HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There is never a shortage of bad-beat stories when horseplayers gather, but it would be difficult to match the tale one unknown player can now tell following a bizarre incident that took place approaching the wire in Thursday’s finale at Gulfstream.

Fernando De La Cruz, who is riding at Tampa Bay Downs, plans to winter at the Oaklawn Park meet that opens Jan. 12 in Hot Springs, Ark. Tony King, who will be his agent, said the rider was due to arrive in Arkansas sometime Tuesday.

“He’s going to ride through Sunday at Tampa, and then he’s going to come straight in,” King said. “He’ll be available for training on Wednesday.”

King said De La Cruz’s scheduled arrival is weather permitting. Oaklawn, because of extreme winter weather, canceled training Friday.

Jockey Florent Geroux will be off his mounts at Fair Grounds through at least Monday following the death of his father, Dominique Geroux. The elder Geroux died Friday morning in France, according to Doug Bredar, agent for Florent Geroux.

Florent Geroux last rode Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds, leaving for France after the first few races to tend to his father, who he learned fell on Christmas Day. Dominique Geroux was 67 and a former jockey and trainer, Bredar said. He died in his hometown of Amiens, about 75 miles north of Paris.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Smokey Image, who was entered for Saturday’s Grade 3 Midnight Lute Stakes for sprinters, is likely to start instead in Monday’s $75,000 Joe Hernandez Stakes on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita, trainer Carla Gaines said.

The Hernandez Stakes is run at about 6 1/2 furlongs and is the main race on the New Year’s Day program.

ARCADIA, Calif. – California trainer Ron Ellis is disbanding his stable this weekend in advance of the start of a 60-day suspension that begins on Monday. Ellis was suspended because a horse he trained, Masochistic, tested positive for a steroid after finishing second in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita.

Ellis has approximately 25 horses at Santa Anita, according to track officials. Ellis said on Friday that some of his horses will be transferred to Southern California trainers Blake Heap, Brian Koriner, and Gerard Piccioni, while others will be sent out of state.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Bill Mott has had a solid Aqueduct fall meet with 10 winners from 48 starters, including victories from four of his last 10 runners.

Included in Mott’s recent run of success are 3-year-old fillies Boule and Greatreviews and the 2-year-old filly Lemoona. While Lemoona has already been shipped to south Florida, Boule and Greatreviews will likely make their next starts in New York.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Control Group, winner of the Grade 3 Discovery Stakes on Nov. 25, figures to be a heavy favorite when he returns to New York-bred competition in Sunday’s $100,000 Alex M. Robb Stakes at 1 1/8 miles.

Control Group, a 3-year-old son of Posse, has won 4 of his last 5 starts, his lone loss being a runner-up finish behind Twisted Tom in the $300,000 Empire Classic at Belmont Park on Oct. 21.

Trainer Todd Pletcher doesn’t plan to run anything in Monday’s $150,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct, but he is already looking forward to the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes on Feb. 3, where he plans to run the $2 million auction purchase Marconi.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Seven Trumpets has yet to receive the fanfare allotted other members of trainer Dale Romans’s arsenal of soon-to-be 3-year-old males hoping to jump on the Triple Crown trail. That could change Monday when Seven Trumpets kicks off his 3-year-old season in the $150,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct.

Though no longer graded and now run at a one-turn mile, the Jerome is the first race of 2018 that will offer qualifying points toward the May 5 Kentucky Derby. There are 17 points (10-4-2-1) awarded to the Jerome’s top four finishers.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Live racing scheduled for Thursday at Aqueduct was canceled due to extreme cold, which is forecast to return over the weekend.

Thursday’s forecast called for a high temperature of 20 degrees with wind speeds from 15 to 25 miles per hour, creating wind chills in the single digits. Racing is scheduled to resume Friday with temperatures slightly higher and wind speeds slightly lower.