HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Grade 1 winners Muth and Timberlake were among 10 horses entered in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Arkansas Derby, which will be run for the 88th time on Saturday at Oaklawn Park. Entries for the 1 1/8-mile race were taken on Sunday. The Arkansas Derby carries Kentucky Derby points on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10. The race was drawn during a winner’s circle ceremony. It will be supported by three others stakes, including the Grade 3, $750,000 Fantasy, which drew 12. There will be a special first post of noon Central to accommodate the 13-race card. Muth will start from post 7 under J.J. Hernandez and was installed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite. Timberlake drew post 2 and was made the 9-5 second choice under Flavien Prat. The 5-2 third choice is Mystik Dan, the winner of the Southwest Stakes who will break from post 9 under Brian Hernandez Jr. Muth won last year’s Grade 1 American Pharoah at Santa Anita and, in his most recent start, won the track’s Grade 2 San Vicente in January. His trainer, Bob Baffert, has won four runnings of the Arkansas Derby. Timberlake won last year’s Grade 1 Champagne at the Belmont meet at Aqueduct and in his last start won the Grade 2 Rebel in February at Oaklawn. His trainer, Brad Cox, has won the last two runnings of the Arkansas Derby, with Angel of Empire last year and Cyberknife in 2022. Following the Rebel, Timberlake had been considered for next month’s Blue Grass at Keeneland and the Arkansas Derby. The decision was made to target the Arkansas Derby for a couple of reasons, Cox said last week from Timberlake’s base at Fair Grounds. “I think the timing, and that he did everything so well there,” he said. “Our plan all along was to get a couple runs into him and, hopefully, he’d show enough in those two and get to the Kentucky Derby. He’s got 66 points, I think, at the moment. That’s probably enough to get in. “But obviously we’ve got to go into the Derby the right way. He’s shown the ability to ship up to Oaklawn and run well. Oaklawn’s been a great place for having horses show up [in the Kentucky Derby] and run well. I think it’s a great path.” Cox said Timberlake would ship either Sunday or Monday to Oaklawn.  The complete Arkansas Derby field from the rail with riders is: Will Take It, Francisco Arrieta; Timberlake; Dimatic, Cristian Torres; Time for Truth, Rafael Bejarano; Liberal Arts, Tyler Gaffalione; Informed Patriot, Ricardo Santana Jr.; Muth; Just Steel, Keith Asmussen; Mystik Dan; Imperial Gun, Emmanuel Esquivel. The Arkansas Derby is slotted as the 12th race with a scheduled post of 6:47 p.m. Central. The Fantasy offers Kentucky Oaks points on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10. The 1 1/16-mile race goes as the 11th race with a scheduled post of 6 p.m.    The field for the Fantasy from the rail with riders is: My Mane Squeeze, Prat; In Just My Heels, Bejarano; Midshipman’s Dance, Ramon Vazquez; All Things Go, Rocco Bowen; Where’s My Ring, Arrieta; Ba Dee Yah, Edgar Morales; Recharge, Cristian Torres; West Omaha, Gaffalione; Candy Aisle, Santana; Tapit Jenallie, Esquivel; Lemon Muffin, Asmussen; Thorpedo Anna, Brian Hernandez Jr. Recharge and Candy Aisle ran one-two last out in the Sunland Park Oaks, while Lemon Muffin captured the Martha Washington at Oaklawn. My Mane Squeeze has won three New York-bred stakes in her last three starts for trainer Mike Maker. The stakes action Saturday begins in the ninth with the Grade 3, $500,000 Oaklawn Mile, which drew eight head, including $2.2 million earner Last Samurai, millionaire Silver Prospector, and the sharp Midnight Rising. The 10th race is the $250,000 Matron, which drew a field of 10 fillies and mares, including Hoosier Philly. Oaklawn bumped up the purses for allowances and maiden special weight races for Saturday, and there will be four allowances worth $150,000 each and four maiden special weight races worth $120,000 each. Total purses for the card are $4.1 million, which is an Oaklawn record, according to racing secretary Pat Pope. The purse for the Arkansas Derby is a record, up from $1.25 million in 2023.  The infield is scheduled to be open Saturday. The forecast calls for a high of 77 degrees with mostly sunny skies and an 18 percent chance of some precipitation, according to AccuWeather. The ontrack crowd could exceed 60,000. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.