Editor's Note: Since January 1, ESPN.com has been tracking the progress of Triple Crown hopeful Saarland in a weekly diary of the horse's season-long progress. Over the course of Saarland's nine days in Louisville, his final Kentucky Derby tune-ups will be updated daily.

Welcome to Louisville
After 116 days on the Kentucky Derby trail with Saarland, we can finally stop and smell the roses. Saarland's first full day at Churchill Downs comes on one of those post-card pictures of a morning. The Kentucky Derby rests just eight days away on the calendar, but there's no rest for the two dozen colts still aiming for the first Saturday in May.

The hub-bub that is Churchill Downs is a far-cry from the serene spring setting at Belmont Park. The horse and human traffic has picked up exponentially. With assistant trainer Robbie Medina leading him to the track and exercise rider Juice Krajewski aboard, Saarland makes his first appearance on the famed Churchill racetrack.

Donning the traditional yellow Derby saddle towel, Saarland walks onto the track and parks along the rail for 10 minutes to gaze. Relaxed, he takes in the sights before embarking on a one mile gallop. His new equipment also includes a tongue-tie, first used immediately after his tenectomy surgery last week.

"We started at the three-eighths pole," Krajewski says. "And he was on his left lead just like he should. We hit the top of the stretch and he changed perfectly over to his right lead. He switched like he'd been training over this track for months."

The trip from New York does not seem to have taken anything out of the colt. "When Gilberto (Torres, his groom) stirred up the feed last night, he jumped to the front screen of his stall and started snickering and screaming," Krajewski says. "That's the best sign when looking for a happy horse."

Saarland cleaned his lunch tub in less than 15 minutes after this morning's gallop. He has taken kindly to that Kentucky bluegrass when grazing as well. "He's like a lawnmower," Krajewski jokes. "He eats and eats and won't pick his head up."

Trainer Shug McGaughey, who will arrive in Louisville on Sunday, phones from New York at 10 a.m. to get his daily update. "How'd we do?," was his first and most important question. No doubt, he liked the answer he was given after Saarland's first day of galloping under the Twin Spires.