SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Hall of Fame trainers Allen Jerkens and D. Wayne Lukas and veteran race caller Tom Durkin were honored for their career achievements by the New York Racing Association on Friday in a ceremony held in the winner’s circle prior to the start of the races.

NYRA president and chief executive Chris Kay presented Lukas and Durkin with red jackets – Jimmy Jerkens accepted on behalf of his father, who is now based in Florida – and unveiled plaques highlighting the careers of all three men. The plaques will be displayed outside the jockey porch.

AUBURN, Wash. – The central question facing handicappers in Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Longacres Mile is this: How much do you believe in Stryker Phd? The local hero and likely favorite has been a tower of late-running power at Emerald Downs the past 13 months, posting flashy Beyer Speed Figures while swimming upstream against Emerald’s prevailing speed bias.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Following a wet morning at Saratoga and the chance of additional precipitation throughout the day, Thursday's Grade 1, $150,000 New York Turf Writers Steeplechase has been canceled and rescheduled for Monday.

With the Turf Writers scheduled to be the first race on the card at 12:25 p.m., the first post has been pushed back to 1 p.m. The day's other five turf races have been transferred to the main track. The card now will consist of nine races.

In response to the West Virginia Racing Commission’s rejection of its request to eliminate 14 days of live racing in December, Mountaineer Racetrack has reduced its nightly number of races and cut some overnight purses.

Starting Monday, Mountaineer will hold eight races nightly. The West Virginia track usually has nine-race cards that expand to 10 races in October and November.

Heitai has resumed training following a summer freshening, and while plans for his next start have yet to be cemented, the options include a sprint stakes at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, according to his co-owner, Frank Rowell, and his trainer, Karl Broberg.

Heitai has won six stakes in seven starts this year, his latest score coming in the inaugural running of the $300,000 Evangeline Downs Turf Sprint on June 21. Following that start, he was given some downtime at a Louisiana farm in what had long been a scheduled break by Rowell.

DEL MAR, Calif. – After racing at tracks in three states and one Canadian province in the first half of 2014, Frac Daddy has settled into a routine at Del Mar this summer.

The absence of a recent plane flight or van trip could make Frac Daddy a factor in Sunday’s $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar, a race in which he is likely to be overlooked.

Racing will return to the Maryland State Fair on Friday as Timonium will begin a seven-day meet over its five-furlong track.

This will be the first racing in the state since Pimlico concluded June 7. When Timonium ends Sept. 1, racing will shift to Laurel Park on Friday, Sept. 5, and continue through the end of the year.

Racing at the Timonium fairgrounds dates to 1887. The current grandstand was built in 1958, and the track was lengthened from a half-mile in 1974.

The Jockey Club has elected six new members, including Frank Stronach, the owner-breeder who is the owner of Santa Anita Park and Gulfstream Park and other racing assets, the organization announced on Wednesday.

Stronach, 82, has been selected for the Eclipse Award for top breeder eight times. He has recently announced a set of initiatives that are designed to restrict the use of medications at his racetracks, a position that is supported by many Jockey Club members.

A bettor or group of bettors who have targeted races in Ohio to cash wagers at non-pari-mutuel bookmakers appear to have struck again on Sunday at ThistleDown Racetrack.

The responsible party made last-second pari-mutuel win wagers on every horse but the odds-on favorite in the fifth race that day at Thistledown, driving up the favorite’s price from 1-2 to 3-1. The favorite, Missjeanlouise, won, paying $8.20.

A new contest designed specifically for first-year National Handicapping Championship Tour participants has been announced by the NTRA. The contest, scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 21, will follow the typical 12-race, all-mandatory, $2 win-place format common on NHCQualify.com, which will host the tournament.