Grade 3, $200,000 El Camino Real Derby, 1 1/8 miles, Golden Gate Fields, Tapeta surface, Feb. 15 (10 Kentucky Derby eligibility points to the winner, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth) If the Kentucky Derby were to be run on a synthetic track – which it will not – Tamarando automatically would be a very serious contender. Tamarando’s half-length victory over Dance With Fate on Saturday was his fourth win, including three stakes, from seven tries on three different synthetic surfaces. Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer and patiently ridden by Russell Baze, the California-bred son of Bertrando rallied five wide from last on the final turn to get within a length of Dance With Fate in midstretch before finishing the job with a strong final furlong clocked in less than 11.36 seconds. He earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure for completing the race in 1:51.23. Enterprising was in contention throughout under Gary Stevens but could not match strides late with the top two, finishing a respectable third. Hollendorfer’s second horse in the eight-horse field, Puppy Manners, briefly rallied behind Tamarando on the final turn but could not sustain his bid to finish fourth, while fifth-place finisher Infosec was in the hunt until the final three-sixteenths of a mile without making a serious bid. [ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays] While Tamarando has three in-the-money finishes in three career stakes on Santa Anita dirt, his performance in this 1 1/8-mile race on Tapeta pointed out his strong suits: stamina and good late speed on synthetics. After his sustained, wide rally against the relatively modest pace set by 30-1 shot I’ll Wrap It Up (49.73 seconds for the half-mile and 1:13.98 for six furlongs), Tamarando dug in nicely to produce the strong final furlong needed to beat a stubborn rival. Indeed, runner-up Dance With Fate, a versatile sort with very good efforts on synthetic, turf, and dirt, also ran well while wide most of the way to give his connections many options. Under Aaron Gryder, Dance With Fate chased the pace through the early stages, moved closer while remaining wide on the final turn, reached the lead in upper stretch, kept Enterprising at bay, and held off Tamarando until the latter accelerated past him with a burst of speed in the final sixteenth. Dance With Fate also galloped out smoothly to catch Tamarando, suggesting that he will be fine at longer distances. Enterprising, the 13-10 betting favorite off his good second on this surface in the California Derby on Jan. 18, stalked the pace to the far turn, made a three-wide bid into the stretch, but was unable to handle the top two. While he belongs in stakes, especially on turf or synthetic, Enterprising will need major improvement to challenge the best in the division. The El Camino Real Derby was the first nine-furlong Kentucky Derby prep for 3-year-olds this year. It also was one of the final two prep races offering 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner, joining Monday’s Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.  Beginning next weekend, Derby preps offer 50 points to the winner.  Next: Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Oaklawn Park, Monday