ARCADIA, Calif. – Creative Cause will make his first start since November in the $150,000 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita next Sunday, and the two-time stakes winner is more than ready, trainer Mike Harrington said.

The winner of the Grade 1 Norfolk Stakes in October and third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November, Creative Cause worked six furlongs in 1:11.40 at Hollywood Park on Sunday, his final major exercise before the Grade 2 San Vicente over seven furlongs.

“I think he’s on his game,” Harrington said.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – After agonizing over the decision for several days, jockey Javier Castellano and his agent, Matt Muzikar, have chosen to ride Algorithms, not Union Rags, in Gulfstream Park’s Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on Feb. 26. Union Rags will be ridden by Julien Leparoux in the Fountain of Youth.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Just call it the Todd Pletcher Hutcheson.

Pletcher won the 3,000th race of his training career earlier on Saturday’s card. Six of those victories had come in Gulfstream Park’s seven-furlong Hutcheson. A couple of hours later, Pletcher got his seventh Hutcheson trophy after Thunder Moccasin cruised to an easy and popular 6 3/4-length victory over Il Villano in the Grade 2 dash for 3-year-olds.    

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -  Trainer Jonathan Sheppard said that a combination of a week’s worth of bad weather and the prospect of a wet track on race day prompted him to scratch his Kentucky Derby prospect Ever So Lucky from his much-anticipated 3-year-old debut in Saturday’s seven-furlong Hutcheson at Gulfstream Park.            

“He needed some good, strong gallops during the week especially after we gave him a conservative work because of the wet track at the beginning of the week,” Sheppard said at his barn during training hours Saturday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The second of three days of wagering into Pool 1 of the 2012 Kentucky Derby Future Wager will start with the mutuel field as the 3-5 favorite after $104,126 was bet into the win pool Friday. Pool 1 closes Sunday at 6 p.m., and as with any parimutuel wager, odds will change throughout the weekend, with final odds established at closing time.

The field, the 24th or “all others” option, stood as the 3-5 choice Saturday morning, followed by Union Rags (8-1), Algorithms (17-1), Alpha (21-1), Hansen (24-1), and Creative Cause (27-1).

Atigun, who started his 3-year-old season with a sharp first-level allowance win opening weekend at Oaklawn, is being pointed for the Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes here Feb. 20, said his trainer, Ken McPeek. His connections had been debating whether to run back in the Southwest, at a mile, or await the Grade 2, $500,000 Rebel on March 17, a race to be run at the same mile and a sixteenth distance over which he won at Oaklawn.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The filly Princess Arabella is well-regarded enough to have been nominated to the Triple Crown by owner Peachtree Stable.

Whether she runs in such historic races will not be known for a few months. What is clear is that Princess Arabella is one of trainer Bob Baffert’s leading 3-year-old fillies, a point she is expected to emphasize in a $58,000 allowance race over seven furlongs at Santa Anita on Sunday.

The future is now for handicappers bold enough to make an early bet on the Kentucky Derby. Pool 1 of the Churchill Downs Kentucky Derby Futures wager opened at noon Eastern on Friday and will close at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

As always, 23 horses have been chosen to be individual betting interests, and the 24th option is the field, which is a bet on all of the other 3-year-olds. For those who believe that selecting the winner of the May 5 Kentucky Derby this far in advance isn’t enough of a challenge, exacta wagering is also available.

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.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Fed Biz, one of trainer Bob Baffert's most promising 3-year-olds this year, won his debut against winners in an optional claimer over a mile at Santa Anita on Thursday.

A colt by Giant's Causeway owned by Kaleem Shah, Fed Biz had an ideal trip to win by 5 3/4 lengths against four overmatched rivals. Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Fed Biz ($3.40) stalked pacesetter Consulado to early stretch, took the lead on the outside and was hand-ridden to finish. Fed Biz ran a mile in 1:34.74. Consulado finished second, 6 1/2 lengths clear of third-place Blueskiesnrainbows.