LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner. Of the 20 horses who won the race from its inception in 1984 through 2003, 11 returned the following spring to race in the Kentucky Derby. None won.

The latest horse who will try to break that streak is Wilko, whose lone win in this country came in the Breeders' Cup. Three losses later, he will seek to shine again when the spotlight is brightest, in the 131st Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Weather: Sunny, Temp. 40
Track: Fast

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Only one Kentucky Derby contender worked on a cold, crisp, and clear Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs. All eyes were on Afleet Alex when he came out to drill a half-mile under jockey Jeremy Rose after the renovation break. The morning also marked the first local appearance of reigning Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Wilko, who merely jogged once around the course following a short visit to the one-mile chute.

Work of the day

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The phone rang Monday morning at 5 a.m. at the Southern California home of Bob Lewis and his wife, Beverly. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas was on the line from here in Kentucky.

"The minute I heard his voice," Lewis said from California, "I knew it wasn't good."

It wasn't. Lukas was calling to report that Consolidator, one of two horses he and the Lewises intended to run in the 131st Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs, had suffered a career-ending sesamoid fracture in his right front leg. He will go to stud next year, Lukas said.

LOUISVILLE - His nickname around the barn is Conejo, which in Spanish means rabbit. The connections of Spanish Chestnut, however, swear it's just a coincidence, a play on the mother's name, Baby Rabbit.

But there are some who believe Spanish Chestnut's presence in Saturday's 131st Kentucky Derby is to act as a rabbit, or pacesetter, for Bandini, who comes from off the pace. More specifically, the belief is that Spanish Chestnut will have enough speed to keep probable Derby favorite Bellamy Road from making an easy lead as he did winning the Wood Memorial.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Nobody was under more pressure at Churchill Downs on Sunday morning than exercise rider Maxine Correa, who was entrusted with the task of working three of trainer Nick Zito's Kentucky Derby hopefuls, including likely favorite Bellamy Road. High Fly, Noble Causeway, and Bellamy Road all completed their works without incident and almost exactly as Zito had mapped them out.

Weather: Sunny, Temp. 44
Track: Fast

Weather: Clear, Temp. 44
Track: Fast

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Consolidator, the winner of the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity, has suffered a fractured sesamoid and is out of Saturday's Kentucky Derby.

Consolidator is trained by D. Wayne Lukas and is owned by Bob and Beverly Lewis. They will be represented by Going Wild in the Derby.

Consolidator's defection reduces the number of potential Derby starters to 20, which should allow both Don't Get and Greeley's Galaxy to represent owner B. Wayne Hughes, should he choose to run both.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Steady showers that forced postponement of key Kentucky Derby workouts in the morning gave way to overcast skies in the afternoon on Saturday at Churchill Downs, as the historic track ushered in its 2005 season with a that may produce a Derby candidate in Don't Get Mad, who scored an electrifying victory.

For the second consecutive morning, rain and a sloppy track forced all three scheduled works to be postponed as trainer Nick Zito decided to wait another 24 hours before giving Bellamy Road, High Fly, and Noble Causeway their final Derby preps.

The wet track could not keep Afleet Alex from his usual daily rounds - and then some - as the Arkansas Derby winner was clearly the star of the show after training an almost incomprehensible five miles split between a pre-dawn jog and a mid-morning jog/gallop.