HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The handicap division got a little stronger Saturday as a result of the performances by Grande and Praetor in a one-mile allowance at Gulfstream Park.

Both 4-year-olds had been sidelined since April. They finished first and second, with Grande winning by three-quarters of a length. The pair earned Beyer Speed Figures of 105 and 103. They did so despite completing the final furlong of the race down near the rail in what has been the deepest part of the racetrack.

Grande is trained by Todd Pletcher. Praetor is conditioned by Chad Brown.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Bill Mott reports that Thunderously, one of his top 3-year-old prospects, will be sidelined indefinitely due to an undisclosed issue. Thunderously was an instant sensation here earlier this winter when capturing his career debut by five lengths going 1 1/16 miles, earning an 88 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.

“He’s going to be out for a while, at this point I’m not sure just for how long,” Mott said. “The Triple Crown was going to be a rush anyway.”

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Bill Mott will have one proven commodity, one unknown quantity, and two pretty good chances to win Thursday’s $86,000 main event at Gulfstream Park when sending out Kapoor and Isla Grande in the six-furlong allowance and optional-claiming dash for older fillies and mares.

While neither Imagination nor Just Beat the Odds – the two U.S.-based sprinters who finished one-two in the Riyadh Dirt Stakes in Saudi Arabia last weekend – are heading to Dubai for next month’s $2 million Golden Shaheen, another prominent U.S.-based sprinter is now being considered for the lucrative race.

Book’em Danno, the reigning Eclipse champion sprinter, is “way ahead of schedule” in his training, trainer Derek Ryan said Monday and the Golden Shaheen is now in play for the New Jersey-bred gelding’s 5-year-old debut.

An overflow field of 13 3-year-olds – 12 may start – were entered for the $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial on Feb. 21 at Turfway, a Kentucky Derby points race.

The main body of the field is headed by Street Beast, winner of the one-mile Leonatus Stakes last month at Turfway. Runner-up Fulleffort also returns.

The 1 1/16-mile Battaglia, which awards Derby points on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis, is the local prep toward the Grade 3, $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 21, which awards points on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10.

Honor Marie will point to next month’s Grade 3, $300,000 Kentucky Cup Classic at Turfway Park after finishing full of run in a 4 1/2-length victory in the Dust Commander Stakes at the Florence, Ky., track last Saturday night.

“That’s 100 percent the target now,” trainer Whit Beckman said Monday. “If he didn’t run well there, we were going to Virginia, but now that he ran well, we’re definitely going to run back there.”

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen has two sons actively riding for his stable at Oaklawn Park. In Thursday’s featured eighth race, each will be aboard leading contenders for their father, as Keith Asmussen rides Ripped and Erik Asmussen has the mount on Perfect Magic.

The horses meet in a competitive first-level allowance for 4-year-olds and up at six furlongs. Oher chief contenders in the group of 11 include Run Jalen Run, Pokerknightatvees, and Classic Time.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will be looking for his seventh stakes win of the young Oaklawn Park meet Monday when he sends out the unbeaten Ewing in the $150,000 Ozark.

Casse has won six stakes, including two graded offerings, at the meet that opened Dec. 12. He’s also picked up two overnight stakes wins.

Ewing is part of a competitive field of nine for the Ozark, which is for 3-year-olds at six furlongs. The group includes stakes winners Dirty Rich and Oscar’s Hope.

NEW ORLEANS – Shining Star so impressively captured a second-level turf sprint allowance on Jan. 9 at Fair Grounds that one easily could have imagined her winning the Nelson Menard Memorial, another turf sprint, the next day. Tuesday, in the $100,000 Mardi Gras Stakes, Shining Star can show that actually would have been the case.

Grade 1 winner Bottle of Rouge could earn some Kentucky Oaks qualifying points on Sunday when she launches her 3-year-old season in the $250,000 Sunland Park Oaks. The one-mile race will offer its first five finishers points on a scale of 20-10-6-4-2.

A field of eight has signed on for the Sunland Oaks, which is one of six stakes on a card featuring the $500,000 Sunland Park Derby. First post for the 10-race program is 12:25 p.m. Mountain. The forecast is for partly cloudy skies and a high of 73 degrees, according to AccuWeather.