OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though Alpha, the Wood Memorial runner-up, did not ship to Churchill Downs as originally scheduled on Monday, his connections remain optimistic the multiple stakes winner can still make the Kentucky Derby on May 5.

Bodemeister has come a long ways in his short career, from an unstarted maiden a little more than three months ago to the possible favorite for the Kentucky Derby following his overpowering victory in the Arkansas Derby on Saturday.

Bodemeister needed a big payday on Saturday, and he got it, banking $600,000 to take away any worry about him making the field because of insufficient earnings. He had just $60,000 going into the race.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The respective second- and third-place finishes in the Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday by Hansen and Gung Ho (31-1) added to an impressive recent record that trainer Mike Maker has compiled in the Keeneland showcase, particularly with longshots. Maker won the Blue Grass in 2010 with Stately Victor (40-1) and was beaten just a nose last year with Twinspired (24-1).

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Keeneland racing officials are looking for a field of perhaps 10 3-year-olds to run Saturday in the Coolmore Lexington Stakes, but with the apparent defection of Reveron, none of those horses has a realistic chance to make the Kentucky Derby field.

Mike Smith, who rode Bodemeister for the first time in winning the Arkansas Derby on Saturday, will retain the mount for the Kentucky Derby, trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday.

In another Derby riding development, Garrett Gomez will ride Daddy Nose Best, the winner of the Sunland Derby.

The next major decision will be that of Ramon Dominguez, who has been riding both Hansen and Alpha.
 

Barring late defections, this year’s Kentucky Derby will feature the top stars of the 3-year-old crop. Among them:

◗ Bodemeister, an Under the Radar selection following a scintillating maiden victory, who figures to take heavy betting action following a huge win in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby.

◗ Gemologist, trained by Todd Pletcher who is undefeated after a professional performance in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial.

LEXINGTON, Ky.  -- Union Rags, the third-place finisher in the Florida Derby and a leading contender for the Kentucky Derby, arrived at Keeneland on Sunday morning after a long van ride from the Palm Meadows training center in Florida.

Michael Matz, the colt’s trainer, said that Union Rags arrived at his barn at Keeneland at 4:30 a.m. after an 18-hour trip and settled in “without a problem at all.”

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. -   El Padrino, whose Kentucky Derby status remains in limbo, worked four furlongs in 49.01 seconds in company with 2011 Travers winner Stay Thirsty on Sunday morning at Palm Meadows. The work was the first for El Padrino since his fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby 15 days ago.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Dullahan earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure for his victory Saturday in the Blue Grass Stakes, the Grade 1 race that highlighted a record-setting day at historic Keeneland.

Trainer Dale Romans said Sunday morning that Dullahan came out of his 1 1/4-length victory over Hansen in good shape and that his newest stable star most likely will have one breeze at his home track, Churchill Downs, on April 28, the Saturday before the colt runs back as one of the top contenders in the 138th Kentucky Derby.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Bodemeister, Secret Circle, and Sabercat, the first three finishers, respectively, in the Arkansas Derby on Saturday, all came out of the race in good order and will share a plane ride to Kentucky on Monday morning to begin final preparations for the May 5 Kentucky Derby, their respective camps said Sunday morning at Oaklawn Park.