All of my pals are arguing over the Derby trail. They are already starting to get huffy over seeing glimpses of the big winner. Just be patient my boys. It is not time yet….

When we had Blood Horse Editor Tom LaMarra on our show, he said : “I like to wait until the last minute to make my final decisions.” I think if you are betting a few ducats on the Future Book, then speculate. If not, just take a breath. I am trying, and it gets harder every year. I have noticed that I do the best when I wait and take the majority of races in fully. It seems that if I start over-thinking, down the tubes I will go.

Here are a few that I have seen that deserve a thought at this point:

Rule - Pletcher is the trainer, and he is loaded this year. Didn’t we say that same thing in past years? His runner is versatile and runs on everything but blacktop and broken glass. It would not surprise me to see him appear at the $500,000 Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park, for a soft spot at a big pot.

Eskenderya – The “Todd-Squad” once again. Big winner in Florida, and you have to start thinking after that 8 – plus length victory, that we would see him down the road….

Super Saver - This one must be hot. My dad loves him! Even though he keeps calling him Super Baby, he looks good. Wait until he goes to New York, before buying your stock. I just hope Calvin Borel gets the mount. I think he would fit just fine.

Eightyfiveinafifty – I need one more race before I keep or scrap. A 17 1/2 length victory makes me think that all of those million dollar offers could not have been wrong. Just let him heal and wait…….

One to watch for the long haul is Aikenite.  This may be a slow developer, and the extra time may bring him along at the right time. The way he wanted to run only gave me outside hope. This is a long shot hope at this time, and only time will tell.. We can always scratch him off the list later.

There it is. I am not ready to compile a list, and I am on a scouting mission. If I see something, you will know. For me, the longer I wait, the better I will do… The boys at WP have held their own over the years, and if you keep them in mind, I think you may be ahead of the game.

It appears the Run for the Roses is the Todd and Bob Show as in trainers Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert. Here are my Top 10 contenders for the Kentucky Derby from bottom to top Dave Letterman style:

Super Saver: One of the many Kentucky Derby hopefuls trained by Todd Pletcher. The son of Maria’s Mon has been training well, but is not scheduled to debut as a 3-year-old until next month. Next race: Gotham Stakes on March 6 at Aqueduct.

Drosselmeyer: His fourth place finish in the Risen Star wasn’t too bad, making up nearly 2 1/2 lengths in the stretch and losing by less than 1 3/4 lengths. It was the son of Golden Ballet’s second trip on dirt after winning in allowance company at Gulfstream. Next race: Louisiana Derby on March 27 at Fair Grounds.

Buddy’s Saint: Two race winning streak was snapped for son of Saint Liam, when he had a disastrous start in the Fountain of Youth. Jockey Jose Lezcano said right after his ninth place finish on Feb. 20: “The other horses came in like nothing (on the first turn). I was already in a spot, and they came in and killed my horse; put him into the rail.” Next race: Florida Derby on March 20 at Gulfstream.

Jackson Bend: Runner-up in Holy Bull and Fountain of Youth needs to pick it up in next outing. Last victory in a route came last year as a top 2-year-old at Calder. Three strikes and the son of Hear No Evil is out of the Top 10.  Next race: Florida Derby.

Dublin: Poor showing in his last race in November led to successful epiglottis surgery. The son of Afleet Alex came from far back in the Risen Star, after starting slowly and racing wide off the far turn, to make up 3 1/4 lengths in the stretch to finish second. He plainly ran out of ground in the 1 1/16-mile contest. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas is also breathing easier: “The further the better for him. He’s a big, imposing individual with a long stride.”

Discreetly Mine: One of many Kentucky Derby hopefuls trained by Todd Pletcher that shows promise. This son of Mineshaft captured the Risen Star on the front end when no foe wanted the lead. Tactical speed is a plus as he progresses. Next race: Louisiana Derby.

Rule: This Pletcher trainee is a horse for all tracks. The son of Roman Ruler has won four in a row. His victories were on Belmont’s sweeping track, Delta Downs’ fast and sloppy surfaces and Tampa Bay Downs’ quirky oval. Next race: Undecided.

Conveyance: One of trainer Bob Baffert’s stars is unbeaten in four outings, following his three-quarters of a length triumph in the Southwest Stakes. Transition to dirt went smoothly, but one question remains for the son of Indian Charlie: Can he get 1 1/4 miles? Next race: UAE Derby in Dubai March 27, Wood Memorial at Aqueduct April 3, or Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn April 10.

