Rafael Bejarano rode Bob Baffert-trained Castaway to a dominating victory in the first division of the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.

Over the President’s Day weekend, trainer Bob Baffert saddled 3 winning Kentucky Derby 2012 contenders.

Drill was the first on Sunday in the G2 San Vicente. The son of Lawyer Ron was facing a returning Creative Cause and an improving horse named American Act. He had turned in 4 consecutive clunkers in races from the BC Juvenile to the San Pedro in January, so many were speculating that he was in need of a break. But Baffert knew better, and Drill turned in a gutsy performance at what appears to be his preferred distance – 7 furlongs. American Act held on for 2nd, while Creative Cause never got his legs working in time and ran 3rd. Creative Cause galloped out strongly past the wire and should relish longer distances, so this race should be a toss in analyzing his Kentucky Derby 2012 chances.

Castaway joined stablemate Secret Circle on the plane ride to Oaklawn for the Southwest Stakes on President’s Day, but he wasn’t just in Hot Springs for the bath houses. He had broken his maiden in his last start after 6 tries, so a stakes race was a big jump in class. Castaway is a son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, and he ran like his dad in the first division of the Southwest. Under jockey Rafael Bejarano, the bay colt pressed the pace and then drew away from the field down the homestretch, winning by nearly 4 lengths. The final time for the 2-turn mile was 1:38.9. Castaway earned a Beyer fig of 92 and a BRIS rating of 97.

Rafael Bejarano then hopped on Secret Circle for the second division of the Southwest. This time, it was a true test for Secret Circle, as the BC Juvenile Sprint winner had faltered in his last start at the distance in the Sham stakes. At the break, Bejarano took the son of Eddington to the front, but was joined by Scatman. Secret Circle ran just off Scatman through the backstretch. Turning for home, he made a move for the lead, but Scatman was tough, and the two battled down Oaklawn’s homestretch. At the wire, Secret Circle found another gear and pulled away to win by a half-length. The final time was 1:37.08, a full second faster than Castaway. Secret Circle’s Beyer is a 102, the top for a 3yo in this season’s Kentucky Derby preps. He earned a BRIS rating of 103.

Other horses on the Kentucky Derby 2012 trail trained by Bob Baffert are:

The G3 race at Golden Gate Fields drew a tough field of 10, with Cal Derby winner Russian Greek topping the field.

SoCal shipper Handsome Mike set the early pace, with Daddy Nose Best getting a ground-saving ride along the rail. Lucky Chappy, meanwhile, missed the break and trailed the field in last. Through the backstretch, Lucky Chappy began a sustained move, passing horses on the outside. In the final turn, Daddy Nose Best swung out from the rail to pass tiring frontrunners Handsome Mike and All Squared Away, at the same time as Lucky Chappy. The two matched strides down to the wire, but it was Daddy Nose Best a nose better at the finish.

Daddy Nose Best had shown talent on the turf in his prior starts for trainer Steve Asmussen, and a switch to the synthetic now seems like a no-brainer. Daddy Nose Best is owned by Cathy & Robert Zollars and was ridden to victory by Julien Leparoux.

Lucky Chappy, a son of BC Turf winner High Chaparral, had also been strictly a grass runner until the El Camino Real Derby. He is a stablemate of 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, from Team Valor Stable and trained by Graham Motion.

Handsome Mike managed to finish 3rd for trainer Doug O’Neill and owner Paul Reddam.

The 1 1/8 mile distance was covered in a final time of 1:50.46. Daddy Nose Best earned a 92 Beyer speed figure and a 101 BRIS number.

Daddy Nose Best may return to turf, but it won’t be a surprise if Derby fever hits his connections. Lucky Chappy is set to compete in a different derby – the UAE Derby on Dubai World Cup day, March 31.

Zito has no shortage of talent when the Derby trail rolls around. As a regular trainer for Robert LaPenta and Marylou Whitney, he gets the best raw material with which to work. His stable winters in Florida, where his top 3-year-olds make their paths in the stakes races at Gulfstream and Tampa Bay.

Casual Trick (left) just misses Reveron in the Gulfstream Park Derby.

This year, his standout so far is Casual Trick. Casual Trick is sired by Bernardini and out of the Red Ransom mare, Casual Look. He broke his maiden at Churchill Downs in November at one mile. He was next seen in the Gulfstream Park Derby on New Year’s Day, where he ran a good second to Reveron. His last start was a dull 8th to El Padrino in an Allowance race Jan 29. That was on a sloppy track, however. Zito has a record of patient training and this one should bounce back dangerously in his next start.

