THE WIZARD HAS ARRIVED by The Wizard on Tuesday, April 28, 2009

I arrived in Lexington Kentucky on Sunday evening. I drove up to Churchill Downs in the morning to watch several Derby horses put in their final workouts. I also saw Rachel Alexandra, who will be the overwhelming favorite, to win the Kentucky Oaks on Friday. She looked amazing from my vantage point on the backstretch. I spotted trainer Bob Baffert, and Ahmad Zayet, owner of Pioneerof the Nile. He was scheduled to work 5 furlongs at 8:30. Baffert shouted, "Here comes the Wizard". I had met him at Saratoga a few years ago. I was pleased that he recognized me. We spoke for several minutes. Baffert is such a personable guy and fun to be around. A few minutes later, Mr. Zayat came over and we introduced ourselves. We spoke alone for about twenty minutes. It was a great conversation. I learned about his background and some of the horses he has purchased since getting into the business in a big way a few years ago. Mr. Zayat has accomplished so much in a short period of time. We spoke at length about Pioneerof the Nile who will be one of the betting choices in the Derby. After the works, I went to the front side and ran into trainer Todd Pletcher, who has three entrants in the Derby. I also had a nice private conversation with him. On Wednesday I will share with you some thoughts and observations I took away from my visit.