With the Dodgers in Cincinnati for a series with the Reds, Torredrove down to spend Wednesday morning on the backside at ChurchillDowns visiting with Homeboykris.

The 3-year-old colt has just enough graded stakes earnings torun in next weeks Derby.

Torre bought a share of the horse after the colt won theChampagne Stakes at Belmont last October and is itching to see howhe fares in the Derby, where he will likely be a long shot.

So special, in fact, that McPeek is unwilling to jeopardize thepromising but nicked up 3-year-old colts health in an effort towin the Kentucky Derby.

“He deserves a chance and if we get everything right, weregoing to dance, and if we dont, were going to wait for thePreakness, McPeek said.

Nobles Promise took a major step toward the Derby on Tuesday,turning in a solid 5-furlong work. He covered the distance in 59.8seconds while pulling away from training mate Beautician.

It was everything McPeek was looking for after his difficulttrip in the Arkansas Derby, where he finished fifth, sustained cutson both front legs and developed a minor lung infection.

The quick workout, however, wasnt enough for McPeek to committo running Nobles Promise under the Twin Spires on May 1.

“I said coming out of Arkansas wed be 50-50. I think were alittle better than that, maybe 60-40, especially with theeye-catching work he put in, McPeek said.

It was a hoop that Nobles Promise – currently second among3-year-olds in graded-stakes earnings with $738,000 – had to jumpthrough to keep his Derby hopes alive. Hell have to do it againnext week to head to the post on the first Saturday in May.

“The hope is he doesnt regress off the work he put in, but theway he worked, we think hes moving forward, McPeek said.

Nobles Promise certainly looked healthy while pulling away fromBeautician, a candidate for the Kentucky Oaks on April 30, as theymade their way down the frontstretch. Jockey Willie Martinez hadntintended for the horse to go that fast, it just sort ofhappened.

By the gallop out, Nobles Promise was a sixteenth of a mileahead of the filly and McPeek had two problems on his hands: tryingnot to get too excited about Nobles Promise while trying tobolster Beauticians confidence.

“Thats a Grade 1 filly he was working against and he whippedher, McPeek said.

It was the kind of performance McPeek has grown used to over thelast year, when Nobles Promise became one of the most consistenttalents in his class.

He won the Breeders Futurity at Keeneland last fall, thenfollowed it up with a third in the Breeders Cup Juvenile at SantaAnita, before ending his 2-year-old campaign with a second-placefinish behind Lookin at Lucky in the Cash Call Futurity.

The two met again at the Rebel Stakes in March, with Lookin atLucky edging him again by a head. While Lookin at Lucky headed toCalifornia, Nobles Promise stayed at Oaklawn and went off as thefavorite in the Arkansas Derby.

It was a troubled trip from the start. He swung right from thethird post out of the gate, his front legs getting clipped byNorthern Giant in the process, and things didnt get much betterfrom there. He finished fifth, 4 1/4 lengths behind Line ofDavid.

The cuts turned out to be the least of the colts problems. Hecame out of the race with a lung infection, a problem McPeek called“minor but pesky. Antibiotics have helped, but McPeek said thehorses lungs will have to be clear to put him in Derby, where the20-horse field kicks up so much dirt that the track can resemble adust storm in the back.

Then again, Nobles Promise isnt the first time McPeek has hada Derby contender struggle with lung problems. He made his Derbydebut in 1995 with Tejano Run, whose issues didnt prevent him fromfinishing second.

Skipping the Derby would put a damper on one of the races trueunderdog stories. Nobles Promise is owned by Chasing DreamsRacing, a 24-person syndicate comprised of decidedly middle-classracing fans who paid $1,000 per share for their interest in thehorse.

Marsha Springate, one of the owners, is a Louisville native andhas been coming to the Derby for years. She has dreamed of makingthe walk from the backside to the paddock on Derby Day for years,and while it could happen May 1, there are other races down theroad.

Still, when they were considering buying the horse as a weanlingat Keeneland in the fall of 2008, Springate asked the horse if hewas going to get them to the Derby.

“He nodded, she said with a laugh.

Tiz Chromes trainer Bob Baffert said the colt suffered a fatalfracture of the left front sesamoid during a workout Sundaymorning. Tiz Chrome was scheduled to run in the Derby Trial onSaturday.

Baffert said the colt was working with another horse and the twowere heading into the far turn on the one-mile track when theinjury occurred and Tiz Chrome fell, sending exercise rider DanaBarnes tumbling to the track surface.