Here is a chart of the all horses nominated to the Triple Crown with Nick Zito listed as their trainer:

As these horses continue along the Kentucky Derby 2012 trail, they could prove to be players in the prep races to come.

Creative Cause and Joel Rosario win the Norfolk Stakes(GI)at Santa Anita - Photo by Eclipse Sportswire

This weekend’s Kentucky Derby 2012 trail make 2 stops in California – at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday for the G3 El Camino Real Derby, and at Santa Anita on Sunday for the G2 San Vicente.

The El Camino Real Derby has been run since 1982, and for most of its 30 years it was run at 1 1/16th miles. In 2009, it was extended to 1 1/8th miles, and that is the distance the group of 10 3-year-olds will cover on Saturday’s edition. The last Kentucky Derby winner to come out of the El Camino Real was Charismatic in 1999. Charismatic was 2nd to Cliquot in the El Camino.

This year’s running features Russian Greek, the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained colt who took the Cal Derby in his first start of 2012. Russian Greek is by Giant’s Causeway and will be ridden by Aaron Gryder.

It won’t be an easy run for Russian Greek, however, with 2 big ship-ins coming to challenge:

Lucky Chappy, frequent-flyer owned by Team Valor, is coming from Florida and an all-turf career. The turf-to-synthetic-to Derby Dirt route worked for Animal Kingdom last year.

Handsome Mike, from Doug O’Neil’s barn, also makes the trip to Golden Gate. Handsome Mike was 4th in the Sham Stakes last out.

Cal Oaks winner Lady of Fifty is trying against the boys for the first time.

Others to watch: Senor Rain, 3rd in the Cal Derby for trainer Peter Miller and Daddy Nose Best, another turf horse trying the synthetics for the first time.

Creative Cause, a big favorite at 2 and a Kentucky Derby 2012 buzz horse since last summer, will make his 3yo debut in the G2 San Vicente on Sunday.

Run since 1935, the race has been restricted to 3yos since 1937 and many Kentucky Derby winners have emerged from the race: Gallahadion (1940), Hill Gail (1952), Swaps (1955), Lucky Debonair (1965), Majestic Prince (1969) and Silver Charm (1997) all won the San Vicente before claiming glory in the Run for the Roses.

Run at 7 furlongs since 1955, it is a test for horses stretching out from sprinting and a show of tactical speed for the more stamina-influenced horses.

Also running in the San Vicente is Bob Baffert’s colt, Drill. Winner of the Del Mar Futurity and stakes placed several times since then, Drill has been on a slump lately, with bombs in the CashCall Futurity and San Pedro. The turnback in distance could help the son of Lawyer Ron find the winners’ circle once again.

The short field of 6 features maiden and allowance performers, and Real Quiet Stakes 4th-place finisher Captain Obvious.

The road to Kentucky Derby 2012 winds through Arkansas on Monday with the Southwest Stakes, which could be run in 2 divisions. More on that later!

Rank      Horse                       Trainer                  Earnings
1              Hansen                    Michael Maker     $1,160,000
2             Union Rags              Michael Matz        $830,000
3             Sabercat                   Steve Asmussen   $600,000
4             Wrote (IRE)            Aidan O’Brien       $556,630
5             Creative Cause        Mike Harrington $488,000
6             Liaison                      Bob Baffert           $375,000
6             Dullahan                   Dale Romans        $375,000
8             Excaper                    Ian Black               $240,736
9             Algorithms               Todd Pletcher      $240,000
10           Basmati                    Doug O’Neill          $220,000
11            Drill                           Bob Baffert           $210,000
12           Alpha                         Kiaran McLaughlin $180,000
13           Rousing Sermon       Jerry Hollendorfer $164,000
14           Prospective               Mark Casse            $155,452
15           Finale                         Todd Pletcher        $153,345
16           I’ll Have Another      Doug O’Neill       $151,000
17           Currency Swap         Teresa Pompay     $150,000
18           Crusade                     Aidan O’Brien        $147,116
19           Brother Francis        James Cassidy      $120,000
19           Battle Hardened       Eddie Kenneally   $120,000
19           Animal Spirits            Al Stall Jr.             $120,000
22           Mr. Bowling               Larry Jones           $115,848
23           Faraaj (IRE)              Roger Varian         $110,330
24           Jack’s In The Deck   Robin Graham  $105,000
25           Gemologist                  Todd Pletcher      $103,855
26           Longview Drive         Jerry Hollendorfer $102,000
27           Take Charge Indy     Patrick Byrne     $98,400
28           Daddy Long Legs      Aidan O’Brien      $94,030
29           Vexor                         John Kimmel       $91,000
30           State of Play              Graham Motion   $90,000
31            Empire Way              Mike Harrington $85,000
32            Trinniberg                 Bisnath Parboo    $84,500
33            Motor City                 Ian Wilkes            $78,383
34            Optimizer                   D. Wayne Lukas $78,375
35            Lucky Chappy (IRE) Graham Motion $75,000
36            Shared Property       Thomas Amoss   $73,700
37            Exfactor                      Bernie Flint         $67,748
38            Sky Kingdom              Bob Baffert          $64,000
39            She Digs Me               Steve Asmussen $63,000
40           Seven Lively Sins       Al Stall Jr.            $61,697
41           Power World                Neil Howard        $61,354
42           Stoney Fleece              John Sadler         $60,000
42           Shkspeare Shaliyah     Doodnauth Shivmangal $60,000
42           Out of Bounds               Eoin Harty            $60,000

