ARCADIA, Calif. – Saturday was a successful day for jockey Martin Garcia at Santa Anita, both in the morning and afternoon.

Garcia worked two of trainer Bob Baffert’s hopes for the Kentucky Derby – Game Winner and Roadster in the morning. That afternoon, Garcia won the first race on Whoa Nessie, his first victory since September and the 1,500th of his career.

Garcia, 34, returned to riding in late March from a shoulder injury that forced him to the sidelines in November. Whoa Nessie was the 15th mount of his comeback.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The six-week purse increase that takes effect at Santa Anita on Friday will cost approximately $1.5 million and is intended to boost fields at a time when the track’s barn area is well short of capacity.

Last Friday, the racetrack and the Thoroughbred Owners of California announced a purse increase of $10,000 for all overnight races for 19 racing days through June 2. That same day, track officials said five Thursday programs had been eliminated through May 23, with the status of racing on three Thursdays in June to be determined next month.

Trainer Jason Servis’s decision to keep Florida Derby winner Maximum Security in South Florida to train up to the Kentucky Derby certainly paid dividends on Sunday. Whereas two of the three scheduled Derby works at Churchill Downs were postponed on Easter Sunday due to weather and/or track conditions, Maximum Security got in his regularly scheduled one-mile breeze under “ideal” conditions, according to Servis by phone from the Palm Meadows training center later that morning.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Manny Franco, Rudy Rodriguez, and the trio of Mike Repole, Klaravich Stables, and Drawing Away Stables led their respective categories at the 12-day Aqueduct spring meet, which concluded Saturday.

Franco, who won two races Saturday, finished the meet with 18 wins, three more than Jose Lezcano. Irad Ortiz, who won four races Saturday finished third with 11 wins followed by Kendrick Carmouche (9) and Eric Cancel (9). Franco was also the leading jockey at the Aqueduct winter meet.

Gray Magician, the runner-up in the Group 2 United Arab Emirates Derby in Dubai on March 30, worked a half-mile in 48.40 seconds at the San Luis Rey Downs training center in California on Saturday in preparation for the Kentucky Derby on May 4.

Gray Magician worked “nice and easy” and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01, trainer Peter Miller said. This was Gray Magician’s first workout since he returned to California from the trip to the Middle East.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Shortly after Game Winner finished off a sharp drill on Saturday morning here at Santa Anita, his work coming a little more than an hour after Roadster also worked impressively, their trainer, Bob Baffert, turned to his wife, Jill, and said, "I'm having a good day, honey."

Then he did a jig. He's dancing his way to the Kentucky Derby.

Arizona Downs, which begins its inaugural season May 24 in Prescott Valley at the old Yavapai Downs, announced that veteran announcer Michael Wrona will be behind the microphone.

The 53-year-old Australian has announced at Bay Meadows, Golden Gate Fields, Arlington Park, Retama, Lone Star Park, Fair Grounds, Los Alamitos, Turf Paradise, the Sonoma and Fresno fair meets in Northern California, Hollywood Park, and Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita announced on Friday that purses will increase $10,000 for all non-stakes races for a six-week period beginning April 26, a hike funded through existing excess funds in the purse account and monies from the track’s parent company, The Stronach Group.

The announcement came hours after track executives said that racing on five Thursdays would be eliminated because of a horse shortage – April 25 and the first four Thursdays next month – May 2, 9, 16, and 23. There was no racing scheduled for Thursday, May 30, on the original racing calendar.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Law Abidin Citizen, the winner of the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita on March 31, is switching surfaces and traveling for his next start.

Trainer Mark Glatt said on Friday that Law Abidin Citizen is being pointed for the $500,000 Churchill Downs Stakes on May 4, the same day as the Kentucky Derby.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Bellafina, who will be favored in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 3, worked a half-mile in 48 seconds at Santa Anita on Friday, her first major exercise since she won the Santa Anita Oaks on April 6.

Ridden by jockey Flavien Prat, Bellafina worked alone and galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.80, according to trainer Simon Callaghan. Bellafina completed the last furlong in 11.43 seconds, according to Callaghan. Bellafina was well within herself through the stretch.

“She’s fit and ready,” Callaghan said. “You want everything to go smoothly.”