FLORENCE — To no one's surprise, Request for Parole, winner of the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes and the WEBN Frog Stakes, was installed Thursday as the 8-5 favorite for the $500,000 Lane's End Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park Saturday.

        Turfway oddsmaker and track announcer Mike Battaglia made Perfect Drift, runner-up to Request for Parole in both the Turfway stakes races, as the No.2 choice at 3-1 in the eight-horse field, followed by Saratoga Blues at 5-2.

        Trainer Steve Margolis said Thursday following the post-position draw that Request for Parole's performance in the Lane' End Spiral Stakes, a Grade II Kentucky Derby prep, will have a direct bearing on whether owners Jeri and Sam Knighton enter the colt in the Kentucky Derby, to be run May 4.

        “This will be a big race for the owners and for me,” Margolis said. “Winning the Spiral would be a legitimate reason to go to the Derby.”

        Request for Parole will be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day, while Perfect Drift has attracted the talents of California jockey Eddie Delahoussaye, who seldom leaves the West Coast these days.

        “Eddie was pretty cold about (riding Perfect Drift) at first, but he came around,” trainer Murray Johnson said Thursday. “He doesn't just travel to ride, he travels to win. Obviously, he thinks this horse can win.”

        Margolis said he expected to be able to train Request for Parole today as rain ended Thursday and the track, which had been closed to gallopping, dried. He said he was not concerned about missing a day or two of training, because the colt is in excellent condition.

        Johnson has been working Perfect Drift at his Trackside training center near Louisville, and the colt galloped 1 1/2 miles Thursday at the facility.

        Request for Parole drew the No.2 post position Thursday, with 30-1 long shot Benny the Hawk on the rail in No.1 and 20-1 Gold Dollar No.3. Irish colt Azillion, at 8-1, drew the No.4 spot, with Saratoga Blues next and My Man Ryan (15-1) No.6. Straight Gin, at 6-1, drew the No.7 position, with Perfect Drift on the outside.

        Post time for the first race Saturday is noon, with the $500,000 Grade II Lane's End Spiral Stakes, contested over 1í miles, scheduled for about 5:30p.m.

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