Los Alamitos received approval from the California Horse Racing Board on Friday to reduce its upcoming summer meeting from 12 racing days to 10 in an effort to ensure all programs draw sufficient horses, track vice-president Jack Liebau said.

Los Alamitos will open its three-week summer meeting on Saturday, June 29, two days later than scheduled. There will be two days of racing on June 29-30, and four-day racing weeks from July 4-7 and 11-14.

“It’s a done deal,” Liebau said. “I think this will work.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – Roger Stein, a retired trainer who was well known as the host of a long-running racing radio program, died Friday following a lengthy illness, according to his brother Rick Stein.

Roger Stein was 65. He died at his home in Hidden Hills, Calif.

ELMONT, N.Y. – In addition to running War of Will and Sir Winston in the Belmont Stakes, trainer Mark Casse will have plenty of other action to keep him busy during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which consists of 18 stakes over three days beginning Thursday.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The Grade 1, $700,000 Ogden Phipps will be the toughest test of Come Dancing’s career, but if her workout Friday morning is any indication, she seems well prepared for it.

Come Dancing waltzed six furlongs in 1:11.63 over the Belmont Park training track, with a final quarter of 23.91 seconds. She galloped out seven furlongs in 1:26.09, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch. It was her last serious move prior to the Phipps, one of eight Grade 1 stakes to be run June 8 at Belmont.

John Franks was the backbone of breeding and racing in Louisiana for years, and next month Louisiana Downs will honor the late Eclipse Award winner as part of its new Racing Hall of Fame announced Friday.

The inaugural class, determined by committee, also will include Sunday Silence and Free Spirits Joy; trainers Frank L. Brothers and C.W. Walker; jockeys Ron Ardoin and Larry Snyder; and original track owner Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Dan Eidson, a veteran racing official who has worked throughout the United States, was dismissed as Santa Anita’s racing director on Thursday.

Eidson declined to comment on the situation when reached by phone Friday. He is the second leading racing executive to depart Santa Anita in the last six months. Last December, Rick Hammerle was released as racing secretary, and was replaced in January by Steve Lym, a former racing executive at Woodbine.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Nolo Contesto, fourth in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 6 in his stakes debut, underwent a procedure to remove an undescended testicle earlier this spring and is scheduled to start in the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita on June 16, trainer John Sadler said.

The $100,000 Affirmed Stakes is run at 1 1/16 miles. Sadler had considered sending Nolo Contesto to Belmont Park for the Easy Goer Stakes on June 8, but has opted to remain in California.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Through her remarkable campaign of 12 wins in 14 starts since being claimed for $40,000 in February 2018, Vasilika has raced exclusively at Del Mar and Santa Anita, winning seven graded stakes.

Vasilika, who won the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita last Monday, may have her next start outside of California, in the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 3/16 miles on turf at Arlington Park on Aug. 10.

“We might look at that,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Friday.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Rainy weather throughout the area has put a damper on training hours the past couple of mornings at Belmont Park, with the main track especially quiet here Thursday and Friday.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Bourbon War, a horse who got a lot of support heading into the Preakness Stakes only to finish eighth, will attempt to make amends in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 8, trainer Mark Hennig said Friday.

Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith, who won last year’s Belmont on Triple Crown winner Justify, will ride Bourbon War, Hennig said.