With the year well into its seventh week, and the Kentucky Derby drawing ever closer, it had become a mite disconcerting that Afleet Alex, one of the nation's elite 3-year-olds, had yet to have a recorded workout, what with his 2005 debut only 4 1/2 weeks away. But last year's runner-up for champion 2-year-old finally got back to serious business Wednesday morning at Oaklawn Park, with a four-furlong drill in 47 seconds.

Bob Baffert, Patrick Biancone, and Ron Ellis might not have a better one in the barn, but this past weekend showed that they at least have another one in the barn. All three trainers strengthened their hand for the Kentucky Derby with top performances by colts considered their second-stringers.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A record handle for a Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool was established Sunday when the mutuel field closed as the 2-1 favorite, marking the seventh time in as many years that the field has been favored in the first of three pools.

Handle on Pool 1 was $620,362, including a record one-day handle of $346,159 on Sunday, the last of four days of wagering into the parimutuel, win-only pool. The previous record for any Derby Future Wager pool was $577,889 on Pool 1 in 2002.

In order to allow fans to see the results of Sunday's San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita before betting, the deadline for Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager has been extended to 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Post time for the Grade 2, $150,000 San Vicente, which includes Consolidator as one of the 23 individual betting interests in Pool 1, is 6:07 p.m. Betting for Pool 1 had been scheduled to end at 6 p.m.

Churchill Downs also changed the closing time for the first round of future wagering on the Kentucky Oaks until 6:45 p.m., 15 minutes later than originally scheduled.

Steady wagering action on several separately listed contenders led to a more balanced odds board Friday, the second of four days for Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

As of 5:20 p.m. Eastern, the mutuel field, or the 24th and "all others" option, was still the 3-2 favorite, having drifted upward from as low as 2-5 when a sizable bet was placed on it Thursday. Churchill Downs officials reported the bet, most likely in the $25,000 range, had been placed through a hub in Maine, a commonly used conduit for many offshore sites.

A sizable mid-afternoon wager made the mutuel field the 2-5 favorite when the first of three pools in the annual Kentucky Derby Future Wager opened Thursday at tracks and wagering sites throughout North America.

As of 5:35 p.m. Eastern, the field, or the 24th and "all others" option, had attracted $28,427 of nearly $50,000 bet into the win-only, four-day wager. Afleet Alex was the 14-1 second choice, followed by Harlington at 19-1 and Declan's Moon at 22-1.

Pool 1 of the Derby futures closes at 6 p.m. Eastern Sunday.

The Kentucky Derby is not until May 7, but as far as trainer Ron Ellis is concerned, it cannot come quickly enough. "I wish the Derby was the first Saturday in March," he said Wednesday.

Smarty Jones picked up an additional $30,000 in purse money on Wednesday when the purse of the Kentucky Derby was adjusted upward.

The purse of Saturday's Derby had originally been incorrectly calculated as $1,154,800, which omitted the $30,000 in entry fees for Wimbledon and St. Averil. Those two horses were scratched the day before the race. The additional money, all going to the winner, increased Smarty Jones's earnings to $6,763,155, still sixth on the all-time list.

Despite poor weather, a massive construction project, and a field that many saw as inscrutable, business figures for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs were up on nearly all fronts, including television ratings.

All-sources betting on the Derby itself and the 12-race Churchill card were records, while attendance, despite the construction and thunderstorms at the track, was relatively strong. Overnight ratings for the Derby broadcast were up as well, adding to a string of strong numbers for the telecast since NBC took over from ABC in 2001.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Conditions may not ever be more difficult during Kentucky Derby weekend at Churchill Downs than they were this year, but track officials said Monday in the aftermath of Derby 130 that Derby Day proceeded reasonably smoothly, and that they are relieved to have gotten this transitional year behind them.