Barkley, the top older horse at Emerald Downs, will not race again this year.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Four-time Eclipse Award winner Javier Castellano can add another trophy to the mantel, that being the Mike Venezia Award.

The New York Racing Association announced Wednesday that Castellano was the winner of an online vote of fans to win the Venezia Award, given to jockeys who exemplify extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship.

NYRA in 1989 established the Venezia Award in honor of Mike Venezia, a jockey who died as a result of injuries suffered in a spill in 1988 at Belmont.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Come Dancing, blow-out winner of the Grade 3 Distaff and Grade 2 Ruffian in two starts this year for trainer Carlos Martin, worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds Wednesday morning over the Belmont Park training track. She is pointing to the Grade 1, $700,000 Ogden Phipps here June 8.

Belmont clockers had Come Dancing in splits of 12.60 seconds, three furlongs in 35.80, and caught her galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.80. Regular rider Manny Franco was up for the breeze.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Epical, a Southern California based-runner who finished fifth in the Grade 1 Man o’ War here on May 11, worked four furlongs in 47.21 seconds Wednesday morning over the Belmont Park main track, the fastest of 12 works at the distance over a fast surface.

Epical will be considered for the Belmont Gold Cup Invitational, a two-mile turf race on June 7, or the Grade 1 Manhattan, a 1 1/4-mile turf race on June 8. Trainer Jim Cassidy said owner Deron Pearson is leaning toward the Manhattan.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, based primarily on the West Coast for his career, will have an East Coast presence this summer, sending approximately 20 horses to New York for the summer.

“A couple of clients expressed an interest in having some horses on the East Coast this summer,” Hollendorfer said Tuesday by phone from California. “I’m glad to have customers who are giving me the opportunity to work with good horses on the East and West coast. I don’t think people should pass up an opportunity if you can still do things.”

BALTIMORE - Brad Cox nailed down first prize over Steve Asmussen in the Maryland Jockey Club’s $100,000 trainer participation bonus program in the Preakness by sending out third-place finisher Owendale and fourth-place Warrior’s Charge. Asmussen finished fifth in the Preakness with Laughing Fox.

To be eligible to share in the bonus pool, a trainer must have started at least five horses in the 16 stakes races during Preakness weekend. Horses accumulated points based on their finish position.

Mocito Rojo, a $10,000 claim turned Grade 3 winner with his victory in last month’s $300,000 Steve Sexton Mile at Lone Star Park near Dallas, will make his next start at his base of Evangeline Downs, trainer Shane Wilson said Wednesday.

“We’ll stay home and run in the Evangeline Mile again,” Wilson said. “He’s never lost on the main track here.”

Mocito Rojo was a 1 3/4-length winner of last year’s Evangeline Mile. The $100,000 race for 3-year-olds and up will be run June 22.

“After that, we’ll look around the country,” Wilson said.

Monte Man will be moving back to dirt Saturday night when he attempts to win the $75,000 Louisiana Legends Sprint for the second year in a row at Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, La.

The 5 1/2-furlong race is one of six stakes worth a cumulative $450,000 on the annual Louisiana Legends Night program. The stakes cater to various divisions, and each is restricted to horses bred in Louisiana. There will be a pick four on races 4-7 that has a minimum guaranteed pool of $50,000, according to Chris Warren, director of racing for Evangeline.

ARCADIA, Calif. - There will be no price tag on the veteran gelding Ashleyluvssugar anytime soon.

Wednesday, Ashleyluvssugar, a six-time stakes winner, was entered in Saturday’s Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita and will not start in the newly created $75,000 War Horse Claiming Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf on June 8. The War Horse Claiming Stakes is for horses entered to be claimed at prices ranging from $125,000 to $150,000.

The 14 races trainer Mike Biehler won during 2018 marked his lowest annual total since 1995, but the Minnesota native, who began training in 1989 at Canterbury, has restocked his stable and is rolling early this Canterbury season.

Biehler entering this week’s racing had a meet record of 14-5-3-2 after winning just seven races throughout the entire 2018 Canterbury meet, and the Friday night card of May 17 was particularly memorable.