Alpha with Ramon Dominguez wins the Grade III Withers at Aqueduct.

Alpha has been in this space before, with his win in the Count Fleet in early January. On Saturday, he took another of the New York prep races, the G3 Withers. He covered the 1 1.16th miles handily after travelling 4-wide around both turns. His Beyer speed figure improved to a 90 from his 85 in the Count Fleet, though his competition seems suspect. His next stop on the Derby trail should be the Gotham Stakes in March.

The next 2 weekend stakes winners are newcomers to the Kentucky Derby 2012 trail.

Battle Hardened, a chestnut colt sired by Giant’s Causeway, had never won in his first 3 starts when he was entered in the Sam F. Davis stakes at Tampa Bay. The Florida contingent of Derby contenders is usually very deep, and that’s no different in 2012. Trainers have put maidens in stakes races before, but rarely are they victorious – Battle Hardened took a step toward living up to his name on Saturday. Sitting just behind the pacesetters and running along the rail, Battle Hardened had a smooth trip throughout the race. In the final 8th, jockey Julien Leparoux steered him to the outside, where he strolled by the leaders and took the race by a length.

The colt has a talented trainer in Eddie Kenneally, who was last seen on the Kentucky Derby trail with Santiva, another horse who broke his maiden in a stakes race, the 2010 Kentucky Jockey Club stakes. Santiva ran 6th behind Animal Kingdom in the 2011 Kentucky Derby. Kenneally also trained the stakes winner Custom For Carlos and G1 Acorn stakes winner, Bushfire.

In California, another upset winner stormed home in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa

I'll Have Another and Mario Gutierrez win the Robert B. Lewis Stakes(GII) at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA.

Anita. I’ll Have Another, a chestnut colt sired by fan favorite (and Travers winner!) Flower Alley, had run second to Creative Cause in the Best Pal stakes last summer and made an unsuccessful trip to Saratoga for the Hopeful, where he finished 6th. The Lewis was his first start for trainer Doug O’Neill since September, and the horse showed he was ready to win. Bob Baffert’s Liaison and Sky Kingdom, two highly-regarded runners, plus Empire Way and Rousing Sermon, were all top choices in the 8-horse field. I’ll Have Another went to post at odds of 43-1, but he repaid his backers nicely with his 4-length victory.

I’ll Have Another is pointing for the Santa Anite Derby.

Liaison, the heavy favorite in the Lewis, clipped heels in mid-stretch and tossed his rider, Martin Garcia. He came out of the race with no serious injuries.

This weekend on the Kentucky Derby 2012 trail is the G2 Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

El Padrino, a bright chestnut horse with a daring blaze down his face, leaped onto the top of many fans’ Kentucky Derby 2012 contenders list with his determined performance on the undercard of Sunday’s Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

El Padrino is a son of Pulpit, the 1997 Bluegrass Stakes winner and sire of stakes winners Corinthian, Tapit and Purge, among others. Pulpit is sired by the legendary A.P. Indy, a key stamina influence in pedigrees today.

Todd Pletcher trains El Padrino for owner Let’s Go Stable. He was ridden to victory in the Gulfstream allowance race by Javier Castellano.

El Padrino has 2 wins in 4 starts, including a 3rd-place finish in the Remsen stakes in November.  He was 2nd to the highly-regarded B Shanny in his first race at Saratoga last summer, then broke his maiden going a mile at Belmont in October. He followed that effort with the 3rd in the Remsen, where he encountered traffic trouble in the race won by O’Prado Again. Pletcher seems to be bringing this colt along carefully, with big plans for the future.

