HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Jorge Navarro was definitely not a happy man after watching his sprint star, X Y Jet, get run into the ground in a suicidal speed battle with Ray’swarrior in defense of his title in Saturday’s $100,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint. But Navarro remain composed when reflecting on the turn of events that led to his horse’s fourth-place finish in his 2019 debut.

HALLANDALE, Fla. – City of Light, Audible, and Gunnevera – the top challengers to Accelerate in the Pegasus World Cup – were out for serious breezes Saturday morning, when virtually all of the top contenders for the $9 million extravaganza had their final pre-race works.

City of Light went in 47.20 seconds at Gulfstream, site of the third running of the Pegasus here Saturday, Jan. 26. Meanwhile, Audible went in 48.40 at the Palm Beach Downs training center, and Gunnevera went six furlongs in 1:13.20 at Gulfstream Park West.

ARCADIA, Calif. – In a little more than a week, Accelerate will leave the care of trainer John Sadler and head to stud duty at Lane’s End Farm. Prior to that will be his final race, the Pegasus World Cup next Saturday at Gulfstream Park. Friday will be his final gallop.

All those markers of a career winding down are bubbling just below the surface for Sadler, who tried to keep his attention focused on the task at hand Saturday morning at Santa Anita when Accelerate had his final work for the Pegasus in what was the final work of his career.

Jockey Manny Esquivel broke his collarbone on the left side during a Thursday training accident at Parx Racing and is likely to be sidelined six to eight weeks, according to his agent, Al Dellape.

Esquivel, fifth in the Parx rider standings in 2018, had just finished breezing a horse for trainer Danny Velazquez when “the ground appeared to break out from under the horse, who fell,” according to Dellape, who added that the horse was not injured.

Esquivel was taken to the hospital and released. He is scheduled to see an orthopedic doctor Friday.

NEW ORLEANS – Mr. Money is out of the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds after getting sick Friday.

Trainer Bret Calhoun said Friday that Mr. Money had a routine gallop this morning, after which his exercise rider told Calhoun the colt had coughed throughout his exercise. Calhoun said an endoscopic examination didn't reveal much, but by Friday afternoon, Mr. Money had a fever and clearly had come down with something. 

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockeys Carlos Hernandez and Samuel Camacho Jr. have recently moved their tack to New York and have new agents.

Hernandez, who rode 32 winners at the 2018 Monmouth meet and was most recently riding at Gulfstream Park, started riding here on Jan. 2. He is winless in his first five mounts. He is represented by Tony Micaleff.

Camacho, who was riding at Tampa Bay Downs, is now in New York and will be represented by Joe Monroe, a first-time agent. Joe Monroe is the son of agent Mike Monroe, who represented Camacho in 2012 during his apprentice year.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – There are times when Benjamin Hernandez wonders what might have been. But now that he’s experiencing some success, Hernandez is more focused on the present and the future than the past.

Presently, Hernandez is a seven-pound apprentice jockey who has ridden 11 winners from 61 mounts at Aqueduct’s winter meet, placing him eighth in the standings. Not bad for a jockey who rode his first race on this circuit last October. If he can continue at this rate, his future looks bright.

ARCADIA, Calif. – A celebration of life was held at Santa Anita on Tuesday for Robert Fletcher, the former executive director of the Winner’s Foundation, which aids people in Southern California horse racing who have substance-abuse and mental health difficulties.

Fletcher, 67, died on Jan. 6. A Los Angeles native, he spent much of his adult life in racing, first on the parking staff at Southern California tracks and also as a union official for racetrack employees.

ARCADIA, Calif. – La Sardane has been part of trainer Neil Drysdale’s stable for more than 18 months. During that span, she has won three times, including two stakes at Belmont Park last year.

La Sardane has yet to win in California, but that could occur as soon as Monday’s Grade 3 Megahertz Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on turf at Santa Anita.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A terrible start almost always results in defeat, but in the case of a promising 3-year-old colt named Country House, a huge early deficit did not prove insurmountable Thursday at Gulfstream Park.

Under leading jockey Luis Saez, Country House broke very awkwardly from post 1 in the 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight race, immediately spotting the early leaders about 10 lengths. But Saez did not panic, and Country House ultimately proved vastly superior to his five opponents, passing them all with ease and prevailing by 3 1/2 lengths.