On Dec. 29, Alwaysmining won his third race and second stakes in a row. His stock has risen since.

In his most recent effort, Alwaysmining won the seven-furlong Heft Stakes at Laurel Park by 1 1/2 lengths over win Win Win Win, who was six lengths clear of the rest of the field. Last Saturday, Win Win Win improved his record to three wins in four starts by romping to a 7 1/4-length victory in the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

He earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure in the Pasco for trainer Mike Trombetta and his owner-breeder Charlotte Weber.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Juan Leyva is a native of California, and the attraction of California brought him back there to begin the current chapter of his career, but it’s been old-home week for him these past few days at Gulfstream Park, where he is renewing acquaintances with those who knew him when he was a jockey on this circuit for 12 years.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Michael McCarthy has done such a good job with both City of Light and Axelrod that the two best horses in his barn last year are leaving for richer opportunities.

City of Light makes the final start of his career Saturday at Gulfstream in the Pegasus World Cup before heading off to stud at Lane’s End. He has won three Grade 1 races and gave McCarthy his first Breeders’ Cup victory in the Dirt Mile in his most-recent start.

Trainer Mike Maker’s Fair Grounds string has struggled through an atypically unproductive meet, but a horse in his barn, Fast and Accurate, can win the featured fifth race Saturday.

Fast and Accurate drew the rail and is one of nine entered in a third-level allowance with an $80,000 claiming option carded for about 1 1/16 miles on turf. Zapperini was cross-entered in a Sunday stakes races at Sam Houston.

Mr. Money had to be scratched from the Lecomte Stakes last Saturday after getting sick the day before, but the colt, fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile making his final start at 2, returned to training Tuesday, trainer Bret Calhoun said Wednesday.

“He’s much better,” Calhoun said. “He missed three days of training. His temperature went back to normal quickly.”

Wynn Time gutted out a third win of the Fair Grounds meet when he captured the Duncan Kenner Stakes on Saturday, but the Illinois-bred gelding is not in peak physical condition and will get some time off, trainer Hugh Robertson said.

Wynn Time went from a productive run last season at Fair Grounds to race competitively in Oaklawn Park stakes races, but Robertson said the gelding will miss Oaklawn this year.

“He’s had three hard races in a row,” Robertson said. “I think I’ll give him some time and run him back in two or three months.”

Monomoy Girl on Thursday night was all but certain to be honored at Gulfstream Park with an Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old filly of 2018. Three hundred miles northwest, at Paul Sharp Stables in Williston, Fla., the filly herself presumably will be none the wiser.

But on Monday or Tuesday, she’ll know something is up when she boards a van and heads west to rejoin trainer Brad Cox’s string at Fair Grounds.

“Bring her back early next week,” Cox said. “That’s the plan.”

Aqueduct’s Thursday card was canceled by New York Racing Association officials due to a forecast for high winds during the afternoon.

Heavy rain is in the forecast with winds around 30 miles per hour and higher gusts this afternoon.

It is the second cancellation this week. Monday’s card was canceled due to extreme cold. The temperature Thursday morning was 51 degrees.

Jockey John McKee first grabbed headlines as a hot-riding apprentice at River Downs in Cincinnati in 2002, topping the standings with 114 winners from 494 mounts and eclipsing an apprentice record set there by the legendary Steve Cauthen.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The M and M Racing operation of Mike and Mickala Sisk seemingly came out of nowhere to win the owner title last year at Oaklawn Park.

This year, they’re the stable to beat.