Another day at the office for 'Biz

Following the tragedy of Barbaro last week, many people have noted that the trail to his Kentucky Derby victory began in the Holy Bull Stakes. This weekend, another talented three-year-old colt came out of the race a winner, inching himself closer to smell the roses of the Kentucky Derby.

Photo: AP/Equi-Photo

Nobiz Like Shobiz had stamped himself as one of the top candidates for the Triple Crown races last year, being one of the top horses of his age. He showed up at the beginning of this year by winning the Holy Bull Stakes. His jockey, Cornelio Velasquez, told Bloodhorse.com that the son of Albert the Great "won easily moving on the lead."

Taking honorable mention in the Holy Bull Stakes was the talented Scat Daddy, winner of the Champagne Stakes last year and another good choice for the Triple Crown races for this year. His trainer, Anthony Sciametta Jr., was said to be very happy with how the colt took the race.

In other Triple Crown news, graded stakes winner Circular Quay will try to make his own bid for the Kentucky Derby in the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds Racetrack. The son of 1995 Kentucky Derby winner Thunder Gulch will try to prove that he has more left in him after his spectacular two-year-old season, when he won the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga before finishing second in the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile, both of which are grade one races.

Horses race based on graded (or group in Europe and other places) races. The highest level that a horse can reach is grade one, such as the Kentucky Derby or a Breeders' Cup race. The Breeders' Cup is a series of races that concentrate on bringing the best out of the fields, which are usually made up of the best horses in the world.

After the Kentucky Derby, the Breeders' Cup is the race to work towards for the three year olds (while the older and younger horses are usually taking this time to train and work towards the races later on in the year). In the coming weeks, I will be keeping a sharp eye out for spotlight horses that will be part of my own Daily Dozen for the Derby. These will be the horses that have stood out to me, and the ones that I would like to make up the field for the 133^rd running of the Kentucky Derby.