Texas Chrome, who finished an uncharacteristic ninth as the favorite in the Downs at Albuquerque Handicap, emerged from the race in good order and is now settled in at Remington, trainer Allen Milligan said.

“He’s okay,” Milligan said. “I don’t know what happened. I’d be guessing. The main thing is he came out of the race good.”

Milligan said owner Danny Keene sent Texas Chrome to a veterinary clinic to have the horse checked out from “head to toe” and had blood pulled. There were no issues found, Milligan said.

There’s a new leader in the handicap ranks in New Mexico.

American Dubai has now won two of the state’s three major races for the division and has his sights set on a sweep later this year in the Zia Park Distance Championship. But before then, the winner of the recent $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque Handicap could turn up at either Churchill Downs or Remington Park.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Phil D’Amato has three weekends to surpass a personal best of five stakes wins at a Del Mar summer meeting, set last year.

D’Amato has five stakes wins already this meet and will have six chances to add to his total this weekend.

Big John B, Hunt, and Up With the Birds are scheduled to start for D’Amato in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap on Saturday, the same day Kenda runs in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks for 3-year-old fillies. Sunday, Midnight Storm and Vyjack are expected to run in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on turf.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Since returning to action this spring, Collected has won all three of his starts by runaway margins, and his works leading up to the Pacific Classic on Saturday have been terrific. He has looked like a horse who has thrived over a Del Mar surface that has been troublesome for others.

All that makes him a very dangerous horse in the Pacific Classic. He and Accelerate, who is 3 for 3 at Del Mar and won the San Diego last month, have shown a fondness for this surface. But the question for both of those runners is whether they can handle 1 1/4 miles.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Copper Bullet, the four-length winner of Sunday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special, will be pointed to the Grade 3, $150,000 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 16, trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday.

The Iroquois, run at 1 1/16 miles around two turns, is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 4 at Del Mar.

In two starts at Churchill, Copper Bullet won a maiden race by eight lengths and finished a troubled second in the Grade 3 Bashford Manor.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Gun Runner, dominant winner of the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes here Aug. 5, returned to the work tab Monday morning, breezing a half-mile in 51.06 seconds over the Oklahoma training track.

Breezing at 5:45 a.m. under exercise rider Angel Garcia, Gun Runner went his first quarter in 26.42, got his second quarter in 24.64, and galloped-out five furlongs in 1:05.00, all under his own power. Gun Runner is pointing to the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward Stakes here Sept. 2.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Last year, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer won the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga with the heavily favored Songbird. This year, the Hall of Fame trainer will try to pull off an upset when he sends out It Tiz Well in Saturday’s 137th running of the prestigious race for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/4 miles.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Jockey Mike Smith was out early Monday morning at Del Mar to watch Arrogate in his final drill for Saturday’s Pacific Classic, but the morning also included a showcase for two of the horses he will be riding the following Saturday, Aug. 26, at Saratoga, as both West Coast and American Anthem continued to train forwardly for the Travers card.

West Coast is headed to the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers itself. He worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 under jockey Martin Garcia, who reported to Baffert via radio after the work that West Coast was “not even blowing. Nada.”

DEL MAR, Calif. – All eyes were on Arrogate on Monday morning at Del Mar, as he completed his preparation for Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic with a half-mile work in 47.60 seconds.

“He’s fit,” said his trainer, Bob Baffert. “He’s ready. He cruised around there. We’re set.”

DEL MAR, Calif. – Earlier this decade, Nick Cosato tried to leave racing. He had worked as an agent for several prominent riders in Southern California, but was ready for a different career.

A year later, Cosato had another change of heart. He returned to racing, this time as the founder of the Slam Dunk Racing partnership.

“I couldn’t get this out of my blood,” Cosato said last weekend. “Racing is my passion.”