Russell Road, one of only two West Virginia-breds to earn more than $2 million, died last weekend of colic at age 12, according to James W. Casey, who trained him for nine seasons.

Russell Road went over $2 million in earnings in his final career start, the $100,000 Northern Panhandle Stakes at Mountaineer Park in August 2016. He came out of that race with a "little suspensory pull," according to Casey and was retired the next month when it was determined that he would not sufficiently recover to continue racing.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The most highly anticipated three-furlong workout of the California winter season will take place Saturday at Santa Anita, where Bolt d’Oro is scheduled for his first timed drill of 2018.

A pulled muscle in late December interrupted training for Bolt d’Oro, the Mick Ruis-owned and -trained colt who is a leading candidate for the Kentucky Derby after a 2-year-old campaign that included two Grade 1 wins and a third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

NEW YORK – The New York State Gaming Commission on Monday upheld the penalties of a 15-day suspension and $1,000 fine assessed to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott by the New York stewards for the finding of an overage of the therapeutic drug Flunixin (banamine) in a horse Mott raced at Belmont Park in 2014.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – He broke no watches in the final official workout of his outstanding career, but Gun Runner was eye-catching nonetheless, turning in a maintenance half-mile breeze in 49.14 seconds Monday morning at Gulfstream Park as the expected odds-on favorite in Saturday’s $16 million Pegasus World Cup.

With exercise rider Angel Garcia aboard, Gun Runner was permitted to train before the rest of the local population immediately after the 7-7:30 a.m. renovation break, and had the track to himself.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oaklawn announced Sunday that horses from Belmont Park and Laurel are banned from shipping in until further notice due to positives for the equine herpesvirus at those tracks.

Pat Pope, racing secretary at Oaklawn, said the ban does not include horses already at Oaklawn who last raced at Belmont or Laurel, because their arrival dates do not fit the timeline of the recent positives in New York and Maryland.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – X Y Jet continues to give every indication he’s cycled back to his peak form of two years ago after drawing off to a convincing 5 1/2-length victory in Saturday’s Sunshine Millions Sprint.

The performance impressed just about everyone in the crowd, including trainer Chad Summers, who has been keeping a close eye on a horse he believes could be the chief competition for his top sprinter Mind Your Biscuits in the Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 31.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens has won most of racing’s biggest prizes, including the Dubai World Cup, various Breeders’ Cup races, and multiple runnings of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes.

But on Saturday, he will look to conquer a new world when he teams with Giant Expectations in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park.

“It’s the same kind of deal – just a lot more zeroes behind the 16,” Stevens said.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Picking out the right race for a horse can be as equally as important as how a trainer prepares his horse for the race. When it comes to race selection, Saffie Joseph Jr. has done a good job picking out Wednesday’s $51,000 optional-claiming race for J R’s Holiday’s 2018 debut.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Good Magic was back on the work tab for the first time since his 4 1/2-length victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 4, going three furlongs in 36.80 at Palm Meadows on Sunday. The easy breeze was the fastest of 10 at the distance on the tab that morning.

Trainer Chad Brown said if all goes well, Good Magic could make his 3-year-old debut here on March 3 in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth.

ARCADIA, Calif. – West Coast was scheduled to fly from California to Florida on Wednesday, and by the time he races in the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Saturday he very well may have “Eclipse Award winner” as his appellation, as he is favored to be named champion 3-year-old male at Thursday night’s awards dinner.

In that regard, West Coast would mirror the champion 3-year-old male of 2016, Arrogate, and there are plenty more similarities. Both are trained by Bob Baffert, and, like Arrogate, West Coast did not race at 2 and won the Travers at age 3.