Kentucky Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kentucky Derby favorite Orb comes from one of the country's oldest racing families, with ties to the greatest horses of the era. The second choice, Verrazano, is a product of Todd Pletcher's new-school empire; he's one of five the trainer is sending to the post. The third favorite, Goldencents, comes from the trainer who, a year ago, lost the chance to run for a Triple Crown when his horse withdrew with an injury a day before the Belmont Stakes. All three drew favorable starting spots Wednesday in the post-position draw for Saturday's 139th Run for the Roses, and they were established as the horses to beat by Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia.

Santa Anita Derby winner Goldencents was put through his final workout on Thursday morning at Santa Anita in preparation for a start in the Kentucky Derby on May 4. Goldencents was clocked in 1 minute 16.20 seconds for the breeze under exercise rider Jonny Garcia, with trainer Doug O'Neill and jockey Kevin Krigger watching from the Arcadia track's grandstand. "I thought he went great," O'Neill said. "My biggest focus was to have him finish up stronger than he started off, and he did just that.

Overanalyze stormed down the home stretch to pull away and win the $1-million Arkansas Derby on Saturday at Hot Springs, Ark. The colt, trained by Todd Pletcher , trailed with a second group for much of the race before charging ahead after the final turn in the 1 1/8-mile race. Overanalyze overcame the lead pack and held off Frac Daddy and Carve to earn Pletcher his third win in the Kentucky Derby prep race, his first since winning back-to-back Arkansas Derby races in 2000 and 2001.

Louisville Coach Rick Pitino is among seven people elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Joining Pitino in the class of 2013, announced Monday, are former NBA stars Bernard King and Gary Payton, former Nevada Las Vegas coach Jerry Tarkanian, North Carolina women's Coach Sylvia Hatchell, former University of Houston coach Guy Lewis, and former University of Virginia star Dawn Staley. The inductions will be in Springfield, Mass., in September. Inductees announced previously were Edwin E.B. Henderson, a direct elect by the Early African Pioneer Committee; longtime Indiana Pacers guard Roger Brown; Oscar Schmidt of Brazil, the leading scorer in Olympic history; Richie Guerin, a star for the New York Knicks in the 1950s; and Russ Granik, the longtime assistant commissioner of the NBA. :: Bob Cantu, a longtime USC basketball assistant who served as interim coach after Kevin O'Neill was fired in January, will not be retained as part of new Coach Andy Enfield's staff, the school announced.

Apparently, trainer Doug O'Neill has taken the name of his most famous horse literally. Saturday, he decided, I'll Have Another. So, here we go again. If race fans have that feeling of "Groundhog Day," nobody could blame them. The O'Neill Show, a smash hit a year ago, will be a repeat headliner on horse racing's most prestigious stage, the Kentucky Derby. That was achieved in front of 33,005, when O'Neill's Goldencents won the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby, one of the prestigious prep races for the sport's most prestigious race.

It will take less than 110 seconds to decide the winner of Saturday's $750,000 Santa Anita Derby, but if you pay attention to the bettors, they are almost certain to place their trust in the combination of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Garrett Gomez. Flashback, trained by Baffert and to be ridden by Gomez, is the 6-5 morning-line favorite for the 1 1/8-mile race that is a final prep for the May 4 Kentucky Derby. Flashback's primary competition was expected to come from Hear The Ghost, who ran down Flashback to win the San Felipe Stakes by a half-length on March 9. But Hear The Ghost suffered an injury this week and will be scratched from Saturday's race.

It was a year ago that trainer Doug O'Neill's fortunes began to turn, by a nose, at the Santa Anita Derby. He hopes to duplicate that magic this weekend. His horse, I'll Have Another, edged the favorite, Creative Cause, to win the Santa Anita Derby in 2012. A month later I'll Have Another won the Kentucky Derby, for O'Neill's first victory in a Triple Crown race. If anyone was happier last year than O'Neill after the Kentucky Derby, it was his then-9-year-old son, Daniel, who was promised a hot tub if O'Neill made it to the winner's circle.

The Bob Baffert-trained Flashback drew post position No. 1 for Saturday's $750,000 Santa Anita Derby and was installed as the 9-5 favorite in a nine-horse field. "I really don't like the one hole," Baffert said after Wednesday's draw for the 1 1/8-mile test. Flashback, a gray 3-year-old son of Tapit, finished second at Santa Anita in the March 9 San Felipe Stakes behind Hear The Ghost after getting into a speed duel with Goldencents. It has resulted in Baffert switching jockeys - Garrett Gomez will replace Julien Leparoux on Flashback.

With the Kentucky Derby less than two months away, excitement and tension filled the Santa Anita paddock Saturday just before the running of the Grade II $300,000 San Felipe Stakes. Cameras were everywhere, and all eyes were on the two highly regarded 3-year-olds, Flashback and Goldencents. And their two jockeys, Julien Leparoux and Kevin Krigger, acted as if they were engaged in a match race soon after the start of the 1 1/16-mile race. Flashback, the even-money favorite, and Goldencents engaged in a speed duel, but when they reached the stretch, Hear The Ghost came charging from fifth place under jockey Corey Nakatani and overtook Flashback for a half-length victory.

Flashback and Goldencents, the West Coast's top two Kentucky Derby prospects, are set to face off Saturday in the Grade II, $300,000 San Felipe Stakes at 11/16 miles at Santa Anita. The eight-horse field is a final prep for the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 1. Flashback, trained by Bob Baffert, and Goldencents, trained by Doug O'Neill, are in post position Nos. 2 and 3. Flashback, a 3-year-old son of Tapit, is two for two, including a 61/4-length win in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Feb. 2. Goldencents, a son of Into Mischief, has earned $782,000, including winning the one-mile Sham Stakes by 11/2 lengths on Jan. 5. O'Neill is hoping for a second year of Kentucky Derby luck.