Lookin at Lucky: Baffert’s pride and joy hasn’t debuted as a sophomore, but has worked well. Despite being considered the top dog going 5 for 6, including runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in a horrible trip, the son of Smart Strike has time to get fit. Only negative: not racing on dirt with only two Kentucky Derby preps likely. Next race: San Felipe at Santa Anita or Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn on March 13.

Eskendereya: An impresive 8 1/2-length victory in the Fountain of Youth puts the Pletcher trainee at the top of the 3-year-old ladder. The son of Giant’s Causeway has tactical speed and can win just off the pace, like he did Feb. 20, or can come from a bit out of it to grind down his foes. He’s 3 for 3 on dirt. Next race: Florida Derby.

The first of three Kentucky Derby future wager pools opens Friday and runs through Sunday for the 136th renewal of America’s Race on the first Saturday in May.

The pools were shortened a day to three because little betting was conducted on Thursdays. Exacta wagering introduced with last year’s second pool will be available in all three along with the standard win bet.

The future wager covers 23 individual 3-year-olds, with some pretty good odds, and a 24th betting interest that includes other runners. The minimum bet: $2 with no refunds if a horse doesn’t go. Churchill Downs determines which are excluded of illness, injury or another condition.

The remaining pools in March are scheduled for 5-7 and 26-28.

Last year’s wagering totaled $1,236,299, a slight rebound from the second-lowest total in 2008. The lowest was $1,665,990 in ‘03.

Opening pool favorites likely will include the 1-2 finishers in the ‘09 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Vale of York and Lookin at Lucky. They’re high weights in the hypothetical rankings known as the Experimental Free Handicap released late last month by The Jockey Club.

The annual ratings cover performances during the 2-year-old campaigns based on handicapping a 1 1/16-mile race on the dirt — the surface at Churchill Downs.

However, both leading juveniles have only raced on synthetic surfaces or turf.

The likely early favorite in first pool will be Lookin at Lucky, who won the Eclipse Award for best juvenile. At one racebook in Las Vegas the son of Smart Strike is listed as the 7-1 favorite. He captured five races on the varying synthetic surfaces of three California tracks.

Vale of York is 20-1. Before his lone victory in the United Stakes, the son of Invincible Spirit was 3-1-1 on the grass at four different tracks across the Atlantic.

He’s among eight of 17 early nominees for the Derby by Dubai ruler Sheik Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing operation.

Both horses are late foals: Vale of York on April 4, 2007, and Lookin at Lucky May 27 that year.

Bob Baffert, who trains Lookin at Lucky, has another dozen horses among the 366 nominees, down 8.7 percent from last year/ Two years earlier there was a record 450 early candidates.

Baffert is going for his fourth Derby triumph since Silver Charm scored in ‘97. His other winners: Real Quiet in ‘98 and War Emblem in ‘02.

Todd Pletcher leads all trainers for the fifth time in the past six years with 20 nominees. He’s looking for his first Derby winner the past decade when the closest of the 24 he ran second: Invisible Ink in ‘01 and Bluegrass Cat in ‘06.

Other juveniles that should attract some action in the first pool are:

Buddy’s Saint: After running second in his debut at Belmont Park, he cruised to victory in two stakes races at Aqueduct last fall. The son of ‘05 Horse of the Year Saint Liam has been training well for Gulfstream’s $250,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 20. He’s 12-1 at the racebook.

Jackson Bend: The son Hear No Evil won five straight at Calder, where he swept the three-race Florida Stallion Stakes series after finishing second in his debut. He was second in Gulfstream’s Holy Bull last month to the winning Winslow Homer, who suffered a cannon bone stress fracture. He’s 20-1.

No matter what the Derby held for you financially, let us remember the history and pageantry involved.

I have spoke to many friends, and patrons about the odd outcome of Derby 135. I have not met anyone with a winning story yet, so if you have one please share it with the rest of the masses.

The most important feeling I took from reading a response from Ed L. was that we need to get back in the ring and do what we love. For many it may be a casual wager, and for some it may involve following the ponies and crunching the numbers. Either way, let us remember the race for the outcome, and go back to the drawing board. The wagering gods would expect no less…..