Todd Pletcher has a stable full of Kentucky Derby 2012 contenders, including Algorithms, Gemologist and Discreet Dancer.

El Padrino horse is the latest Kentucky Derby 2012 contender to watch from that stable.

Algorithms beats Hansen to win the Holy Bull Stakes(G3) at Gulfstream Park - Photo by Eclipse Sportswire

The G3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream was the seasonal debut of leading Kentucky Derby 2012 contender Hansen. However, the white blur could not hold off the late charge of Algorithms.

Algorithms is by Bernardini and trained by Todd Pletcher for Starlight Racing. The highly-regarded colt had won his 2 prior starts and was second choice in the Holy Bull. After a crazy-fast pace setup by frontrunning Hansen, Algorithms powered home easily, finishing the mile race in 1:35.17.

At the break, Hansen skittered slightly but lost no ground as he sped to the lead on the sloppy track. Setting fast early fractions of :23 and :45, Hansen lead the field around the track. At the top of the stretch, Algorithms simply powered past a leg-weary Hansen and drew off from the field. My Adonis closed fast but couldn’t get by Hansen before the wire. Fort Loudon was 4th.

The Holy Bull is only the first test for Hansen this year, and if trainer Mike Maker can successfully harness the white wonder’s early speed, he could be dangerous at distances. However, it’s Algorithms who came out of the race looking more like a Kentucky Derby 2012 contender.

Mr. Bowling made a daring 3-wide move out of the final turn and made a determined run down the stretch against laterunners Shared Property and Z Dager. He prevailed by a neck over tenacious Z Dager, though Shared Property was still coming strong at the wire. It was the type of performance that puts “bottom” into a racehorse, a quality necessary for the rough and tumble 20-horse field that the Derby promises.

Mr. Bowling is by Istan, an under-the-radar stallion who was very good on the track but is overshadowed by flashier name horses in the shed. Istan won at the shorter distances and on all surfaces.

Next stop on the Kentucky Derby 2012 trail for Mr. Bowling is the Risen Star stakes on Feb. 25.

Exfactor is the main factor in the Lecomte. Photo by Eclipse Sportswire.

The big horse in the race is Exfactor. This son of Exchange Rate has won 3-in-a-row for trainer Bernie Flint, including the Bashford Manor at Churchill  Downs. Exfactor has a win over the Fair Grounds strip in the Sugar Bowl stakes as well. He has been working out well in the mornings, and appears primed for a top effort. However, backstretch buzz on Thursday said that the colt had kicked his stall wall and slightly bruised his leg – it appears to be a minor incident because as of this moment, the colt is still scheduled to start.

Al Stall, Jr., shot to prominence in 2010 as the trainer of Blame. In 2012, he is the trainer of Seven Lively Sins, a quick colt sired by Stormy Atlantic. Seven Lively Sins was second in the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill last fall, then ran a good 4th in the hotly-contested Delta Jackpot.

Hammers Terror enters the race off an impressive score in an allowance race at FG in December. Trainer Mike Stidham has pointed the son of Artie Schiller for this race, and he looks to be tough.

Newcomer Gennadi Dorochenko has 2 well-bred colts lined up for the race in Adena’s Chance and Hero of Order. Adena’s Chance is the better of the 2, a colt by Limehouse who was 4th behind Exfactor in the Sugar Bowl. Hero of Order is coming into the race off a win at 6f at FG.

Top trainers Todd Pletcher, Steve Asmussen, Larry Jones and D. Wayne Lukas are all represented in the Lecomte. Pletcher ships in Dan And Sheila, a MSW winner over a mile at GP. Dan and Sheila is by More Than Ready.

Z Dager is Asmussen’s entry, a son of Mizzen Mast who is part of the trainer’s Fair Grounds string. Z Dager won a MSW at FG in December.

Larry Jones send Mr. Bowling,  a highly-regarded son of Istan, to the Lecomte. Mr. Bowling was 3rd in the Iroquois in his last start, but won a minor juvenile stakes at Delaware in October.

D. Wayne Lukas sends out Chalybeate Springs, a rangy son of Dynaformer who is coming into the race only a week after breaking his maiden at Oaklawn. Lukas has been a master of this tactic in years past and should not be overlooked.

Others in the field:

• Ted’s Folly, winner of the Springboard Mile at Remington, trained by Wilson Brown.
• Alexander Thegreat, maiden winner at FG trained by Bobby Barnett
• Capetown Devil, undefeated in 3 starts, is another intriguing entrant trained by David Carroll
•  Shared Property, Arlington-Washington Futurity winner making his 3yo debut for Tom Amoss.