Apr 14, 2002 By The Associated Press 4 min read

Harlan’s Holiday might end up as the Kentucky Derby favorite, but he’ll have a lot of company on the first Saturday in May. A huge field that could reach the maximum of 20 is expected to run in the Derby, and Saturday’s three major prep races began clearing the road to Louisville.

Harlan’s Holiday pulled off to a 41/2-length win over rival Booklet in the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, all but securing the favorite’s role in the 128th Derby with these credentials: Six wins and four seconds in 10 starts and earnings of $1,451,564.

“This feels great today,” owner Jack Wolf said before praising trainer Ken McPeek. “Kenny had this horse prepared perfectly. Obviously, this was a big win for us, but we’re looking forward to the first Saturday in May.”

The $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct produced four Derby horses, starting with the winner Buddha, and the next three 3-year-olds, favored Medaglia d’Oro, Sunday Break and Saarland.

None have the experience of Harlan’s Holiday, with Buddha and Medaglia d’Oro each having just four career starts.

“Yes, Buddha’s lightly raced and that’s a negative,” trainer H. James Bond said. “Seasoning is a real concern, but how can you take it away from the owners if the horse is healthy? We’ll take the next three weeks one day at a time.”

So will many others. From the Blue Grass, Booklet may also tackle the Derby starter, but trainer John Ward, who won last year’s Derby with Monarchos, said a decision will be made in the next week or so.

While Buddha won by a head in a thrilling stretch-long duel, runner-up Medaglia d’Oro could be the hot horse heading to the Derby. Coming off two six-furlong allowance races, he stepped up and won the San Felipe Stakes on March 17 and came back and ran exceptionally well in the 1 1-8-mile Wood.

“I thought he looked great,” Medaglia d’Oro’s trainer Bobby Frankel said. “I knew we lost. Yeah, I’m taking him to the Derby.”

Buddha and Medaglia d’Oro would have to overcome huge odds to win the Derby. The last Derby winner that came into the race off four starts was Exterminator in 1918.

Private Emblem easily won the $500,000 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, probably giving trainer Steve Asmussen a Derby starter. Asmussen also saddled third-place finisher Windward Passage. Wild Horses was second, 41/2 lengths behind the winner.

And, in the California Derby, Tracemark rallied from sixth in a field of eight and ran down Cappuchino in the final yards to win by a neck.

Earlier this week, several other Derby questions were answered.

– Bob Baffert will send his new arrival, War Emblem, to Churchill Downs after the Illinois Derby winner was purchased by Prince Ahmed bin Salman. Baffert, who won the Derby with Silver Charm in 1997 and Real Quiet in 1998, said a week earlier he was “horseless” for the Derby.

– Others already set to run are Came Home, the Santa Anita Derby winner; Essence of Dubai, winner of the UAE Derby and owned by Godolphin Racing; Perfect Drift, winner of the Spiral Stakes; and Easy Grades and Lusty Latin, second and third, respectively, in the Santa Anita Derby.

Derby plans for Johannesburg, the 2-year-old champion beaten last week at The Curragh in Dublin, have not been finalized. If Johannesburg comes to Kentucky, so will stablemate Castle Gandolfo, said trainer Aidan O’Brien.

– Among others being considered are Flying Dash, Request for Parole and Godolphin’s Ibn al Haitham.

Ken McPeek, who trains Harlan’s Holiday isn’t worried about a big Derby field.

“I don’t put a lot of weight in everyone else’s,” McPeek, from Lexington, said after winning his first Blue Grass. “I just try to keep to mine on a day-to-day basis and get him ready to run the best race he can.”