Thorpedo Anna, the favorite to be voted Horse of the Year, recently underwent minor dental surgery to remove a bone fragment in her jaw. The recent events are not expected to impact the timeline for her return to training following her ongoing post-season vacation.

CYPRESS, Calif. - With no graded stakes for 3-year-olds on the schedule in the first month of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, Los Alamitos Futurity winner Journalism will begin his 3-year-old season no sooner than early February, trainer Michael McCarthy said.

“We’ll try to go six weeks between races,” McCarthy said.

Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan is scheduled to arrive at Santa Anita mid-week for the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on Dec. 26 after a two-day van ride from Fair Grounds in Louisiana.

Mystik Dan, who breezed five furlongs in 59.80 seconds at Fair Grounds on Saturday, is expected to begin the journey on Tuesday and is tentatively scheduled to be housed overnight at Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M., trainer Kenny McPeek said.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The start of Sunday’s 10-race Aqueduct card was delayed because the valets refused to saddle and the jockeys refused to ride as a result of a dispute with management over the status of an employee in the jockey’s room.

According to long-time valet Harry Rice, the New York Racing Association told Fernando Rivera, who works in the jockey’s room as a part-time valet/laundry person, not to come to work on Sunday. Rice contends that Rivera is close to working enough hours to join the union, which would make him eligible to receive benefits.

With a forecast of inclement weather late Friday and early Saturday, Saturday’s program at Pleasanton has been canceled and will be run on Sunday, according to racing secretary Tom Doutrich.

Because of the cancellation, the track has been granted approval by the California Horse Racing Board to run an additional day on Wednesday, which will be final day of the Golden State Racing meeting that began in October, Doutrich said.

Sunday’s nine-race program will begin at 12:15 p.m. Pacific.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario -- Jockey Justin Stein has announced his retirement and will pursue a career as a racing steward.

Stein, 44, has been among the top riders at Woodbine since re-locating from his native British Columbia in 2006. His most important victories came on Strait of Dover in the 2012 Queen’s Plate and aboard Starship Jubilee in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile in 2020.

Mark Dedomenico, an influential heart surgeon and longtime Thoroughbred owner who was a member of the partnership that raced the legendary filly Blind Luck, died on Saturday in Washington state.

Dedomenico was 87. His death was announced by Emerald Downs officials on Sunday.

As a horse owner, Dedomenico raced frequently in the Pacific Northwest and California. He owned the Pegasus training center in Redmond, Wash., which opened in 2005 and is held in high regard throughout the West Coast.

Stronghold, winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April, is on schedule for the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at seven furlongs at Santa Anita on Dec. 26 after working five furlongs in 59.80 seconds there on Sunday.

Stronghold had the fastest of 58 recorded works at the distance.

“His last two works have been pretty sensational,” trainer Phil D’Amato said. “I‘m happy with the way we’re going.”

Stronghold worked five furlongs in 59.20 seconds at Santa Anita on Dec. 1.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Brad Cox will do his best to find a way to keep his trio of undefeated graded-stakes-winning fillies separated as they attempt to make their way to the May 2 Kentucky Oaks.

Muhimma, gate-to-wire winner of Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle,  will join her undefeated stablemate Good Cheer at Payson Park in Florida in the coming days while Cox plots out a campaign for those two as well as the three-time Grade 1 winner Immersive, who is stabled at Fair Grounds.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The team at Godolphin Racing will have a lot of plans to make this winter when it comes to getting four of its homebreds on the road to the Kentucky Derby.