In the Santa Anita Derby, Came Home is expected to face USS Tinosa, second in Sunday's San Felipe Stakes; Easy Grades, second to Came Home in the San Rafael; and any one of three Bob Baffert-trained horses – Danthebluegrassman, Mountain Rage, and Puerto Banus, who bled slightly in the San Felipe. Danthebluegrassman worked 5 furlongs in :59 4/5 on Wednesday. David Hofmans, trainer of Siphonic, said the son of Siphon scoped clean after his third-place finish in the San Felipe, and he is awaiting results of blood tests, which are due back on Friday. After that, Hofmans will decide what course of action he wants to take.Easy Grades tuned up for the Santa Anita Derby, working 5 furlongs in 1:01 2/5 Tuesday, while another possible starter, Captain Squire, worked the same distance in 1:02.
If any horse deserves smooth sailing on the Derby trail from here on it's Came Home, who was back on the track Tuesday for a mile and a half gallop. Recently, the son of Gone West has cast himself in his stall, was forced to undergo a nuclear scan, which came back negative, and came down with a mild fever."He's fine today," trainer Paco Gonzalez said. "We walked him for two days because of a little temperature, but now he's OK. So far, everything looks all right for the Santa Anita Derby."Came Home has been impressive in both his starts this year -- victories in the San Vicente and San Rafael Stakes. His form from last year was flattered this past weekend when Mayakovsky, whom he defeated in the Hopeful Stakes, won the Gotham at Aqueduct by almost 4 lengths in 1:34 4/5 in his 3-year-old debut.