I have to say personally it has been the quickest turnaround in history. I am done scratching my head, and I am ready to begin again. Sometimes we need a “cleansing” to set us straight again. I think this would be the best advice for any handicapper who thinks they need a break or wants to take a vacation. Just jump back in with a new spirit.

I had an older friend who passed away a few years ago and the advice he would have gave would be simple:  “Save your breath kid, you’ll live longer.” I think he is right. Enough talking about what should have happened, and let us focus on where we go next. Even though it is the Derby, it is one race. The history aside, it is one race. The track condition and golden rail-trip goes out the window, and the next race comes into plain view. So saddle up, it is almost post time!

The diminutive gelding returned to the track today and jogged a mile to trainer Chip Woolley’s satisfaction.

Afterward, the decision was made to go to Baltimore’s middle leg of the Triple Crown, which hadn’t even been considered until Mine That Bird pulled off the stunning victory at 50-1 over Pioneerof the Nile.

“Perfection. The horse looked super,” Woolley said. “… At this point it’s a go for the Preakness. Unless the horse tells me something different between now and then, we’ll go to the Preakness.”

Mine That Bird will train at Churchill Downs until next Monday or Tuesday and will not have a workout before the 1 3/16-mile Preakness, Woolley said.

The pre-Derby plan had been to train up to the June 6 Belmont Stakes, as had the gelding’s sire, Birdstone, before his 2004 upset victory in New York. But Woolley said other considerations are coming into play now that Mine That Bird is a Derby winner.

“The horse pulled up great, looks good right now,” he said of the decision. “The Triple Crown is good for racing, good for the sport. And if you take the winner of the Derby out, there’s no such thing.”

“As long as the horse decides he’s ready and doing right, it’s the right thing to do for the sport of racing. If he shows at any time he’s not ready, then we’ll have to pass it. But I think there’s a lot more to horse racing than just running. There’s sportsmanship.”

“Like the owner of Curlin (Jess Jackson) wanted to run him in the Breeders’ Cup, even though they were pretty sure he didn’t like the poly (surface). But they ran him because it was good for the sport.”

The Preakness decision came a day after Woolley and co-owner Mark Allen handed out roses from the Derby blanket to fans visiting the Kentucky Derby Museum and the new Barbaro statue.

“I thought it was something good for the sport, something to give back,” Woolley said. “I mean, the sport has given us a lot now, of course. So it was cool to give something back, and people really responded great to it… You follow other people’s leads, too. Over the years when you see people in this position do something good for the sport, when it’s your turn, you think about it yourself.”

We have been waiting for months. We have watched the many preps and began long ago with our trek putting runners through the mill. I have been wagering for many years. Some good, and some bad days. That is part of the game. But today left me feeling a little empty.

I watched the Derby with a sense of confusion. To begin the day, we lost the favorite. This left many trying to re-figure the race. You know, plotting out how the race will unfold..

Where was the bevy of speedsters? I was looking for a pace to chase, but it just came up very ordinary. Down the backside they came, and Papa Clem looked good along the rail.  Joining him was Hold Me Back. The race looked like the front runners were just spinning their wheels and the stalkers were going to hold court.

Pioneerof the Nile was entering the fray with Dubai visitor Desert Party on the outside. Things were heating up, and I was waiting on General Quarters with his feel good story to come rolling as well as Dunkirk who was compromised at the start. But none of this was taking place. Musket Man was getting into the groove, but lacked that killer punch he had in Chicago.

As I was listening to the call, I kept hearing all of these horses, and I could see a spaceship coming up the rail. I assumed it could have been Friesan Fire or one of the many poly runners that would transfer their talent to the slop. That was not the case as well….

Mine That Bird came running into history with a price that would choke an elephant. He skimmed the rail as only one rider does. He drew off and left the field in the slop.

I enjoy the Derby win or lose. But for the many folks I spoke with, this seemed to feel like it was a year without a Derby. This gelding won, but did not capture our hearts. That is what players always look for no matter what their finish.

The after-show was good and bad. It was nice to see Calvin Borel win the Oaks and Derby in impressive fashion. He is a really good guy. He is just a down home country-boy who rides like the wind. I met him years ago, and he made everyone feel like he was just a long-lost cousin. Congratulations my boy… Job well done..

