HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Gulfstream Park racing secretary Dan Bork has written a one-mile overnight handicap for 3-year-olds to be run here March 12. The race, called the Timely Writer, will offer a $100,000 purse and will carry no conditions, which makes it open to all 3-year-olds, including reigning division leader and Eclipse Award champion Uncle Mo.

March 12 also is the date of the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs. Uncle Mo’s connections have been pointing the horse to an early or mid-March return.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – There were at least nine probables for Monday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest at Oaklawn Park as of Wednesday morning, with Yankee Passion confirming his place in the lineup after a bullet five-furlong workout. Entries for the one-mile race for 3-year-olds will be taken on Saturday.

“We possibly could have up to 11,” said Pat Pope, the racing secretary at Oaklawn.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Will an individual 3-year-old ever be dominant enough to be favored in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager?

Even in spite of the presence of an unbeaten champion, Uncle Mo, in the lineup of 23 separate betting interests, the probable favorite in the first of three pools in the 2011 Derby futures still appears likely to be the mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option.

PAST PERFORMANCES: Download Pool 1's 23 individual betting interests

NEW ORLEANS – Continuity did not figure strongly into Santiva’s 2-year-old season. Santiva made four starts on three track surfaces and at three venues in 2010. In the span of three months, he was under the care of three different trainers. And through all the minor upheaval, Santiva comes into the 2011 season a legitimate hopeful to move firmly onto the Triple Crown Trail in the Risen Star Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Tapizar, one of the top 3-year-olds in California this year, has been diagnosed with a bone chip in a knee and is off the Kentucky Derby trail, trainer Steve Asmussen said on Tuesday.

Tapizar will be sent to Kentucky, where noted veterinarian Larry Bramlage will conduct the surgery. Tapizar was still in California on Tuesday. Asmussen did not give a time frame of how long Tapizar would be out of training.

"It's very, very disappointing," he said. "I feel bad for everybody involved."

Saturday’s runners in the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby exited the race in good order.

Silver Medallion, the winner, vanned back to his Santa Anita barn Sunday.

“He came out of it great,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “I was very pleased with his race. He’s a very nice horse.”

Asmussen and owner Michael Ryan will review “a tremendous amount of options” with the Badge of Silver colt, who scored his first main-track victory after winning the Eddie Logan on the turf at Santa Anita in his previous start.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Joe Petalino has learned two things about J P’s Gusto since the 3-year-old arrived at his Oaklawn Park barn from Southern California last week. The first is that the horse is very territorial.

“He tried to eat us alive when we went to put his blanket on,” joked Petalino.

The second lesson came Monday, and it was much more important. Petalino said J P’s Gusto handled the Oaklawn surface quite well when he breezed six furlongs in an easy 1:15.60. The move was in preparation for Monday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The Factor will be ridden by jockey Martin Garcia when the speedy colt makes his 3-year-old debut in Sunday’s $150,000 San Vicente Stakes, trainer Bob Baffert said late Monday.

Garcia will replace Rafael Bejarano, who was aboard The Factor for a 8 1/4-length victory in a six-furlong maiden race in track-record time of 1:06.98 at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, the colt’s most recent start.

Welcome to Under the Radar. Each week, I’ll select an up-and-coming Derby prospect for my stable of Radar Runners.

Neil Howard may be best known for his thoughtful and patient handling of young horses. Rarely will you see a Howard juvenile pop first-time out. In fact, according to DRF Formulator statistics, Howard is only 3 for 51 (6 percent, 0.85 return on investment) with debuting 2-year-olds over the past five years.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla - A year ago about this time, trainer Chad Brown was thinking Florida Derby and even Kentucky Derby with a promising 3-year-old named Tiz the One. A son of Tiznow, Tiz the One opened his career here with two impressive victories, the second a one-mile entry level allowance win for which he earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure. Unfortunately, a series of injuries has kept Tiz the One sidelined ever since.