Top Billing works toward allowance race

Top Billing had his first workout since a disappointing return to action when he breezed four furlongs in 49.80 seconds Tuesday at Payson Park.

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said last week that he hopes to find another allowance race for Top Billing in the near future. Top Billing ran fourth as the favorite in a second-level allowance race at 1 1/16 miles on Feb. 22 when making his first start in precisely a year.

Top Billing and his McGaughey stablemate, Honor Code, were among the top prospects last winter for the 2014 Kentucky Derby when both were sidelined by injury. Honor Code has had two terrific starts since returning, the latest resulting in a victory last weekend in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap.

◗ Several top jockeys will be absent from Gulfstream this weekend to ride Saturday in the Grade 1 King Abdulaziz Cup in Saudi Arabia. Javier Castellano, Edgar Prado, and Jose Lezcano will travel from here and will be joined from New York by Cornelio Velasquez.

◗ Nominations have been released for the two stakes for fillies and mares to be run here next Saturday, March 21. The Royal Delta (formerly the Sabin) will be run at 1 1/16 miles, and the Inside Information at seven furlongs. Both are Grade 2 races with $200,000 purses.