Sat Dec 29 18:09:12 2007

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A dozen entered in Tropical Park Derby

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Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Cannonball, third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, has drawn the inside post for Tuesday's $100,000 Tropical Park Derby, the first graded stakes of the new year for three-year-olds.

A solid field of 12 newly turned three-year-olds has been entered in the 1 1/8 mile turf race. Recent winners of the Tropical Park Derby include 2004 Eclipse Award winner Kitten's Joy and 2006 Kentucky Derby champ Barbaro.

Cannonball, owned by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey, was third to Nownownow in the inaugural running of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in October at Monmouth Park. The gelding was sent off at 15-1 in the 12-horse field.

Trained by Wesley Ward, Cannonball has won two of five starts for $177,580, including the one-mile King Cugat Stakes at Belmont Park on the grass. Elvis Trujillo returns to ride the gelding.

Arthur Appleton Turf winner Dynhocracy is the top local runner entered in the New Year's Day event. The gelding recorded that stakes win on the turf in November and is coming off a fourth-place finish here in the What A Pleasure Stakes.

Dynhocracy will start from post 11 with M. R. Cruz in the saddle for trainer Bill Kaplan. Owned by Vicino Racing Stables, the gelding has two wins in seven starts for $109,900.

Laurel Futurity winner Cowboy Cal will break from post five with John Velazquez riding. The Laurel Futurity was a race Barbaro won as a two-year-old on his way to the Kentucky Derby.

Todd Pletcher trains Cowboy Cal for Stonerside Stable. The colt has won two of three starts for $92,048.

Here is the complete field for Tropical Park Derby in post position order: Cannonball, Elvis Trujillo; Why Tonto, Edgar Prado; Wise Answer, Eibar Coa; Celestial Comet, Kent Desormeaux; Cowboy Cal, John Velazquez; Titan of Industry, Javier Castellano; Joey the Scholar, Julio Garcia; Heaven's Awesome, Ariel Smith; Kim's Dixie Tune, Eddie Castro; Moral Compass, Cornelio Velasquez; Dynhocracy, M. R. Cruz and Pir At the Moon, Jeffrey Sanchez.

Post-time for the Tropical Park Derby is 3:03 p.m. (et).