The Brad Cox stable topped out at 207 starters during the 2018-19 Fair Grounds meet. That number has dwindled each meet since, and Cox’s winter shift from Louisiana to Florida, where he began training a string at Payson Park a year ago, has become even more clear this Fair Grounds meet. Through Jan. 4, approaching a third of the way through the meet, Cox had sent out only 24 Fair Grounds starters.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Full Screen, winner of the Queens County Stakes at Aqueduct on Dec. 27, could make his next start at Oaklawn Park, trainer Brad Cox said.

With no two-turn stakes for older males on the NYRA circuit until the Excelsior at 1 1/4 miles in April, Full Screen could turn up in a race like the Grade 3, $500,000 Razorback Stakes on Feb. 28. There is also the General MacArthur Overnight Stakes on Jan. 30, though the $135,000 purse and the timing may not be ideal.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Mike Trombetta is not going to be in a hurry to find out just how good a horse he may have in the 3-year-old colt Crossingthechannel.

Crossingthechannel, a son of Omaha Beach, hung on to win a maiden race by a neck on Sunday. He earned an 85 Beyer Speed Figure, which was certainly respectable, especially when you consider he was running back three weeks after earning a 91 when finishing second to Iron Honor.

OZONE PARK, N.Y.– Success on the New York Racing Association circuit is a full-circle moment for jockey Jaime Rodriguez.

It was in May 2010 that Rodriguez, a native of Puerto Rico, recorded his first career U.S. victory aboard a horse named East to Eden at Belmont Park. Rodriguez, 34, is now up to 2,617 North American wins and has been a leading rider at Finger Lakes, Delaware Park, and the Maryland circuit.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – One Nine Hundred and Vettriano, two very fast sprinters, look set to have a throwdown Friday at Aqueduct in a second-level allowance/optional $75,000 claiming race at six furlongs.

One Nine Hundred, a Kentucky-bred 4-year-old son of Dialed In, won a six-furlong allowance race at Saratoga in June, but trainer Tom Morley wasn’t completely satisfied with how he came out of the race so the decision was made to rest him during the summer.

That Covered in Crystal and Beware of Ooh Lala were both able to win going 5 1/2 furlongs as first-time starters was a bit of a surprise to trainer Mike Trombetta.

Perhaps that speaks to the quality of both horses who comprise a seemingly wide-open 11-horse field in a first-level entry allowance for 3-year-old fillies slated for 1 1/16 miles over the Gulfstream Park turf course. The featured event goes as the last of the 10-race card that begins at approximately 12:20 p.m.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The paths leading to the Santa Anita Derby and Kentucky Derby began last summer and fall for 2-year-olds in California, and the tempo picks up in winter.

For newly turned 3-year-olds at Santa Anita, the winter meet separates Derby pretenders from contenders. The road resumes this week. A maiden route Friday and Grade 2 sprint Saturday are the first significant dirt races for winter 3-year-olds. As usual, Bob Baffert is in the thick of both.

Sam Houston opened its meet Jan. 2, but next season, the track plans to start racing in December, according to Bryan Pettigrew, vice president and general manager of Texas racing operations for Penn Entertainment.

“We did apply for race dates in December of 2026,” he said. “We’ll start a little earlier and think it will be good for the industry here in Texas. Our target date is Dec. 11, and we’ll probably still run into April. We’re still kind of taking a look into that.”

Oaklawn announced that handle during the 13-day holiday meet that ended Sunday was more than $93 million from all sources, up from $73 million during the corresponding dates last season.

This season, there is a break of 26 days in January before Oaklawn moves to its classic meet, which runs Jan. 30 to May 2.

Attendance during the holiday meet was an estimated 104,250, according to the press release. For the Saturday cards, the track drew an average of 13,000 patrons.

Oaklawn averaged 9.78 horses a race over 132 races. Purses averaged $773,230 per card.

Oaklawn Park’s program for 3-year-olds will ramp up when the Hot Springs, Ark., track returns from break at the end of the month. Trainer Mark Casse has some notable runners awaiting the Grade 3, $1 million Southwest Stakes and the $300,000 Martha Washington on Jan. 31.