With fields of 12 and 11, respectively, the $500,000 Lane's End (GII) and $100,000 Rushway will give handicappers plenty to think about as the make their selections in the pair of Kentucky Derby preps to be run at Turfway Park this Saturday, March 24.

The featured Lane's End, race ten on the card, is topped by 5-2 morning line favorite Hard Spun, who drew post 10. The Larry Jones trainee is four for five lifetime and is looking to rebound from his lone loss, which came in the Southwest at Oaklawn Park last month. He drew an outside post in that race as well, but Jones has said the track, not the post position, was the problem. Jones regularly stable at Oaklawn each winter, but brought his Derby hopeful to northern Kentucky a few weeks ago to get acclimated with the Polytrack. So far, things seem to be working well; he's had two bullet five-furlong moves since arriving.

Second choice, at 7-2, is Forefathers from the Nick Zito barn. He's another looking to rebound from a disappointing effort; his at Gulfstream in the Hutcheson (GII). This will be Forefathers' first start around two turns. Forefathers, who has been ridden by Manny Cruz in all of his Florida races, will be piloted by Julien Leparoux for the first time. Zito won this race in 1999 with Stephen Got Even.

Todd Pletcher will be represented by the uncoupled duo of Bullara and Twilight Meteor. The former is the more accomplished of the two, with two stakes wins to his credit, but Pletcher's top rider John Velazquez is aboard Bullara off an eight length allowance win at Gulfstream Park.

Another Florida shipper is For You Reppo. With three starts at the nine-furlong distance already, the son of El Corredor should have plenty of stamina built up. In his most recent start, he was a good second to Chelokee in an entry-level allowance race. Chelokee was a possibility for the Lane's End, but opted for next Saturday's Florida Derby (GI).

Highest Degree came out of the same race as For You Reppo, but finished sixth after encountering some trouble in the race. He has only one win in five starts came, but that came over the Polytrack at Keeneland. He gets his sixth different rider Saturday in Alonso Quinonez.

New York will be represented by two runners: Sports Town, who his trainer John Terranova was planning on running in the Gotham, but a minor setback landed him in this spot; and Helios, who makes his stakes debut.

In addition to Hard Spun, Starbase ships from Oaklawn as well. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas' colt won an allowance in Arkansas before being soundly defeated in the Southwest.

The field is rounded out by Approval Rating, fourth in the John Battaglia, and Joe Got Even, second in the same race as the favorite.

Post position order for the Lane's End from the rail out: Highest Degree (trainer Ken McPeek, jockey Alonso Quinonez); Starbase (D. Wayne Lukas, Terry Thompson); Sports Town (John Terranova II, Bridgmohan); Approval Rating (Mark Casse, Patrick Husbands); Bullara (Pletcher, Velazquez); Forefathers (Nick Zito, Julien Leparoux); Twilight Meteor (Pletcher, Prado); Helios (Alan Klanfer, Channing Hill); Joe Got Even (Phil Sims, Miguel Mena); Hard Spun (Larry Jones, Pino); For You Reppo (Pitts, Desormeaux); and Sedgefield (Darrin Miller, Rafael Bejarano).

As race 9, the Rushaway will directly precede the Lane's End. The race looks like a wide-open betting affair, with favoritism likely to fall on Todd Pletcher's Meritocracy. He was seventh in the Fountain of Youth (GII), but that was a very tough Derby prep with the likes of Scat Daddy, Stormello and Nobiz Like Shobiz, nothing like the caliber of horses he faces today.

That's not to say he's not in for a challenge; several in here have proven to have talent.

Reata's Rocket will get plenty of support after running a credible fourth in the Hutcheson (GII), but this is his first try going a route of ground.

Dubious Miss makes his stakes debut for Paul McGee, but is undefeated in two starts, including an allowance win where he beat Trust Your Luck, who is also in here.

Pink Viper won the Count Fleet at Aqueduct in January, but came back to run poorly in the Whirlaway.

Skip Code was a Grade Three winner in Canada last year, but looks to rebound off two sub-par efforts, in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) and the Ocala Breeders Stakes.

Passport won the Cradle at River Downs and was beaten just 6 ½ lengths by Great Hunter in the Breeders' Futurity (GI) at Keeneland.

The Lane's End and Rushaway are part of a 12-race card that gets underway at 1:10 p.m. Eastern Time. ESPN will air both races live on an hour-long program from 5-6 p.m