Liaison, winner of the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park in December who lost his rider in midstretch of his 3-year-old debut here in the Robert Lewis Stakes on Feb. 4, worked a half-mile in 47 seconds Wednesday.

Liaison worked in company with Gator Warrior, who was timed in 47.80. For Liaison, the half-mile workout was his first since the loss in the Lewis Stakes and was second-fastest of 24 works at the distance.

“I worked him without blinkers, and he worked really well,” trainer Bob Baffert said.

WHO’S HOT

It’s usually the first question anyone asks Lynn Whiting when they meet him and find out he’s a racehorse trainer: “Have you ever won the Kentucky Derby?” Fortunately, he can answer yes.

Twenty years ago, Whiting achieved the dream of every trainer when he won the Derby, with the longshot Lil E. Tee, who gave another local favorite of Kentucky, Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day, his lone win in America’s greatest race. Day has long since retired, but Whiting, now 72, is still making the rounds at the barn, every morning.

I just spent days poring over the past performances of each of the 398 Triple Crown nominees, searching for the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. I will settle for the Kentucky Derby winner right now.

I was able to eliminate a few hundred of the horses quickly.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Secret Circle and Longview Drive were among four Southern California-based 3-year-olds who flew into Arkansas on Tuesday in advance of the Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn on Monday. The shippers, along with local stakes winner Junebugred, who breezed a bullet half-mile Tuesday, top a list of 21 probables for the one-mile Southwest, which has a good chance of being split into two divisions. If it is, each division will be a Grade 3, and each will have a purse of $250,000, said David Longinotti, the assistant general manager for racing at Oaklawn.

The Feb. 25 Risen Star has picked up another likely local runner in Afford, who won a first-level route allowance race by a nose Feb. 9. Afford, a Jim Tafel homebred by Street Sense, is a half-brother to Fast Alex, who is scheduled to start in the Mineshaft Handicap on the same day. Greg Geier trains both horses.

Larry Jones is dealing with an issue right now any trainer would gladly take on: Figuring out how to spot multiple stakes horses in the same division.

ARCADIA, Calif. – A rebuilding year has also become a season of firsts for Southern California trainer Jack Carava.

In the last three months, Carava’s stable has been halved from approximately 40 horses to 20 following the abrupt departure from racing of Ron Valenta’s La Canada Stable last November. In the wake of that development, Carava reassembled a list of clients, some old and some new.

ARCADIA, Calif. – An impressive maiden race win by Bodemeister at Santa Anita last Saturday will result in a stakes appearance in March. The race and date have yet to be finalized, trainer Bob Baffert said Tuesday.

Baffert is loaded with Triple Crown hopefuls and is likely to use stakes at Santa Anita and other tracks such as Oaklawn Park to avoid running too many of his horses in the same race.

“I’ll have to give extra time and run him back in March somewhere,” Baffert said. “I’ll have to find a spot.”

Since its first running in 1982, the El Camino Real Derby has often been a springboard to success.

From 1984 to 86, the Preakness winner competed in the El Camino. The 1984 Preakness winner, Gate Dancer, ran second to French Legionnaire in the El Camino in 1984, and 1985 Preakness winner Tank’s Prospect and 1986 winner Snow Chief each won the El Camino Real.

In 1994, El Camino winner Tabasco Cat won the Preakness and Belmont. In 1999, Charismatic was second in the El Camino before winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.