I’ll Have Another, sent off as the second choice at 3-1 over 8-5 favorite Bodemeister, covered the 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.94. The winner returned $8.40, $3.80 and $2.80. Bodemeister returned $3.20 and $2.80, and Creative Cause paid $3.60 to show.

Creative Cause was third, 8 lengths behind hard-luck runner-up Bodemeister, followed by Zetterholm, Teeth of the Dog, Optimizer, Cozzetti, Tiger Walk, Daddy Nose Best, Went the Day Well and Pretension.

The California Horse Racing Board is considering the case, which involves “milkshaking,” the illegal practice of giving a horse a blend of bicarbonate of soda, sugar and electrolytes to combat fatigue.

O’Neill faces his third total carbon dioxide violation in California and fourth in a career that has spanned 25 years.

I swear on my kids’ eyes I never milkshaked a horse,” O’Neill said Thursday at Pimlico Race Course, where he addressed reports about his possible suspension in California on charges he gave his horses performance-enhancing cocktails of bicarbonate of soda, sugar and electrolytes. Instead, O’Neill blamed the failed tests on “some people in charge of California racing I think didn’t like a few of us that were doing well. Anyway, it’s all being heard by the courts and I’m very confident everything will be fine.” The trainer apparently isn’t going to let his problems in California have any influence on the job he’s got ahead of him leading up to the Preakness.

I’ll Have Another stormed out of post No. 19 – the first winner from there in 138 runnings of the Derby – and bided his time back in mid-pack while Bodemeister set a blistering pace on a muggy, 85-degree afternoon at Churchill Downs.

“He’s an amazing horse. I kept telling everybody, from the first time I met him, I knew he was the one. I knew he was good,” jockey Mario Gutierrez said. “I said in an interview, even if they allowed me to pick from the whole rest of the field, I would have stayed with him, 100 percent, no doubt about it.”

Making his Derby debut at 25, Gutierrez got his chance to ride I’ll Have Another after trainer Doug O’Neill and owner J. Paul Reddam happened to see him at Santa Anita in Southern California.

I’ll Have Another overhauled a tiring Bodemeister to win by 1 1-2 lengths. He paid $32.60, $13.80 and $9. He ran 1 1-4 miles in 2:01.83.

Bodemeister, trained by three-time Derby winner Bob Baffert, was second and returned $6.20 and $5.60 as the 4-1 favorite. Dullahan was a neck back in third and paid $7.20 to show.

With the storm moving away and the clouds expected to thin, heat could begin to rise to the mid 80s in the afternoon, which could potentially make it the hottest race day in 11 years.

However, with a cold front pushing in and the presence of heat, it still leaves the option of late day thunderstorms. At the time of this post, Weather.com was projecting that the storm should be south of Louisville.

Check out the 2012 Kentucky Derby current odds last updated at May 5, 2012 3:208pm EST.

Pool Total: $14,096,768.52

Believe You Can, Napravnik won the 138th running of the Kentucky Oaks horse race at Churchill Downs

“It’s unbelievable, I’m just so happy,” said Napravnik. “I cried a little but I don’t think I’m done crying yet.”

Trailing Broadway’s Alibi to the home turn, Napravnik made her move approaching the iconic Twin Spires, passing the leader on the outside then riding furiously to the line as the crowd of 112,000 let out a mighty roar.

Sent off at 13-1 odds, Believe You Can paid $29.60, $11.80 and $6.40. Broadway’s Alibi returned $6 and $4.20, and favorite Grace Hall paid $3.20 to show.

Napravnik, 24, has already left her mark on the male-dominated sport since getting her jockey’s license in 2005.

Two years ago, she became the first woman to win the riding title at Delaware Park. Last season took the Fair Grounds riding title and won the $1 million Louisiana Derby with Pants On Fire.

Napravnik finished ninth in the 2011 Kentucky Derby with Pants On Fire – the best finish in the race for a female jockey – but missed out on a ride this year after her mount Mark Valeski was scratched.

Here is the summary of their weather forecast.

For the first Saturday in May, we expect a frontal boundary to be draped from the Plains to the Ohio Valley. The critical details of the forecast for Churchill Downs will depend on the exact location of the front.

Since the boundary will be very near Louisville, we could see scattered thunderstorms wetting the track both Friday, then again Saturday. Plenty of warm air is also expected to pool near this front, allowing temperatures to soar into the middle 80s during the afternoon.

Early track condition forecast: Wet-Fast

In the absence of thunderstorms, the heat that may be the most notable weather on race day. As you can see by clicking on the local forecast link above, this may be the hottest race day in at least 11 years!

Hierro wins the 88th running of The Cliff's Edge Derby Trial. (Photo via Bloodhorse.com)

With Julien Leparoux aboard for Steve Asmussen, Hierro came four-wide into the stretch in the one-mile Derby Trial and wore down favored Paynter, as well as The Black and Stealcase en route to his first stakes victory. The final time over the sloppy track was 1:35.27.

Run under the lights on opening night at Churchill, the Derby Trial was delayed more than a half hour due mainly to a violent storm earlier in the evening. The race did not go to post until 10:17 p.m. EDT.

Hierro earned $120,000 for the triumph and increased his earnings to $167,080. The Derby Trial score could propel Hierro to the May 19 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Hierro paid $12, $4.60, and $3.20. The exacta (5-7) returned $38.20, and the trifecta (5-7-9) was worth $223. Paynter paid $3.60 and $3.00. Stealcase paid $5.00.

Here are the contenders of 2012 Derby Trial.