Kentucky Derby Watch - Injuries and Weekend Prep Races

Las Vegas, NV -- Injuries continue to take out Kentucky Derby contenders with the latest casualty being Out of Bounds. The horse suffered a condylar fracture of the left front cannon bone and was scheduled for surgery. Trainer Eoin Harty said the horse should be fine but that he won't be ready for any of the Triple Crown races this year. Out of Bounds joins Algorithms, who is out of Kentucky Derby contention due to a splint bone injury.

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Another contender, Fed Biz, was expected to go in Saturday's San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita but he was scratched due to stomach cramps. Fed Biz is going to need a big effort in his next start to have any chance of making the Derby. Trainer Bob Baffert has replaced Fed Biz in the San Felipe with Bodemeister, who could jump in as a Kentucky Derby contender with a win on Saturday.

Weekend Kentucky Derby Preps

We already mentioned the San Felipe at Santa Anita on Saturday. A number of potential Kentucky Derby contenders are entered in the field of 10 including Liaison for Bob Baffert and Creative Cause for trainer Mike Harrington.

The other big prep race this weekend is the Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday with unbeaten Spring Hill Farm looking to make some noise for trainer Todd Pletcher. The horse is expected to get a challenge from Take Charge Indy and Battle Hardened. Also in the mix should be Prospective who starts from the rail in the $350,000 Grade II race.

Gulfstream Park has the Palm Beach Stakes on Sunday and although it is not a big race on the Kentucky Derby trail it does feature Dullahan who is the half brother of Mine That Bird.

Trainer Dale Romans is excited for Dullahan's first race of the year. The horse was fourth in his last start, which was the Breeders' Cup Juvenile back in November. "His race in the Breeders' Cup was sneaky good," said Romans. "I don't know if people picked up on how good it was. I mean he got really squeezed. He was shut off in the first turn, was all the way back to last, and showed a big run down the lane on the dirt."

This will be one of only two prep races for Dullahan as he will go next in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland next month.

In summary, it is getting to be the exciting part of the year -- hitch yourself to some Derby hopefuls, bet a few dollars and get the highest rebates in the web world at OffTrackBetting.com