The Maryland racing circuit will include 114 days of live racing at Laurel Park and six days of live racing at Pimlico next year under a schedule approved on Friday by the new state agency that operates the tracks.

The 120-date schedule, which was approved by the board of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority, is a significant decline from 2023, when the tracks ran 160 live race dates combined. Seven days of live racing are also scheduled at Timonium racetrack at the end of August and on Sept. 1.

The New York State Gaming Commission and the Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen have reached an agreement that will require Asmussen to hire an independent monitor who will seek to ensure that his stable is in compliance with all federal and state labor laws for the next two years.

Deterministic, winner of Saturday’s Grade 3 Hill Prince Stakes at Aqueduct, will not be considered for the Pegasus at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 25 as he will get a break before returning at age 4, trainer Christophe Clement said Sunday.

Deterministic has been in training for most of the year without a break, having started breezing in mid-January for his 3-year-old debut, which came in the Grade 3 Gotham in March, a dirt race he won. Deterministic made his last five starts of the year on turf, winning the Virginia Derby and Hill Prince.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Coming off a Saturday in which he had two wins and two seconds in stakes between New York and Kentucky, trainer Shug McGaughey will now turn his attention to South Florida for the winter.

Integration, winner of Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Red Smith Stakes at Aqueduct, and Battle of Normandy, winner of the Grade 3, $300,000 River City Stakes at Churchill Downs, could both wind up in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 25, McGaughey said Sunday.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Woodbine canceled Sunday’s card as a precautionary measure over concerns about the safety of the synthetic Tapeta surface following a spat of injuries on Saturday.

The last two races on Saturday's card, including the Autumn Stakes, were not run.

Woodbine management made the decision after consulting with the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of Ontario, the Jockeys' Guild, and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Woodbine is performing track maintenance and plans to meet with Tapeta consultants.

Mister Omaha, who has won his last three starts by a combined margin of more than 14 lengths, is being considered for the $300,000 Springboard Mile on Dec. 13 at Remington Park, trainer Joe Offolter said Saturday.

Mister Omaha won his second straight stakes in the track’s Don McNeill for 2-year-olds Friday night. It was his first start around two turns as he won by five lengths after breaking last of all. One start prior, Mister Omaha set the pace and prevailed in the Oklahoma Classics Juvenile at six furlongs at Remington.

Komorebino Omoide, a Japanese-bred son of California Chrome, became a stakes winner Friday night in the $100,000  Delta Downs Mile. He threw a knockout punch at the competition, as he won off by a widening 5 3/4 lengths.

“I’m hoping he’s starting to put it all together,” trainer Robertino Diodoro said Saturday.

Earlier this year, Komorebino Omoide ran third in both the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic at 1 1/8 miles and the Grade 3 West Virginia Governor’s Cup at 1 1/16 miles at Mountaineer Park.

Free Like a Girl, who went over $2 million in earnings Friday night at Delta Downs, has initially emerged from the $100,000 Treasure Chest in good order and could run next at either Fair Grounds or Oaklawn Park.

Free Like a Girl is based at Delta, where she defeated open company in the Treasure Chest to push her career record to 20 wins from 44 starts for earnings of $2,039,978. Earlier this year, she became the all-time richest Louisiana-bred.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Phil Serpe was a proponent of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority [HISA]. As a trainer with a near spotless record over a 40-year career, Serpe wanted there to be a level playing field on the track.

Serpe is still a proponent of HISA. But not under its current set-up. He believes that HISA, as well as the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit [HIWU], the independent enforcement agency of HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Program, are treating horsemen unfairly.

A horse from the stable of leading California trainer Phil D’Amato tested positive for a banned substance following a summer workout at Los Alamitos, according to a ruling posted on the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit website. The news was reported first by Thoroughbred Daily News.

The 4-year-old filly Thebestisyettobe tested positive for methamphetamine following a workout on Aug. 1 at Los Alamitos. HIWU listed the infraction as an “Alleged Violation” of Rule 3212: “Presence of a Banned Substance and/or its Metabolites or Markers.”