there are plenty of gems lurking on the periphery. One of them is Cerro, a colt from the connections that brought you 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom.

Dynamic Strike emerged from a pack of six horses spread across the track with a furlong remaining to record his third straight victory in Saturday’s $75,000 Miracle Wood Stakes for 3-year-olds at Laurel Park.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Mudflats had two widely diverse races in consecutive starts at Aqueduct this winter.

An emphatic win in a maiden race over seven furlongs in December was followed by a confusingly poor seventh in the Grade 2 Jerome Stakes over a mile and 70 yards on Jan. 5. The loss has dented plans of running Mudflats around two turns in a major stakes for 3-year-olds in coming weeks, an opinion that could be reversed if the gelding runs well in the $150,000 San Vicente Stakes over seven furlongs at Santa Anita next Sunday.

For the 15th time in as many years, the mutuel field is the favorite in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which closed Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern following a three-day run that drew a combined handle of $621,493.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As usual, the mutuel field is a solid early favorite in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, although Todd Pletcher nearly has ‘em surrounded.

As of 5 p.m. Eastern on Friday, the field – the 24th or “all others” option – was the 7-5 favorite after a healthy $131,303 was bet into the win pool. Pletcher is the trainer of the next four separately listed runners, all of whom were single-digit odds: Revolutionary (7-1), Shanghai Bobby (7-1), Verrazano (7-1), and Violence (8-1). Next in line were Goldencents (8-1) and Itsmyluckyday (22-1).

The eighth season of Countdown to the Crown returns as one of the most comprehensive handicapper’s scouting reports of the 3-year-old scene. Posted each Friday at DRF.com from Jan. 4 through the Belmont Stakes, Countdown keeps you apprised of the rising stars of the 3-year-old class from the maiden ranks through the Grade 1 stakes. You can access daily updates, opinions and interactive features at Countdowntothecrown.com as well.

Straight from the gate

On a foggy Wednesday morning, Golden Soul worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 at Fair Grounds in preparation for the Risen Star on Feb. 23. Trainer Dallas Stewart said Golden Soul worked six furlongs in 1:14 and change.

Golden Soul, making his stakes debut in the Lecomte in his third start, made a late run to finish second to Oxbow, who set a comfortable pace and wasn’t threatened in an 11 1/2-length victory. Oxbow is expected back for the Risen Star.