HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Probably the most surprising result from last weekend’s racing here was the seventh-place finish by Heart to Heart as the 7-10 favorite in Saturday’s Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale.

Although trainer Brian Lynch was generous Monday in offering “no excuse” for the subpar performance, the race spoke for itself. The usually speedy Heart to Heart was compromised when getting away a bit tardily, putting himself in tight quarters under the wire the first time and forcing jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. to adjust tactics from midpack.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Two stakes-quality colts making their 4-year-old debuts following lengthy layoffs will face each other Thursday in an intriguing feature at Gulfstream.

Malagacy, whose 2017 campaign ended after he finished fifth as the 2-1 second choice in the Arkansas Derby last April, will be opposed by multiple stakes-winning sprinter Recruiting Ready in the fourth race, the lone allowance on a 10-race card. Hybrid conditions for the $53,000, six-furlong race include a $75,000 claiming option for which three of the six scheduled starters are entered.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A rematch among Florida-breds exiting a graded stakes will be a main storyline Saturday at Gulfstream Park when Mr. Jordan and Richard the Great run in the richest of four races comprising the 16th Sunshine Millions.

Mr. Jordan and Richard the Great were second and third, respectively, behind Fear the Cowboy here last month in the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday, and both should appreciate the Florida-bred restriction for the Sunshine Millions Classic and the other three supporting events in the $600,000 series.

English Soul, the 2 3/4-length winner of Sunday’s East View Stakes for New York-bred fillies, will likely make her next start in the $200,000 Busher Stakes on March 3, trainer Ray Handal said.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Ron Spatz said Mo Cash couldn’t be doing any better after the graded stakes-placed speedster blew out three-eighths in 34.68 seconds here Monday for the $100,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint. But Spatz also knows Mo Cash will be facing his stiffest challenge yet when he squares off against X Y Jet, one of the premier sprinters in the country, in the Sprint, one of four stakes to be decided on Saturday’s Sunshine Millions card.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Ian Wilkes is not known for his success with first-time starters. But he certainly had Originator fit and ready to go off the bench when making her debut in Sunday’s finale.

Originator, a 3-year-old daughter of Artie Schiller, exploded from off the pace once clear in the stretch under jockey Chris Landeros to register a three-length victory launching her career in a five-furlong maiden special weight dash on the turf. She received a 77 Beyer Speed Figure for her effort and paid $58.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Racing resumes Wednesday following the only dark day of the week with a 10-race card that features a trio of first-level allowance and optional-claiming races, all three to be decided for a purse of $51,000.

The most intriguing of the afternoon’s co-features is the ninth event, carded at seven furlongs for 3-year-olds and what looks like a battle between a pair of recent graduates, Impact Player and Septimius Severus.

One of the more highly regarded prospects for the 144th Kentucky Derby, Catholic Boy, was sent through his first breeze of the year last weekend as trainer Jonathan Thomas begins pointing the colt to his 3-year-old debut in the Feb. 10 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

Catholic Boy went an easy half-mile in 49.20 seconds Friday at Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Fla., in his first serious move since the colt won the Grade 2 Remsen by 4 3/4 lengths Dec. 2 at Aqueduct.

Fields are taking shape for the three stakes that comprise the Skyway Festival Day program Saturday at Tampa. The $125,000 Pasco Stakes, which usually produces a starter for two for the Sam F. Davis Stakes (Feb. 10), is expected to have at least three stakes winners in its lineup of 3-year-olds – He Hate Me, Driven by History, and Awaken.

Leading jockey Antonio Gallardo won three races Sunday at Tampa Bay Downs, marking the sixth time in the last 11 racing days the 30-year-old Spaniard has racked up a three-bagger.

Gallardo, who dominated the Tampa jockey colony for three straight years before opting to ride elsewhere last winter, is back in a familiar spot atop the 2017-18 meet standings. Into Wednesday, he topped all riders in starts (154), wins (35), and mount earnings ($544,750).