The Bob Baffert-trained Dortmund produced the most noteworthy performance among four Kentucky Derby prep races on Saturday when he extended his unbeaten record to five wins with a game victory in the G2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita.

The son of Big Brown made the running in the $400,000 event and doggedly turned back his rivals when he was challenged in the stretch to score by a length and a quarter over the closer Prospect Park.

The pair will meet again in the Santa Anita Derby on April 4.

"He's starting to fill out, getting stronger," said Baffert. "As long as he stays healthy, the farther they go, he's just getting cranked up there at the end, so that was pretty exciting."

The G2 Tampa Bay Derby in Florida saw Todd Pletcher’s Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up Carpe Diem clear out for a five lengths win from Ami's Flatter in the stretch while New York’s G3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct went to the John Terranova-trained El Kabeir by a comfortable two and three-quarter lengths.

Carpe Diem was a powerful debut winner at Saratoga and successful in the G1 Breeders Futurity at Keeneland before his Breeders Cup second.

Carpe Diem has now won three of four starts earning $919,800 for his owners WinStar Farm and Stonestreet Stables.

“When they leave their 2-year-old season behind, you hope they come out like he did,” said WinStar President Elliott Walden.

“Everyone who has watched him said he has been training better than any horse in Florida, and it’s nice to see him put it together like that.”

Ham winner El Kabeir has been racing in great heart since the start of the year, capturing the $400,000 Aqueduct feature after a second in the G3 Withers Stakes on February 7 and now boasts the strong record of four wins and three placings from eight starts with prizemoney of $678,892.

“From two to three years old, he’s a completely different horse,” said Terranova.

“He was very fast, and we knew he was very talented, but we didn’t know how he would be mentally. Now, we’ve focused on getting him to use his energy in the right way.

“It’s nice to see him completely change dimensions. I think he thrives off the races, and training.

“The more you throw at him; the stronger he gets. He seems to get sharper mentally, and physically he feels good.

“We’d like to stay here and run in the Wood Memorial because he’s done very well here.”

Also at Gulfstream Park the G2 Swale Stakes was won by Tom Albertrani’s Ready For Rye in an upset over odds-on favourite Daredevil.

At Santa Anita the G1 Kilroe Mile on turf gave Eclipse Award-winning apprentice Drayden Van Dyke land his first G1 won on Ring Weekend for Graham Motion.