It’s a long, winding road to Churchill Downs and the first Saturday in May, but the thoroughbred ensemble is on Twitter about Breeders’ Cup junior champion Stevie Wonderboy, who is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut on Saturday at the $ 150,000 San Rafael. Gambling in Santa Anita.

No junior champion has conquered the Kentucky Derby.

The road to Louisville is as fraught with danger as a championship golf course, from untimely injuries to missteps on the track.

Some people forget the fact that fillies and foals go through a lot of major physical changes between the two and three year seasons; it is simply the maturing process.

Many among the horse group, however, maintain that Wonderboy is their best hope thus far.

“He’s definitely one to watch,” said John Avello, who oversees racing operations at Wynn Las Vegas.

“Bluegrass Cat and First Samurai are two others.”

Wonderboy came from behind to defeat the favorite First Samurai at the Juvenile, one of his four wins in five starts.

“For me it’s any one of the top three junior finalists: Stevie Wonderboy, First Samurai and Henny Hughes,” added Gordon Jones, a former lawn editor at the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner who now teaches racing seminars in Sam’s Town.

“I haven’t seen anyone out there even up close. Anyway, no one who has caught my eye.”

Wonderboy, which is owned by television artist Merv Grffin and named after his father, Stephen Got Even, as well as singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, is considered racing royalty when it comes to lineages.

“We’ve had three interesting stories with Triple Crown racing in the last three years and this could be a fourth blockbuster,” Jones said.

“Funny Cide was a good story, Smarty Jones was a good story, and Afleet Alex was a good story.

“If Stevie Wonderboy wins, the media will go nuts with all of that horse’s Hollywood connections.”

Stephen Got Even is the son of AP Indy and Summer Squall is his grandfather.

Wonderboy deposited over $ 1 million into his two-year campaign and is one of the favorites to capture an Eclipse award later this month.

The early winter races will focus on Santa Anita in Southern California and Gulfstream Park in Florida, with other tracks gradually appearing.

“All roads to Churchill will go through Oaklawn Park this year,” Jones predicted. “With Hurricane Katrina closing the fairgrounds (in New Orleans), Oaklawn will have better jockeys, trainers and horses than ever,” Jones said.

The San Rafael, one of the first steps to the Race for the Roses, will be held at one mile, two stadiums less than the Derby distance of one and a quarter miles.