Barnes was not injured.

Owned by the Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes Stable LLC and BernardSchiappa, Tiz Chrome earned $67,850 with two wins in threestarts.

It rained all day in Oklahoma City, and like his sire – 2005 AllAmerican Futurity winner Teller Cartel – Llano Teller likes themud. On a sloppy track, the 2-year-old Texas-bred gelding startedquickly and held off longshot American Runaway by a nose to winunder jockey Freddie Martinez.

Llano Teller, off at 6-1 odds, covered the 330 yards in 16.512seconds.

“Weve worked him in the mud before up here, a jubilant Reedsaid, clutching the wet trophy given to the races winner. “Wewere tickled to death when it rained. His daddy was a mudder andhis mama (Annie Eye Over) was a mudder.

Indeed, Teller Cartel won the All American Futurity on a muddytrack at Ruidoso Downs.

Llano Teller remained undefeated in three career starts for aLlano, Texas, ownership group led by Terry Wooten. The horse hashad a different jockey for each of those races. Top quarter horsejockey G.R. Carter rode the horse during his qualification race forthe Remington Park Futurity, but opted to ride Fast Prize Ribboninstead on Saturday.

Reed said he turned to Martinez, a top rider from New Mexico,because of the jockeys experience in riding on muddy tracks.Martinez also has enjoyed success at top Remington Park racesbefore, having won the tracks top quarter horse event, theHeritage Place Futurity, last year aboard Ragazzo.

Llano Teller led all the way Saturday, but drifted slightly,allowing 48-1 shot American Runaway to challenge in the finalstrides. That didnt seem to faze Reed.

“The way he left there, I thought it was over, Reed said.“In these races, it is (all in the start). I never thought hedget caught.

Neither Coronas Fast Prize nor Fast Prize Ribbon, full sisterswho went off as a favored entry, threatened. They finished seventhand eighth, respectively, in the 11-horse field.

Wooten said he named Llano Teller after his hometown thatslocated in the heart of the Lone Star States Hill Country.

“Weve raised him and its quite a thrill, Wooten said.“What a deal!

Llano Teller paid $14.20, $6.40 and $4.80. American Futuritywent off at 48-1 odds and paid $39.80 and 17.40. Pyc Takes All paid$7.20.

In the $221,000 Grade 2 Remington Park Derby for 3-year-olds,3-1 second choice Diamond For Jess held off 3-5 favorite CrystalSola, with Louisiana Blue Dream third.

Thomas Wellington rode Diamond For Jess, a Texas-bred son ofFeature Mr Jess. Diamond For Jess, trained by Rick Robinson andowned by Dan Nicks of Devine, Texas, covered the 400 yards in19.340 seconds and improved his career record to 5-for-10. Thegelding has won both his starts this season.

Lang was honored before the first race of the spring meetSaturday. His ashes were carried on horseback around the mile ovaland spread near the cupola. He died March 18 at 83.

Langs daughter, Debi Tessier, says her father would have lovedthe ceremony. She says opening day was his second favorite day ofthe year behind Preakness day.

Lang was known as Mr. Preakness. He worked at Pimlico from 1960to 1987, helping elevate the status of the second leg of racingsTriple Crown.

The Hirsch Jacobs Stakes has been renamed in Langs honor andwill be run May 15 on the Preakness undercard.

The structures, surrounded by flowers and bushes, show thehorses looking at each other with an imaginary gust of wind hittingJohn Henry from the back and Alysheba from the front. Together theyform the gate heralding the entrance of the champions barn.

The parks Hall of Champions is a place for racing fans to visitsome of the sports living legends, such as current residents Cigarand Funny Cide. But now anyone making the trek to see them willpass between the monuments.

“Now and forever this great Hall of Champions will be watchedover by John Henry and Alysheba, horse park executive directorJohn Nicholson said. “Both are great symbols of all that we holddear here and reminders of what we believe is the great majesty ofthe horse – a great gift from God.

Alyshebas statue unveiling came one year after his memorialservice at the park. Many of the same people who attended then werethere Friday, including owner Clarence Scharbauer III and jockeyChris McCarron, who rode both horses now honored in bronze.

“I get goose bumps, said McCarron, standing between the twostatues. “Its fantastic. I just cant get over how blessed I wasto be affiliated with a couple champions like that.

