Highly regarded Macho Again is coming off a rough trip in the $1M Gr. 1 Travers Stakes in August, finishing eighth after being bounced around during the stretch run. But against Grade 2 competition in the Jim Dandy Stakes in July, he was much the best, holding off a game Pyro in the final lengths to win. Kent Desormeaux is expected to get the mount.

The Super Derby will also feature a rematch between the top three finishers from the $100,000 Prelude Breeders' Cup at Louisiana Downs in August. Star Production won his way into the Super Derby after he was deemed the winner in a three-way photo finish. The James Hodges-trained 3-year-old will be ridden by Carlos Gonzalez. Runner-up Numismatist will go under Cliff Berry for trainer Donnie Von Hemel. And Golden Yank, the Gary Thomas-trained place horse, will be ridden by Jamie Theriot.

Other nominees include Real Appeal, winner of the Alysheba Stakes at Lone Star Park in June; Forest Command, who will be making his stakes debut; and Mambo Meister, a two-time winner at Calder Race Course.

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Saratoga's $1 million Grade I Travers Stakes will take place Aug. 23 with a field of 12 entries.

Grade I Belmont Stakes winner Da'Tara is 8/1. He placed last in the Grade II Jim Dandy. Pyro is the morning-line favorite at 7/2, and is more than ready for Saturday's race.

Pyro, who's trained by Steven Asmussen, ran second in the Jim Dandy at Saratoga July 27. The Travers field also includes Jim Dandy winner Macho Again, who is 6/1 in the morning line.

Harlem Rocker, trained by Todd Pletcher is the second choice at 4/1, just had a win in the Prince of Wales at Fort Erie July 13.

IEAH will be represented by Court Vision, trained by Bill Mott, at the Travers. Court Vision drew post 12 in the Travers, a post that IEAH principal Michael Iavarone was not happy with.

“The post doesn’t help us,” Iavarone said. “He will have to find himself a good position.”

Tale of Ekati drew post 1; trainer Barclay Tagg was pleased with the Colt's inside post. Morning line is 20/1.

“He loves the inside,” Tagg told the crowd at the Travers draw, which was held in the paddock. “Edgar [Prado] is a genius on the inside.”

Tale of Ekati finished fourth in his last race at Saratoga, the Jim Dandy.

“I am pretty high on my horse,” Tagg said. “I think he is good enough to win this (wide-open)."

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Big Brown has been working aggressively in recent weeks and appears to have forgotten his Belmont Stakes nightmare. He is on schedule to start in the Gr. 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth on Aug. 3, and if the talented colt shows a return to form in the Haskell, a start in the Gr. 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita could have the racing world buzzing with anticipation once again.

However, Sunday’s starters won’t be able to avoid Belmont winner Da’ Tara. New York conditioner Nick Zito’s charge will use the Jim Dandy as a springboard to the prestigious Gr. 1. Travers Stakes coming up at the Spa on Aug. 23 and will be joined in the gate on Sunday by his stable mate Anak Nakal, third-place finisher in the Belmont.

Leading North American trainer Steve Asmussen will saddle Louisiana Derby winner Pyro, a talented colt who had the attention of racing fans during the spring and was the early favorite leading up to the Kentucky Derby before losing his momentum in the main event. Pyro has regained his stature with a recent victory and provides some fuel for thought in the Jim Dandy.

Macho Again, runner-up to Big Brown in the Preakness has been confirmed a definite starter along with Iowa Derby winner Tiz Now Tiz Then, who hails from the barn of California conditioner Eoin Harty.
Recent Dwyer Handicap winner Mint Lane, on a roll lately for trainer Jimmy Jerkens, is being strongly considered for the race and Tizbig, runner-up in the Dwyer is a definite.

Barclay Tagg’s, Big Truck, who finished well up the track behind Big Brown in the Derby and hasn’t raced since, is being considered for the Jim Dandy but could wait for the Grade 3, $750,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer on Aug. 2 his connections report.

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Steve Asumussen's Pyro has some stiff competition as the Kentucky Derby draws near. (AP Images)

Milestone accomplishments of two of North America’s top horsemen went unheralded after Curlin’s crushing victory at Dubai World Cup Classic dominated racing headlines.

Trainer Richard Dutrow’s two victories on World Cup Day is an achievement that most of his peers won’t reach in a lifetime. Diamond Stripes got his connections off to a good start when he took the $1 million Godolphin Mile, and two races later, stablemate Benny the Bull sprinted to victory in the $2 million Golden Shaheen.

Dutrow watched from Florida while his two World Cup heroes were handled by capable assistant Michelle Nevin. The reason for the talented horseman’s decision to remain home became clear when his undefeated 3-year-old Big Brown dominated the Gr. 1 Florida Derby just a few hours later.

The win vaulted Dutrow’s colt into the Kentucky Derby favorite’s role with Steve Asmussen’s derby hopeful Pyro. If either Big Brown or Pyro fail in their Derby bids, it won’t be from a lack of world-class conditioning.