I was little taken aback by the trainer. He did not seem too happy after the race when they mentioned his driving 2,100 miles. I guess he was little upset that they didn’t treat him like Baffert, Pletcher, or even McCarthy. He is 2/32, and this race was an incredible win. I guess he’ll feel different in the morning.

Maybe that will be the same for me and the masses. We’ll start thinking about the Preakness, and then the Belmont, and so on and so on… That is the beauty of our sport. Anyone can win at anytime. And today, they did…

Oaks day is in the books. The rain soaked oval did provide all of us with plenty of entertainment. The big question is what if she would have faced the boys?

After watching Calvin Borel rapidly draw off down the lane without being asked, one would have to really question what if she would have hooked the boys? The debate will go for a long time as we see Calvin patting her, and waving the number #1 signal as he was wrapped up on her.

She won by 20 1/4 lengths, and in reality, it could have been 40 easily with urging. She ran on the slop and the boys will be doing the same on Saturday.

She could have raced a bit harder and pushed to win by a city block, but that would have made no sense. She has beaten the gals, and today she gave the crowd of over 100,000 a show of shows. I believe with today’s effort that the boys would have been in trouble.

All of the speedsters, stalkers and closers would have their hands full. She just accelerated like lightning in a bottle. The boys would have been bumping, and jockeying for position, all the while she would have been drawing off. This is not just my opinion, but the feelings of every poll I have read.

I am glad to have watched her against her peers. I would have hated to have watched a race where some long shot luck-bomb dropped in and considered it the real deal.  She is the lady to be dealt with. I think if all goes well, you may see her try her luck against the boys just yet. But today, it all belonged to the gals. If the Derby takes a great deal of steam out of the field, it may make sense. But for now, the day belongs to Hal Wiggins and Calvin Borel. Oh, and I almost forgot, Ms. Rachel…..

Tom McCarthy is the feel-good story of the week, the 75-year-old high school principal who paid pennies for a horse that just happened to blossom into an entry in today’s 135th Kentucky Derby. Yeah, that’s what Wayne Lukas and Bob Baffert thought. At least until Tuesday’s trainers’ dinner, when they sat down with McCarthy and were reminded why you can’t believe everything you hear around a racetrack.

“A schoolteacher woke up one morning and had a Derby horse,” Lukas said, reciting the alleged story line. “Nothing could be further from the truth. The guy was training quarter horses in the ’50s.”

A few men leading horses to the paddock this afternoon know what they’re doing. This is McCarthy’s Derby debut, but together, Lukas, 73, Baffert, 56, and Nick Zito, 61, account for 80 entries and nine champions in the Run for the Roses.

“Stay with the gray-haired guys,” is Lukas’ advice today.

They’ve left Churchill Downs in successful years thinking this stuff is so easy and departed in difficult times wondering how they could have ever tricked themselves.

“This race will humble a lot of people,” Lukas said. “These young trainers will walk out of here Sunday morning shaking their heads. You watch.”

This year, Baffert was elected into racing’s Hall of Fame, but it wasn’t long ago that the media branded him as brash and disliked. That’s not the Bob Baffert who will saddle Pioneerof The Nile.

“I’ve learned to be competitive in a very quieter manner,” he said. “You keep thinking, ‘Oh, I’m just going to keep doing this,’ and then all of a sudden, I started bringing some really good horses here and I got beat a few times.”

Baffert won three times in six years starting in 1997, but he hasn’t finished in the money since and was out of the race the past two years.

Lukas’ 42 Derby starters are a record, and only six-time winner Ben Jones has trained more Derby champions, yet he failed to reach the starting gate since 2004.

Lukas’ horse, Flying Private, joins Zito’s last-minute entry, Nowhere to Hide, at 50-1.

“He’s as good as some of them I’ve run here, including a couple of them that won,” Lukas said of Flying Private.

Zito had five Derby horses in 2005, yet since then, he has saddled only two entries. Late withdrawals opened the door for Nowhere to Hide.

Zito knows the Derby drill and says that will count today.

“You know how to handle everything,” Zito said. “See, the whole thing is to keep your routine.”

McCarthy, the rookie, knows that because he shared a barn with Zito two years ago during the Derby and has studied Lukas’ Derby training records in detail.

McCarthy trains General Quarters, who has generated more attention than your typical 20-1 shot.

Many wouldn’t be surprised to see the horse challenge I Want Revenge (3-1), Dunkirk and Pioneerof the Nile (both 4-1) and Friesan Fire (5-1).