Dubbed “Americas Horse, Alysheba had spent eight yearsabroad before returning to the United States as a gift from theSaudi king to live out his days at the horse park. Six monthslater, he had to be euthanized after an accident in his stall.

McCarron, who says Alysheba “put me on the map, listed theKentucky Derby as his top accomplishment. The first question alljockeys get asked, he said, is whether they had a successful Runfor the Roses.

“From that first Saturday in May 1987, I was able to stick outmy chest and raise my head really high and say, Yep, I won theDerby, he said.

Shelley Hunter, who created the sculptures for both horses,recalled watching Alysheba in the horse park paddock and observingan immensely happy animal.

“He just stood there, looked at that grass and those trees, andIve never seen a horse quite so much look like, Im home, shesaid.

Scharbauer, whose mother and sister previously owned the horse,said he saw the statue of John Henry and was determined to givesimilar treatment to his familys beloved star.

While he said he didnt want the tribute to Alysheba to“upstage the one for beloved John Henry, he said he was prettysure Alysheba was the superior runner.

“Im not so sure he couldnt take him, Scharbauer said. “Ofcourse, Im biased.

A few key strokes on a laptop computer alerted them theycouldnt. Velazquez was severely allergic to the drug.

Now Keeneland is taking steps to ensure all jockeys get the samekind of treatment.

Track officials are mandating all jockeys provide medicalinformation for Keenelands internal computer database. The systemgives doctors instant access to critical details such as allergies,blood type, and past injuries.

Velazquez, who was racing Wednesday at Aqueduct in New York,says he enthusiastically supports the new requirement as do mostjockeys he knows.

“If you have an accident and pass out, you could die,Velazquez said. “Thats one step forward to try to minimizeanymore risk.

The Jockey Health Information System is being widely used sinceits rollout in 2008, shortly before Velazquezs second seriousspill in about two years. Jockey Club spokesman John Cooney said 44tracks and the National Steeplechase Association are using thesystem, and while most jockeys fill out the forms voluntarily,Keeneland is the first to mandate it.

If Velazquezs injury helped prove the merits of the program,another even more potentially serious accident at Keeneland lastfall accelerated the requirement.

Jockey Julia Brimo, a rider visiting from Canada whose medicalinformation wasnt available to the Keeneland doctors, was thrownwhen her mount clipped heels and fell, knocking her to the ground.She was put in a neck brace and under no condition to talk, even asdoctors tried to get critical information from her.

Keeneland track physician Barry Schumer said Brimos conditionimproved even without the background information, but her injuryunderscored the risks of not having it.

“It pointed out that if were going to go to the trouble ofgathering this information, we probably need to have it on anybodywho is on the back of a horse riding a race in the afternoon,Schumer said.

Even last year, it was rare for a jockey to ride in a race atKeeneland without handing over medical information. Schumerestimated there has been a 95 percent compliance rate in previousmeets and said no jockey resisted this spring when the policy wasmandated.

Other tracks could soon follow, including Arlington Park inIllinois, which is preparing to implement the mandatory policy forits meet starting next month.

“Safety of jockeys is extremely important to everybody inracing, and you want to save any time you can, said David Zenner,spokesman for Arlington Park. “If a rider gets hurt, you want tohave that information at your fingertips.

Velazquez, a longtime advocate for jockey safety improvements,said he would like to see the information shared among all theparticipating tracks in a sort of national database. Even ifjockeys remain conscious after an accident, they might be in noposition to talk, and many dont speak English.

Other jockeys agree tracks must err on the side of safety.

“Its a situation where if its a life-threatening emergency,the more information they have, the better they can serve us,jockey Kent Desormeaux said.

The information is stored on a laptop computer next to thecritical care bed in the tracks first-aid room. Only medicalprofessionals with an ID and password have access, and if a trip toUniversity of Kentucky hospital is needed, it is faxed or sentthere electronically ahead of the jockeys arrival.

With the racing industry focused on safety enhancements,particularly since the fatal breakdown of Eight Belles at the 2008Kentucky Derby, improvements for jockeys have been a major part ofthat. Newly designed helmets, vests and whips are quickly becomingstandard.

Keeneland has made numerous safety changes, most notablyswitching its surface from dirt to synthetic, and last year was thefirst track certified by the National Thoroughbred RacingAssociations Safety & Integrity Alliance.

Track president Nick Nicholson said the move to mandatingmedical information has been smooth, with strong support from theJockeys Guild and most regular riders.

