HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Xpressbet and Gulfstream Park hosted six very special guests on Wednesday – members of the U.S. Special Operations Forces who, along with their spouses, were participating in a weeklong retreat sponsored by Operation Healing Forces, a nonprofit helping Special Ops veterans and their families transition back into civilian life.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Hidden Scroll and Bourbon War, quite possibly the two favorites for the 68th Florida Derby, both had their final prerace breeze Friday in preparation for the long-standing Gulfstream Park showcase.

Bourbon War went a half-mile in 49.80 seconds at Gulfstream Park, and Hidden Scroll went five furlongs in 1:02.40 in company at Payson Park. They’re among a prospective lineup of at least seven 3-year-olds set to clash in the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby, the most important of seven stakes here next Saturday.

Something Awesome breezed a half-mile at Laurel Park last Saturday and is gearing up for the Grade 2, $1 million Charles Town Classic on April 20. The breeze was the first for Something Awesome since he finished 10th a month earlier in the Grade 3 General George.

In 1997, Robert Manfuso bought a Pleasant Tap filly for $40,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale and turned her over to trainer Katie Voss. That purchase is still paying dividends today.

The filly, Waltz, won a maiden race and two allowance races in Maryland and closed out her 3-year-old season with close third-place finishes in the Dowery Stakes and Grade 2 Cotillion at Philadelphia Park.

“She was going to be a good filly at 4 but came down with this weird problem – a leaky tendon sheath – that we could never straighten out,” Voss said.

Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Okla., opens its Thoroughbred meet on Monday with a more expansive roster of trainers than last year. The 28-date season runs through May 25.

Will Rogers racing secretary and announcer John Lies made a concerted effort to recruit a variety of barns for the new season, and the track’s stable area is filled with more than 50 outfits this meet versus 35 in 2018.

The barn area, as in years past, has a full population of more than 550 horses.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita may enact a revised policy as early as Saturday requiring trainers to submit workout requests 48 hours in advance. Trainers currently must submit workout requests 24 hours in advance, and the extra day will allow track officials and veterinarians more time to scrutinize a horse’s training and veterinary history before granting a request.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Next Shares, who won the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland last October, will start in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita on March 30 rather than travel to Keeneland in April.

Trainer Richard Baltas said on Thursday he considered sending Next Shares as part of a group of horses from his stable to Keeneland’s spring meeting, but will largely keep the team in California. He said he plans to send “three or four” to Keeneland.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Brill, a promising daughter of Medaglia d’Oro based in Southern California, has turned up in Friday’s seventh race at Oaklawn. The optional $50,000 claiming sprint for 3-year-old fillies that carries entry-level allowance conditions will serve as her first start since finishing third to Bellafina in the Grade 1 Chandelier on Sept. 29 at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Nolo Contesto, who beat the recent graded stakes winner Omaha Beach in January, is likely to start in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 6, pending a workout on Saturday.

Trainer John Sadler said on Wednesday that the $1 million Santa Anita Derby is under consideration along with the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland or the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct, both on April 6.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Bravazo, who had been prepping at Oaklawn for the Dubai World Cup, is recovering nicely in Kentucky from arthroscopic surgery to remove “some flakes” from the upper joint of his left knee, trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Tuesday.

Bravazo left Oaklawn on March 1 for the procedure, performed by Dr. Larry Bramlage of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky.

“He’s doing absolutely super,” Lukas said. “They’re actually talking about getting him back to us earlier than expected.