Ernie Banker is an accomplished New York-bred as a 12-time winner who has earned more than $300,000. But there’s one thing missing from his résumé – a stakes win – and he’s traveled to Oklahoma to attempt to secure one Tuesday in the $50,000 Highland Ice at Will Rogers Downs.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Key of Life bookended the 2022 Keeneland fall meet in noteworthy fashion. A 6 1/4-length winner on opening day, the speedy filly wheeled back three weeks later to win the Myrtlewood Stakes by 6 3/4 lengths on the meet’s penultimate card.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Confidence Game, who skipped the Lexington Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland to train straight into the Kentucky Derby on May 6, was sent through a serious one-mile workout Friday at Churchill by trainer Keith Desormeaux.

Breaking from the gate and working over a fast track, Confidence Game initially worked alongside an unraced 3-year-old who dropped out about midway through, with a 3-year-old maiden named Giant Awakening joining in for the last five furlongs or so. Churchill clocker John Nichols got Confidence Game in 1:38.20.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Fast approaching the one-year mark of one of the greatest upsets in racing history, Rich Strike is still out to prove he is no fluke – although his trainer, Eric Reed, remains unfazed about any derogatory comments directed at his 2022 Kentucky Derby winner.

“They don’t bother me at all,” Reed said. “We won the Derby. That ought to be enough for anybody, I’d think.”

Horseshoe Indianapolis in Shelbyville, Ind., opens its 123-day mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet on Tuesday with a sprint-heavy 10-race card that drew 99 horses. Not a single race is longer than 5 1/2 furlongs, and all the races are on dirt. The meet runs through Nov. 17.

The 10-race Wednesday card, which drew 94 entries, has six races at 5 1/2 furlongs, two races at a mile, one race at a mile and 70 yards, and one for Quarter Horses. All are on dirt.

Oklahoma’s top female sprinter Ragan’s Jet will attempt to win her fifth straight race Monday when she moves into open company for the $50,000 Wilma Mankiller at Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla.

The six-furlong race for fillies and mares drew a field of seven, including defending winner Distorted Flash, multiple stakes winner Dicey, and Fair Grounds shipper Quick Munny.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Damon’s Mound tries turf for the first time after a graded stakes-winning 2-year-old campaign on dirt. Private Creed is getting back to turf after a failed attempt at stepping on to the Kentucky Derby trail. Those are two of the main storylines as a full field of 12, plus one also-eligible, has lined up for Sunday’s $250,000 Palisades Stakes for 3-year-olds sprinting on the Keeneland turf.

Girl Trouble will try to stay clear of trouble in Laurel Park’s $125,000 Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.

The Weber City Miss is one of four stakes on the Saturday program, topped by the Federico Tesio for 3-year-olds. The other supporting stakes are the $100,000 Frank Y. Whiteley Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at seven furlongs and the $100,000 Heavenly Cause for fillies and mares at one mile.

The winner of the Weber City Miss receives an entry into the Grade 2, $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan on May 19 at Pimlico.

Longshot Mendelssohns March wasn’t good enough in the Blue Grass, mid-priced Slip Mahoney got wiped out on the first turn of the Wood, and Geaux Rocket Ride was scratched sick from the Santa Anita Derby. The three pushes in this space one week ago did not come through, but as they say lining up behind the betting windows, “That’s why God created the next race.”

Lexington

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Big Everest and Celestial City both went 2 for 2 with a stakes victory over Aqueduct’s turf course last fall. Saturday, both horses return off significant layoffs when they head a six-horse field of older horses entered to run one mile in the $100,000 Danger’s Hour Stakes at Aqueduct.

Big Everest, trained by Christophe Clement, may rate a slight edge over Celestial City because of distance and running style.