“So often we beat ourselves up that were incapable ofcooperating, but heres a good example of working together, hesaid.

Monmouth Park said Seewald died Monday at his home inMiddletown. The race track did not know the cause of death.

Seewalds 3-year-old colt, Uptowncharlybrown, won the PascoStakes at Tampa Bay Downs before running third in the Sam F. Davis.The colt is scheduled to run in Saturdays Lexington Stakes, whereit could earn enough graded stakes money to make the May 1Derby.

Seewald made his mark with Teddy Drone, which won 31 times in 89career starts. Seewald won 962 times in 5,757 races, including 22stakes victories.

He is survived by his wife Kathleen, sons Ryan and Shane, andgrandson Blake.

Stately Victor and Line of David were barely blips on theKentucky Derby radar. But after surprising wins Saturday in theBlue Grass Stakes and Arkansas Derby, theyre suddenly very much inthe picture.

“This one kind of got along late. We knew he could run, Lineof David owner Ike Thrash said. “Well show up, now that hesin.

The Kentucky Derby field is limited to 20 starters. If morehorses are entered, the field is determined by graded stakesearnings, and sometimes all it takes is one big victory to earnenough money for a spot. That was the case for Stately Victor andLine of David.

It makes no difference that the former was a 40-1 shot in theBlue Grass or that the latter had never won on a nonturf trackbefore his Arkansas Derby victory on Oaklawn Parks dirt.

Now the question is whether either of these horses has a chancein the May 1 Run for the Roses, which was won last year bylong-shot Mine That Bird. Stately Victor had won just once in sevencareer starts, but his victory in the Blue Grass at Keeneland wasby a convincing 4 1/4 lengths.

“We always believed he was a runner, owner Tom Conway saidSaturday. “Hes been getting a lot of bad breaks, bad draws,getting stopped and blocked. But today the jockey was magnificent.He got him out there and he dusted them, didnt he?

Line of Davids finish was a lot closer, but he managed to holdup down the stretch despite being in the lead through some quickearly fractions. Thrash said he considered entering Line of Davidin the Blue Grass but forgot to nominate him. The Arkansas Derbywas the horses debut on dirt after racing exclusively on turf andsynthetic tracks.

“Its always good to try the dirt in a Grade 1 race for thefirst time, Thrash joked.

Line of David certainly seemed to like it, holding offchallenges from Super Saver and Dublin to win by a neck. Thevictory earned him a shot in three weeks in Kentucky, although inthe Derby hes likely to have some company if he tries to movestraight to the front again.

“Twenty horses, and probably eight of them in this bunch looklike theyre dedicated to be front-runners, Thrash said. “Buthes a nice horse. Maybe he can move up another 10 lengths everytime he runs.

The upsets by Stately Victor and Line of David came a week afterEskendereya won the Wood Memorial by 9 3/4 lengths. Some otherDerby favorites may be struggling to keep up. Nobles Promisefinished out of the money for the first time in eight career startsin the Arkansas Derby, while Dublin and Super Saver couldnt putaway Line of David after pulling up next to him in the stretch.

“I think we got our nose in front at one point there. It seemedlike the speed held pretty good, said D. Wayne Lukas, Dublinstrainer. “The first three finishers stayed there all the way.Nobody closed.

Dublin, Super Saver and Nobles Promise still have enoughearnings to make the Derby field, although Nobles Promise came outof his race with cuts on both front legs and will have to beevaluated again. Blue Grass favorite Interactif appears safedespite a fourth-place finish. Tampa Bay Derby winner Odysseusmight be stuck on the outside looking in after coming up short inthe Blue Grass – although defections from horses with high earningsare always a possibility.

Stately Victor and Line of David dont need any more money tomake the field. They rewarded their owners patience just intime.

“You hate to make excuses over and over for this horse, butthats basically what weve been doing, said Mike Maker, StatelyVictors trainer. “Hes had bad trips and so forth. But I neverquit believing in this horse.

State Of Play went one better than last year by finishing third
in the grueling 4 1/2-mile, 30-fence race at Aintree Racecourse in
Liverpool, England, on Saturday.

McCoy was “delighted to finally win the race and plug a gap
in a career that includes finishing 14 years as Britains top
rider.

Joint favorite Big Fella Thanks was fourth with jockey Barry
Geraghty on board because Ruby Walsh was hurt in an earlier
race.