If you are reading this and it's the crack of dawn on the East Coast, know this: I'm not actually up at this hour, I just scheduled this story to post automatically. There's only so many Saturday mornings in the year where I'll get up at 4am, and last weekend's Dubai World Cup fulfilled my quota for at least a couple of weeks.
It's the biggest Kentucky Derby prep weekend of the year with the G1-Wood Memorial, G1-Santa Anita Derby, and G3-Illinois Derby all crowning a winner and a contender for the Run for the Roses. Undefeated Gemologist challenges Alpha in the Wood; Creative Cause looks to solidify himself as the "Best in the West: in the Santa Anita Derby; and an over-flow field of 14 will battle at Hawthorne in the Illinois Derby. Additionally, Keeneland will feature the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes, an important prep on the road to the 2012 Kentucky Oaks.
Below you can find links to the updated scratches and changes for today's major tracks:
Aqueduct Scratches
Santa Anita Scratches
Hawthorne Scratches
Keeneland Scratches