OLDSMAR, Fla. – Could there be another Animal Kingdom residing on the backstretch at Tampa Bay Downs?

Saturday morning, State of Play, a horse with several similarities to the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner, breezed a leisurely five furlongs over the Tampa Bay main track in 1:03.

ARCADIA, Calif. -  Secret Circle, the winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint in November and second to Out of Bounds in the Sham Stakes on Jan. 7, is being considered for the $250,000 Southwest Stakes over a mile at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas on Feb. 20, Baffert said.

"He might get a shot in the Southwest,” trainer Bob Baffert said.

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.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Union Rags, runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and among the finalists for an Eclipse Award in the 2-year-old division, breezed an easy three furlongs in 38.35 seconds at Palm Meadows on Wednesday in the first work of his 3-year-old campaign.

“It was pretty uneventful, he’s just getting started,” trainer Michael Matz said. “He went an easy three-eighths and galloped out good. He’s really grown and filled out since his last start.”

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – As solid a race as Alpha ran winning Saturday’s $150,000 Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct, if he is going to become a legitimate contender for the Kentucky Derby, he is going to have to behave better in the starting gate.

That’s why Alpha will undergo stringent gate-schooling sessions between now and his likely expected next start in the Grade 3, $200,000 Withers Stakes here on Feb. 4.

Trainer Mike Maker continued his dominance of Turfway Park when he swept  the top two spots Saturday night in the 24th running of the $50,000 Turfway Prevue at the Florence, Ky., track.

Mr. Prankster, ridden by John McKee, scored a 3 1/2-length victory in the 6 1/2-furlong Polytrack race, with his uncoupled Maker-trained stablemate, Magical Season, rallying from well back to be up for second at 11-1, another half-length ahead of Frankie Is Rock in a field of 12 3-year-olds.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Now that the calendar has turned to 2012, the West Coast’s 3-year-olds need to prove that they can stretch out and progress on their way to the Santa Anita Derby, and possibly the Kentucky Derby. The one-mile distance of the Grade 3, $100,000 Sham Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita was a testament to the path ahead, as Out of Bounds successfully stretched out in his stakes debut, while heavily favored Secret Circle, the unbeaten winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint, failed to reproduce his best form in his first try around two turns.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Can a legitimate Kentucky Derby prospect bloom in New York during the winter?

On a spring-like afternoon that rivaled any Wood Memorial Day seen around here in years, Alpha looked like a legitimate Derby contender with a solid 2 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s $150,000 Count Fleet Stakes over Aqueduct’s inner track. Stephanoatsee, a half-brother to 2011 Preakness winner Shackleford, rallied to get second by a neck over Il Villano.

Trainer Todd Pletcher’s arsenal of 3-year-old talent includes Discreet Dancer, who won impressively for the second time in as many starts during the current Gulfstream Park meet when he dominated Saturday’s seventh race going a mile.

Discreet Dancer, who earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure in his debut, broke alertly and controlled the race throughout before drawing away to a 5 1/2-length decision over Neck ‘n Neck with Javier Castellano aboard.

A trio of potential Kentucky Derby trail candidates breezed at Gulfstream on Saturday, led by Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Hansen, who went five furlongs in 1:00.40 shortly after the track opened at 5:45 a.m. Breaking three lengths behind stablemate Lonesome Street, Hansen posted splits of 24.60 and 36.60 seconds before galloping out six furlongs in 1:15.40 while three lengths in front of his partner at the wire.