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March 22 (UPI) -- The final round of Kentucky Derby preps kicks off Saturday with a pair of competitive races in New Orleans and northern Kentucky and the finale of the Japanese series that offers a guaranteed spot in the starting field. Fair Grounds surrounds the $1 million Louisiana Derby with a solid program of stakes races on both turf and dirt. Turfway Park supports the $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks with an array of features on its all-weather track.
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On the international front, Saturday is Golden Slipper Day Australia and Sunday is BMW Hong Kong Derby Day. Grade 1 racing returns in Japan with Sunday's Takamatsunomiya Kinen and flat racing is creeping back into the picture in Europe.
Let's creep up on the action with ...
The Road to the Roses
The weekend's two big Kentucky Derby preps are the $1 million Grade II Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds and the $700,000 Grade III Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park.
Each is worth 100 points to the winner, with 50, 25, 15 and 10 to the next four placings. Winning or finishing second should be good enough for a trip to Louisville.
Sierra Leone, the favorite in the most recent Kentucky Derby Future Wager, won the Grade II Risen Star over a sloppy Fair Grounds track, but is sitting out the Louisiana Derby, probably in favor of next month's Blue Grass at Keeneland. That leaves the Derby pretty wide open.
Most of the field is worth a look but Track Phantom is the 3-1 favorite on the morning line after finishing second in the Feb. 17 Risen Star. He won the Gun Runner Stakes and the Grade III Lecomte earlier in the meeting.
Catching Freedom won the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park before his third in the Risen Star and is 4-1 on the line.
Saturday's $700,000 Grade III Jeff Ruby Steaks on the Turfway Park all-weather track features Endlessly, a two-time graded stakes winner at 2 on the turf in California and most recently winner of the El Camino Real Derby on the Golden Gate all-weather.
Watch for potential Preakness candidates in Saturday's $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park, $250,000 Rushaway Stakes on the Turfway Park all-weather and $100,000 Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park.
Meanwhile, Saturday's Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse is the final leg of the "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby" and whichever of the 11 colts wins the race gets the right of first refusal for a spot in the Churchill Downs starting gate.
The Lane to the Lilies
Tarifa looks like a handful in Saturday's $400,000 Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks. She has won three of four starts and took the local Rachel Alexandra Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths.
Alpine Princess is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a field of 10 for Saturday's $300,000 Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park.
Turf
Saturday's $300,000 Grade II Muniz Memorial at Fair Grounds features the first four finishers from the local Grade II Fair Grounds Stakes. Chad Brown ships in I'm Very Busy, last seen finishing a surprise second in the Grade I Pegasus World Cup Turf.
Saturday's $100,000 Grade III San Luis Rey Stakes, 1 1/2 miles on the Santa Anita greensward, drew only five, well bunched on the morning line.
Filly & Mare Turf
Saturday's $150,000 Tom Benson Memorial at Fair Grounds is a virtual rerun of the Feb. 17 Al Stall Memorial with six of the first seven finishers from that returning for another go.
Turf Sprint
No Nay Mets and Bonus Move are the morning-line favorites in Saturday's $100,000 Texas Glitter Stakes for 3-year-olds at Gulfstream Park. Sunday's $100,000 Melody of Colors Stakes for 3-year-old fillies features Crimson Advocate in a field of 11.
No Nay Mets and Crimson Advocate, both trained by George Weaver, earned trips to Royal Ascot with Gulfstream victories last year.
Classic
There are three well-endowed races in this division Saturday -- the $600,000 Grade III Essex Handicap at Oaklawn Park, the $500,000 Grade II New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds and the $300,000 Grade III Kentucky Cup Classic on the Turfway Park all-weather.
Distaff
Botanical, winner of last year's Bourbonette Oaks, is the 6-5 morning-line favorite in Saturday's $250,000 Latonia Stakes on the Turfway Park all-weather.
Sprint / Filly & Mare Sprint
Valentine Candy is riding a three-race win streak compiled at Oaklawn Park -- enough to make him the 2-1 morning-line favorite in Saturday's $250,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes at 6 furlongs on the Turfway Park all-weather.
Around the world, around the clock
Hong Kong
Helios Express won the first two legs of the series leading up to Sunday's BMW Hong Kong Derby but still has plenty to prove if he's to record the sweep. He tries 2,000 meters for the first time.
He also has some new competition: Galaxy Patch, who enters the Derby series after dominating local sprint races; and Massive Sovereign, whose only previous Hong Kong race produced an eye-opening win going the 2,000-meter Derby distance.
Japan
Mama Cocha, Mad Cool and Namura Clair, the first three finishers in last October's Grade 1 Sprinters Stakes, are all entered for Sunday's Group 1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen at Chukyo Racecourse.
All three make their 2024 debut. Hong Kong invader Victor the Winner exits a victory in the Group 1 Centenary Sprint Cup back home.
Australia
A massive day at Rosehill Gardens has some of Australia's best and most promising taking their places.
The Group 1 Golden Slipper for 2-year-olds at Rosehill Gardens, 1,200 meters, is rated the world's richest race for 2-year-olds.
It's a huge field, but Switzerland and Storm Boy get much of the early action. Ryan Moore is in to ride Storm Boy, which doesn't hurt the Justify colt's chances, but doesn't help his odds.
Four other Group 1 races are on tap: the George Ryder Stakes at 1,500 meters, the Ranvet at 2,000 meters, the Galaxy at 1,100 meters, and the Rosehill Guineas at 2,000 meters.
Meanwhile, at The Valley, Imperatriz looks like a tough nut to crask in Saturday's Group 1 William Reid Stakes at 1,200 meters, despite a narrow loss to Cylinder at Flemington last time out.