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Pyro and Shaun Bridgmohan took the Louisiana Derby. (AP Images)

For the cream of the sophomore crop, all roads lead to Louisville in the spring. With this in mind the connections of Derby favorites War Pass and Pyro have chosen different routes for their charges, but the ultimate destination remains the same. These two overachievers have distinguished themselves as the key players on this year’s Kentucky Derby stage, drawing away from their peers in the minds of astute handicappers.

War Pass, trained by cagey veteran Nick Zito, has taken a passive approach to his Derby preparation. Last year’s juvenile champion was in no hurry to start his 3-year-old campaign and made his first appearance in a non-descript allowance race on the Fountain of Youth undercard at Gulfstream. The result was an easy gate-to-wire win that extended his undefeated status but was little more than an extended workout.

Pyro, under the clever tutelage of Steve Asmussen, has been gaining valuable racing experience while building a fan club that now equals that of his juvenile nemesis. Unable to put a dent in War Pass’s armor in three attempts as a juvenile, the slow-learner has caught fire this year. Impressive wins in the Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby and his versatile winning tactics have moved him to the top of the sophomore class.

War Pass has landed another soft spot in Saturday’s 8.5 furlong Gr. 3 Tampa Bay Derby, while Pyro has the Gr. 1 Blue Grass on April 12 at nine furlongs circled on his calendar. Different routes quickly approaching the same destination – Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.

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Pyro and Shaun Bridgmohan took the Louisiana Derby. (AP Images)

At Fair Grounds the Grade 2, $600,000 Louisiana Derby was run this Saturday. With a number of big name Derby Contenders running, it was definitely the race to watch this weekend. Along with Pyro, the race featured a number of Derby favorites such as Majestic Warrior, Blackberry Road and Tale of Ekati.

Despite an impressive list of contenders, Pyro definitely stole the show with a well paced first half of the race staying in the fourth and third position. After rounding the last turn, however, Pyro and his jockey Shaun Bridgmohan made their way in between the two leaders in the last stretch. Pyro won the Louisiana Derby by three lengths and running the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.44.

"I knew what I had under me. I wasn't panicking at all,” said Bridgmohan. “I wanted to keep him closer to see how he would handle that scenario. We saw what an explosive kick he had coming from far back last time."

Following Pyro came an unexpected finish. The 60-1 longshot My Pal Charlie held a lead position for the race and ended up taking second place. Yankee Bravo took third with Blackberry Road taking fourth, Tale of Ekati in sixth and Majestic Warrior taking seventh in the field of nine.

"I'm very pleased, especially with the fact that he put himself in the race," said Steve Asmussen, Pyro’s trainer. "To get done what we're hoping to get done, which is win the Kentucky Derby, he's going to have to be a horse who can make more than one move."

You can expect to see Pyro next on April 12th in the Grade 1, $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.

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Pyro Looks to Light up Fair Grounds. (AP Images)

The $600,000 Louisiana Derby will be hosted at Fair Grounds this Saturday, March 8. Pyro, a huge favorite for the Kentucky Derby matched only by War Pass in many opinions, will be taking on a field of other Kentucky Derby hopefuls like Tale of Ekati and Majestic Warrior.

Pyro is still fresh in a lot of minds after his brilliant sprint in the final stretch of the Risen Star on Feb. 9 to take the win after being in last place.

“I loved how he came out of the [last] work,” said Steve Asmussen, Pyro’s trainer regarding Shaun Bridgmohan, his favored jockey at this time, “and trusted him to do right, and he did.”

Tale of Ekati who finished fourth in the Breeders Cup Juvenile is still a horse to keep an eye on. Majestic Warrior is another horse to take into consideration even though he placed sixth at the Champagne Stakes he ran a half mile in 48.40 seconds on Sunday at Payson Park.

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Trainer Steve Asmussen of Curlin fame may have another Triple Crown contender in Pyro. (AP Images)

There is a roar of skepticism from the result of Pyro's performance last year, but he now could be a contender for the Kentucky Derby. Pyro is on fire these days and the show at Fair Grounds on Saturday proved that he means business. Trailing behind the field, Pyro blew by all 10 competitors in only a quarter mile and took the win at the Gr. III $300,000 Risen Star Stakes at Fairgrounds, a win by two lengths.

Things didn't look so good for Pyro at the quarter pole, where it seemed he wouldn't pull through. But when Pyro got onto his right lead and leveled for the stretch, it became evident he stood a chance. He passed the back crowd within a few strides with ease, and at the 3/16ths pole, Pyro cleared everyone when jockey Shaun Bridgmohan made a right turn taking him off the fence and putting him behind. Pyro found the gap and finessed himself into the clear for an astounding win.

Pyro is trained by Steve Asmussen, who brought an unbeaten Curlin into last year's Kentucky Derby.

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