HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Though he was the least-experienced horse in the race, the sheer, raw talent of Bodemeister was too much for his rivals on Saturday in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, as Bodemeister romped to a dazzling, 9 1/2-length victory, firmly placing himself among the elite contenders for the Kentucky Derby on May 5 at Churchill Downs.

Secret Circle, like Bodemeister trained by Bob Baffert, held on for second, a neck in front of Sabercat, whose trainer, Steve Asmussen, and jockey, Corey Nakatani, combined for five wins earlier on the card.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Dullahan stamped himself as one of the favorites for the 138th Kentucky Derby and put himself in the record books by rolling past favored Hansen to win the 88th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes on a warm Saturday afternoon at Keeneland.

Editor’s Note: Countdown to the Crown returns for a seventh season online as one of the most comprehensive handicapper’s scouting reports of the 3-year-old scene. Posted each Friday at DRF.com from Jan. 6 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 and interactive features at Countdowntothecrown.com as well.

I’ll Have Another, the winner of the Santa Anita Derby last Saturday, has returned to training at Hollywood Park, trainer Doug O’Neill said.

I’ll Have Another was jogged on Wednesday and was galloped on Thursday.

Owned by Paul and Zillah Reddam, I’ll Have Another will remain in Southern California until April 28, and will have his final major workout for the Kentucky Derby on April 27. The Kentucky Derby is May 5.

“He’s so full of himself, showing great energy,” O’Neill said.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A crush of horses bearing down from his outside would be something brand new for Hansen. As fast as he is, the nearly white colt has grown accustomed to free-wheeling out front, and never in his first five races has he encountered any such difficulty.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Mario Gutierrez was 17 in 2004 and had just finished high school in Veracruz, Mexico, when he announced his grand career plans to his parents. He wanted to move to Mexico City, and become a jockey.

“I said, ‘Let me try it in Mexico City for a year,’ ” he remembers.

A year, his parents said. Give it a year. If you are not successful, come home and head to college, they said.

After a year, Gutierrez was ready to leave Mexico City, but he went north, all the way to Hastings Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he became a leading rider.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Some fans may raise eyebrows when a horse works a sizzling five furlongs just four days before a 1 1/8-mile race, but it must be remembered that Jonathan Sheppard did not make the Hall of Fame by accident.

The 71-year-old Englishman sent out Ever So Lucky for a 57-second drill Tuesday in preparation for the Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday in a move prompted partly by the way Ever So Lucky, an Indian Charlie colt, has played catch-up all winter.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Secret Circle has developed into one of the nation’s top Kentucky Derby prospects without a lot of fanfare. Even though he will be going for a sweep of Oaklawn Park’s series for 3-year-olds on Saturday in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby, it is a stablemate of his, Bodemeister, who has been grabbing a good deal of attention after being made the morning-line favorite for the race.

With the big race now only three weeks away, the last two major Kentucky Derby preps will be contested Saturday. But while the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby and the Grade 1, $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes are certainly the undisputed headliners on the respective cards at Oaklawn Park and Keeneland, there are noteworthy stakes on each undercard. Among the three other stakes at Keeneland is the Grade 1, $300,000 Jenny Wiley Stakes, Meanwhile, the Grade 2, $400,000 Oaklawn Handicap is the primary supporting feature at Oaklawn.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Union Rags had the first of his final three works leading up to the Kentucky Derby, and his last before departing his winter home at Palm Meadows, when breezing an easy but visually impressive half-mile in 48.32 seconds shortly after dawn Thursday.