Final preps will sort out contenders

The horse racing equivalent to college basketball's Sweet 16 will be this weekend and next. Many Kentucky Derby hopefuls will sort themselves out in their final prep in the Santa Anita Derby, Wood Memorial and Illinois Derby on Saturday.

Each race offers an intriguing handicapping angle. Lookin At Lucky in the Santa Anita Derby and Eskendereya in the Wood are heavy favorites and the top two Kentucky Derby choices right now. A victory for them is not as important as maintaining health and fitness for the ultimate goal at Churchill Downs. The Illinois Derby has no star in the field, but one could emerge.

As a bettor, you're always looking for reasons to play against the favorites, and I think it's a tack worth taking Saturday.

At Santa Anita, the main contenders to Lookin At Lucky are Sidney's Candy and Caracortado. They have contrasting running styles: Sidney's Candy is a speed horse and Caracortado a stalker.

In the Wood, Eskendereya will be the shortest-priced favorite among the three prep races. The horse with the most to prove is Jackson Bend for trainer Nick Zito. Most experts have written off his Derby chances, so this is a make-or-break prep race for him.

And finally in the Illinois Derby, the wiseguy horse will be Yawanna Twist from trainer Richard Dutrow. A long shot I prefer is Dave in Dixie, shipping in from Santa Anita for trainer John Sadler. I suspect his first try on dirt could be special.

■ CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE ORLEANS -- The Championship at The Orleans handicapping tournament will be April 8 to 10. The top 10 finishers will earn a free seat to the 2011 Horseplayer World Series. The entry fee is $500.

■ STATION CASINOS -- A season-long series of DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship qualifiers and prequalifiers begins today at all Station and Fiesta Casinos.

The prequalifiers cost $20 per entry and will be held on Fridays. The actual qualifiers, which will award a seat to the NHC, are $200 to enter and will be held on a designated Saturday. This month's qualifier will be hosted by Sunset Station on April 24. Station is paying out 100 percent of the entry fees as prize money.

Complete rules are available at any Station race book.

Richard Eng's horse racing column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com.