LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the majority of the final Derby prep works in the books, Tuesday's appearance of the undefeated Big Brown took center stage during training hours at Churchill Downs. And what an appearance the probable Derby favorite made when he set foot over the Churchill Downs surface for the first time immediately after the renovation break.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After breezing Denis of Cork a half-mile in 48 seconds Monday at Churchill Downs, jockey Calvin Borel was dejected. He was delighted with the workout, but discouraged that the colt seemed in danger of being excluded from a Kentucky Derby field expected to be oversubscribed.

A few hours later, his dismay turned to jubilation upon hearing the news that Behindatthebar, the Lexington Stakes winner, would bypass the Kentucky Derby, clearing the way for Denis of Cork to start.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Another cold morning at Churchill Downs, but fortunately the showers that had been predicted never materialized. That came as a relief to the five trainers who chose to roll the dice and stuck to their original schedules by waiting until Monday to give their Derby horses their final preps.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After a flurry of workouts over the weekend, and the arrival on Monday at Churchill Downs of Big Brown, the likely favorite, just about all the heavy work is done for the 134th Kentucky Derby. Now, the waiting is the hardest part.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - What originally figured to be a relatively quiet morning turned into a pivotal one at Churchill Downs on Sunday. Several trainers, concerned about a forecast calling for possible overnight showers, moved their final Kentucky Derby preps up a day, including Eoin Harty, who sent out Santa Anita Derby winner Colonel John for a key five-furlong drill shortly after the renovation break.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Behindatthebar, the Lexington Stakes winner, will not run in Saturday's Kentucky Derby and instead will point for the Preakness on May 17, trainer Todd Pletcher said Monday.

Behindatthebar's defection will enable Denis of Cork to make it into the Derby field. Entries for the race will be taken and post positions assigned on Wednesday.

LOUISVILLE,Ky. - Colonel John dispelled any notions that he was strictly an artificial surface specialist by working five furlongs in 57.61 seconds at Churchill Downs on Sunday morning.

Colonel John was one of five prospective Kentucky Derby starters to work over a fast racetrack on Sunday. He was joined on a busy tab by the Bill Mott-trained duo of Court Vision and Z Humor, Adriano and the filly Eight Belles.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As predicted all week, the sun and unseasonably warm weather that bathed Churchill Downs for the past several days was gone, replaced by cooler temperatures and light showers that certainly affected training here Saturday morning. The racetrack was officially termed sloppy when Pyro came out in the first set at 6 a.m. but had been upgraded to muddy by the time the day's only local Kentucky Derby worker, Gayego, made his way onto the track following the renovation break nearly three hours later.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A week before the 134th Kentucky Derby, three contenders took a step forward toward the race, while one took a significant step backward.

Here at Churchill Downs, Gayego, the Arkansas Derby winner, completed his serious training for the Derby with a five-furlong drill. Over at Keeneland, Monba and Cowboy Cal, the one-two finishers in the Blue Grass Stakes, also worked five furlongs.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Gayego was the only Kentucky Derby candidate to work at Churchill Downs on Saturday, going five furlongs over a muddy track in 1:00.76 with regular rider Mike Smith aboard. Earlier in the morning, Monba worked five furlongs in 1:02.60 and his stablemate Cowboy Cal the same distance in 1:00 over the Polytrack at Keeneland. Monba and Cowboy Cal finished first and second, respectively, at Keeneland in the Blue Grass Stakes.