LEXINGTON, Ky. – The maneuvers of the Chad Brown stable are not unlike those in the old board game Risk, with moments of relative inactivity being followed by momentous skirmishes and subsequent regroupings.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Chad Brown and Graham Motion each won a turf stakes over the weekend, and the two trainers have 60 percent of the field for Friday’s $100,000 Memories of Silver Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Aqueduct – provided the race stays on turf.

Only five were entered to run in the 1 1/16-mile Memories of Silver, while three other horses were designated to run only if the race is moved to the main track.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The New York Racing Association will experiment by conducting twilight racing on Thursdays instead of Fridays at the Belmont Park spring/summer meet that begins April 26.

First post for eight of the 10 Thursdays when racing is conducted will be 3:05 p.m. The exceptions will be May 2 and July 4, the first and last Thursdays of the meet, respectively. Post time for those Thursdays and the other days of the meet is tentatively set for 1:30 p.m.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Wonder Gadot, who defeated males to win the first two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown in 2018, could be in for a big night at Thursday’s 44th annual Sovereign Awards ceremony, which will recognize last season’s outstanding achievements in Canadian racing.

Jason Beem will take over the announcing duties at Monmouth Park until full-time race caller Frank Mirahmadi returns to the Oceanport, N.J., track on June 28 following the conclusion of the Santa Anita Park season.

Beem, 38, called the races at Portland Meadows for 10 years through 2014. He also was the announcer at Louisiana Downs, River Downs and Emerald Downs before taking a sabbatical from the profession. He returned to the mic last fall to fill in for Peter Aiello at Gulfstream Park West.

A native of Washington, Beem has never been to Monmouth before.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – With a monstrous couple of weeks that included six stakes wins, Javier Castellano has set a record for a non-Breeders’ Cup meet at Keeneland with $1,905,914 in mount earnings. The 41-year-old Venezuela native will fall one shy of the most stakes wins at a meet (seven, Pat Day, 1998 fall) because he will miss the last seven cards to ride primarily at Belmont Park prior to returning to Kentucky for Derby weekend.

LEXINGTON, KY. – Heart to Heart has run his last race. A perennial fan favorite who got his name because of a distinctive heart-shaped marking on his forehead, Heart to Heart has been retired as a two-time Grade 1 winner who won 15 of 41 starts and $2,035,090. He finished last of seven Friday in the Maker’s 46 Mile.

Brian Lynch, who trained the 8-year-old Ontario-bred horse for owner Terry Hamilton, said Heart to Heart will be stabled at nearby Hidden Brook Farm for the time being, with stud plans still to be announced.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The top three finishers in the Lexington Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland are all headed to Churchill Downs, but not necessarily to the Kentucky Derby.

In fact, Owendale, who earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure with his breakthrough triumph in the Grade 3 Lexington, won’t even be bothering with the May 4 Derby. The 20 points he earned mark his initial appearance on the Derby scoreboard and wouldn’t be enough to get him into the field. Brad Cox, who trains the Into Mischief colt for the Rupp Racing of Jim Rupp, said the May 19 Preakness is under serious consideration.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Several Southern California-based trainers have sent horses to Kentucky this spring, or plan to do so in coming weeks, at a time when Santa Anita has had difficulty filling races and officials are contemplating eliminating Thursdays for the remainder of the spring-summer meeting.

Southern California-based trainers Bob Baffert, Richard Baltas, Phil D’Amato, Ron Ellis, Bob Hess Jr., Peter Milller, Jeff Mullins, Doug O’Neill, Shelbe Ruis, and John Sadler have had runners at Keeneland since the meeting began there on April 4.

There’s new ownership, a new dirt surface, but when it comes to racing it’s pretty much the same old, same old when Indiana Grand launches a marathon 120-day race meeting with a 10-race program Tuesday.