DEL MAR, Calif. – Got Stormy, runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita earlier this month, will make another trip west, this time for the Grade 1, $300,000 Matriarch Stakes on Dec. 1, closing-day of Del Mar’s fall meeting, trainer Mark Casse informed Thursday.

Madeline Auerbach, a prominent California horsewoman, has resigned from the California Horse Racing Board after a five-year tenure at the regulatory agency, she announced on Wednesday.

The resignation of Auerbach, who was vice chair of the board, leaves two vacancies at the top of the board. Chuck Winner, the former chairman, declined to be reappointed to the board earlier this year and stepped down. In addition, the CHRB’s executive director, Rick Baedeker, 70, has announced that he is retiring sometime next year.

MIAMI – Independence Hall might be the most noteworthy 2-year-old stakes winner in trainer Mike Trombetta’s barn at the moment, but he isn’t the most recent. That distinction goes to American Giant, who rallied to a two-length victory over stablemate Our Little Jewel in last Saturday’s Juvenile Fillies Turf Stakes at Gulfstream Park West.

STICKNEY, Ill. – Trainer Hugh Robertson on Wednesday was back in the land of his youth, Nebraska, but there is plenty afoot in his stable at Hawthorne.

Wynn Time, the excellent Illinois-bred sprinter, is entered to race Saturday at Hawthorne in the $50,000 Lightning Jet, his first start since Jan. 19.

MIAMI – Following the recent uproar on social media regarding Grade 1 winner Green Gratto’s return to the racetrack, it has been agreed upon by all parties involved that the 9-year-old will not race at Gulfstream Park West or Gulfstream Park.

His trainer, Tamara Levy, understands the reasoning that led to the decision and will send Green Gratto back to the farm of his owner, Liz and Norman Wilson, in Ocala, Fla. And while that might satisfy social media, Levy believes sending Green Gratto back to the farm will not necessarily make the horse happy.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Princess Dorian, who underwent surgery on Monday following a career-ending leg fracture in a claiming race Sunday at Del Mar, was up and walking about the grounds at the San Luis Rey Equine Hospital on Wednesday morning.

“She’s doing really well,” said her trainer and co-owner, Andrew Lerner. “The vets said she’s doing well, bearing weight, has a normal heart rate, eating, passing manure, all the things you want to see.

“We’re not out of the woods yet. But the surgery went better than expected, and the vets are happy. She’s cleared a big hurdle so far.”

DEL MAR, Calif. – Even during the lull following Breeders’ Cup, the machinery of a major stable continues to hum.

There might be a 3-year-old campaign to design for a surprise Derby contender or a swanky maiden winner. Perhaps an autumn road trip looms for a Grade 3 winner working as if a Grade 1 victory is imminent, or a pending comeback by a millionaire 8-year-old.

A pair of allowances will be co-featured at Churchill on the 10-race Friday card, which starts at 1 p.m. Eastern. Both are for fillies and mares and are scheduled for the grass.

Race 6 is a $102,000 third-level mile in which Smart Shot, trained by Rusty Arnold, will be looking to improve on her 3-for-5 mark over the Churchill turf. Race 9 is a $97,000 first-level race at 1 3/8 miles, and there’s no real standout among a full field of 12.

Martin Garcia is leaving Southern California to ride in the Midwest. The 35-year-old jockey will begin riding Wednesday at Churchill, according to his new agent, Jay Fedor, and will compete at Turfway Park prior to moving his tack to Oaklawn Park ahead of that meet, which starts Jan. 24.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – When Mr. Misunderstood won the River City as an odds-on favorite last fall at Churchill Downs, there was no telling where 2019 would take him.

After all, Mr. Misunderstood had won 11 of 15 starts on turf, including a sweep of his first eight. There was upside aplenty for the gelding, who had become a legitimate mainstay in the Midwest’s upper turf ranks.