ARCADIA, Calif. – Unique Bella, the top-ranked 3-year-old filly in the land before a recurrence of a shin injury sent her to the sidelines, will recuperate at the Pegasus Rehabilitation Center in Washington state, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Sunday morning at Santa Anita.

Unique Bella is still here at Hollendorfer’s barn, but her trip to Washington is imminent. Hollendorfer has used Pegasus with numerous horses over the years. The facility is owned by Dr. Mark Dedomenico, a long-time client of Hollendorfer’s.

Arrogate, the best horse in the world, returned to the track to train at Santa Anita on Sunday morning, jogging once around the wrong way under exercise rider Dana Barnes in his first appearance on the track since returning from his win two weeks earlier in the Dubai World Cup.

His trainer, Bob Baffert, said Arrogate weighed 1,194 pounds before he left for Dubai, and was at 1,150 after he got back here. Now, two weeks later, he’s again at 1,194.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Songbird, a two-time Eclipse Award winner, took her first serious steps toward returning to action with an easy three-furlong drill in 35.80 seconds early Sunday morning at Santa Anita. Exercise rider Edgar Rodriguez was aboard for the drill, in which Songbird went by herself, breaking off at the three-furlong pole. Santa Anita’s clockers had her going out a half-mile in 48.20 seconds.

“Very nice and smooth, galloped out well. I’m very pleased,” said her trainer, Jerry Hollendorfer.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Miss Sky Warrior, convincing winner of Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Gazelle Stakes at Aqueduct, will ship to Kentucky sometime this week to continue preparations for the Kentucky Oaks on May 5, trainer Kelly Breen said Sunday.

Miss Sky Warrior remained at Aqueduct Sunday morning; the bulk of Breen’s horses are still stabled at Palm Meadows in south Florida. Breen is scheduled to run a horse next Saturday at Keeneland and will likely ship Miss Sky Warrior to Keeneland later this week before moving on to Churchill.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – On Sunday morning, trainer Graham Motion tweeted a photo of a pony done up in bubble wrap with the caption, “Irish War Cry looks good this morning.”

While humorous, the tweet truthfully encapsulated the fragile nature of Thoroughbreds, especially 3-year-olds on the Triple Crown trail.

Six years ago, Motion won the Wood Memorial with Toby’s Corner. On the day he was scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs, Toby’s Corner turned up lame and didn’t make the Kentucky Derby.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The first three finishers from the Santa Anita Derby on Saturday all will be pointed to the Kentucky Derby on May 6 at Churchill Downs, and the fourth-place finisher likely is headed to the Belmont Stakes, their trainers said Sunday morning.

Gormley and Royal Mo, who finished first and third, respectively, in the Santa Anita Derby, “both look great this morning,” trainer John Shirreffs said at his barn.

Oaklawn leading trainer Steve Asmussen’s top prospects for the Racing Festival of the South stakes put in their final works Sunday morning, including his Arkansas Derby double of Lookin At Lee and Untrapped.

It was an overcast morning in the 60s in Hot Springs, Ark. The track was fast.

Untrapped, who comes off a third-place finish in the Grade 2, $900,000 Rebel at Oaklawn, went a half-mile by himself in 51 seconds. Lookin at Lee did the same, also going in 51 seconds. Lookin At Lee was third in the Grade 3, $500,000 Southwest in February at Oaklawn.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Rush hour came late Sunday morning at Keeneland, as a multitude of turf stars worked for upcoming stakes engagements at the Kentucky track. The activity on the lawn was led by the star racemares Lady Eli, Time and Motion, and Catch a Glimpse, all targeting the Grade 1, $350,000 Jenny Wiley Stakes this coming Saturday.

Classic Empire and Petrov, who are among the leading contenders for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 15, both put in final works for the race Saturday. They are part of an anticipated field of 10 or 11 for the 1 1/8-mile race that closes out the meet at Oaklawn.  

Entries will be taken Wednesday. The Arkansas Derby carries 170 eligibility points for the Kentucky Derby, to be awarded to the first four finishers on a scale of 100-40-20-10.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The fields for the seven stakes races making up the $3.45 million Racing Festival of the South, which runs Thursday through Saturday at Oaklawn, are taking shape, with a large group of 3-year-olds anticipated for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby.

“It’s looking like 10 or 11,” Pat Pope, racing secretary at Oaklawn, said Friday. “That’s what we know of.”