He first saw the horse at the 2007 Keeneland yearling sale, passed on him, then spent the drive home regretting it. Last May, he got a second chance when General Quarters popped up at a $20,000 claiming race at Churchill Downs. He bought the horse, who won the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, earned $604,000, and here they are.

“Yeah, I thought everything had gone by me,” McCarthy said. “I don’t think it’ll ever come my way again, so I’m going to take advantage of every minute of it.”

Everyone has liked the wager that combines the winner of the Oaks and the winner of the Derby. It can pay better than expected, and with the many dollars in the pool, this may be the day to wager with both hands.

In race #11 at 5:45 p.m. you may see one of the best females in the land run off and hide. This gal just gets the hook, and away she goes.

She is #6 Rachel Alexandra, and Calvin Borel has the mount for trainer Hal Wiggins. She sports a “monster workout” icon and that is the truth. She has worked 4 panels in 46.2, and 5f in 59.2. Now, this is proof she is ready. The big trick is coupling her with the right guy the next day.

Let us try the following runners to complete the wager:

#7 Summer Bird – #2 Musket Man – #7 Papa Clem – #19 Desert Party.

All of these lads have the odds that may make the wager payoff handsome, and with a little luck, you may take a 3-5 favorite and parlay it into a very nice weekend.

Good luck, and enjoy the races.

I remember the first time they turned off the sun and turned on the lights at the World Series. Game 4, 1971, Pittsburgh. Pirates 4, Orioles 3.

Believe it or not, the NBA once played part of its Finals on weekend afternoons. Ditto for the NCAA with its semifinals at the Final Four. Lights didn’t stain the turf at Notre Dame Stadium until 1982. Six years later, even the Chicago Cubs surrendered at Wrigley Field.

There have been other illuminating sports milestones, but I’ll leave the rest of the list to Thomas Edison fans. I’m here to ask if I’m the only one thinking the lights will be turned on at the Kentucky Derby one day.

“No reason, said trainer D. Wayne Lukas. “The crowds are already great on Saturday (Derby Day) and Friday (Kentucky Oaks Day).”

“For the Kentucky Derby?” trainer Nick Zito asked. “I don’t see it.”

Although in the last decade Churchill Downs has bumped the Derby post time back nearly an hour to its scheduled 6:24 p.m. start this Saturday, the track says there are no plans to push it back two more hours to when many mainstream American sporting events begin.

“I can absolutely tell you the idea of a Kentucky Derby at night has never, ever been raised,” said John Asher, Churchill Downs vice president for racing communications.

Asher might have been motivated to use “never” with “ever” because skepticism is in the air now that portable lights will be put into place at the track this summer. Night racing is coming to Churchill on two Fridays (June 19 and 26) as well as a Thursday (July 2) during this spring meet. If that move is a sensation, it’s a short jump to the next debate.

“More people have commented on that to me in a positive way than anything we’ve done since I’ve been here,” Asher said.

I’m not surprised. Lights, camera, action is the American way. Once lights are plugged in, the temptation is to use them more, not less. Wrigley Field and Notre Dame once were allergic to lights. Check what times the Super Bowl, World Series and Final Four sign off these days.

Television loves lights. Later starting times bring better ratings. Better ratings bring larger rights fees. Feel free to connect the halogen dots.

“Anything’s possible,” said Tom Hammond, the Lexington-based anchor of NBC’s Derby TV announcing team. “A prime-time Kentucky Derby would obviously be a big attraction.”

As a programming draw, the Derby has been remarkably consistent over the last decade even as the U.S. audience has been splintered by more channels and entertainment options. The Derby’s TV share — percentage of TVs tuned in — has registered at 18 in six of the past seven years. That’s solid.

But network TV has reassessed its Derby coverage. ESPN sliced six hours from 2008 to ‘09 in its Derby/Oaks package, reducing it to five hours, all from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.

The first show to disappear was yesterday’s post-position draw. Once Big Brown scored from the 20 hole last year, it became laughable to sell the draw as serious strategic drama. Goodbye ESPN at 5:30 p.m. Hello HRTV at high noon.

ESPN also whacked a one-hour Thursday Derby preview, three hours of Friday coverage and one hour on Saturday.

Like most events, the Derby could always use more good stories and promotional juice. Keep an eye on those portable lights.