ARCADIA, Calif. – Irap, the longshot winner of the Blue Grass Stakes but 18th in the Kentucky Derby last out, will start in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown on June 24 and skip the Belmont Stakes on June 10, trainer Doug O’Neill said in a text message.

The $500,000 Ohio Derby is run at 1 1/8 miles.

Irap was a maiden when he won the Blue Grass, becoming the first winless horse to take the famous Keeneland race. Owned by Paul and Zillah Reddam, Irap has one win in nine starts and earnings of $772,600.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Ashleyluvssugar will have a familiar race schedule this year after winning the sixth stakes of his career in Sunday’s Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at Santa Anita. Trainer Peter Eurton hopes to run Ashleyluvssugar in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap at 1 3/8 miles on turf Aug. 19, a race the gelding won in 2016.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Gun Runner continues to sharpen for his role as the expected heavy favorite in the June 17 Stephen Foster Handicap. With Steve Asmussen in from Texas, where he saddled Neck ‘n Neck for the Lone Star Park Handicap the previous evening, Gun Runner was out for a five-furlong team work early Monday, going in 59.80 seconds over a fast track, according to Churchill clocker John Nichols.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Brendan Walsh ran two losers Saturday at Churchill Downs, then two more Sunday. That’s not exactly man-bites-dog news, but before that, Walsh had run six straight winners in a rather outlandish exhibition of how his training career is thriving.

Fear the Cowboy drew the rail in a field of eight for the $100,000 Evangeline Mile on Saturday night. The race for 3-year-olds and up is the centerpiece of the meet at Evangeline Downs.

Fear the Cowboy won the race a year ago and in March captured the Grade 3 Skip Away at Gulfstream.

Jesus Rios has the mount for trainer Efren Loza Jr.

Taco, who won the first four races of his career before finishing second in the Pasadena Stakes at Santa Anita in his most recent start March 19, has a long-range goal of the Super Derby, trainer Efren Loza Jr. said Saturday.

Taco recently resumed training following a freshening and could make his first start back in the $60,000 Prelude on Aug. 5 at Louisiana Downs. The Prelude is the local prep for the $200,000 Super Derby on Sept. 9. Both are on turf this year after previously being run on dirt.

Jockey Richard Eramia is fitter than he’s ever been, and it’s not because the 37-year-old has started a new workout routine or changed his diet. Eramia is riding races six days a week during the concurrent meets at Louisiana Downs and Lone Star Park.

He was in a three-way tie atop the Louisiana Downs standings heading into Monday’s card with 12 wins from 52 starts and had mount earnings of $124,990. Eramia ranked second in the Lone Star standings through Sunday with 20 wins from 118 starts and had mount earnings of $262,038.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Stu Simon has had a strong start to the Woodbine season with wins from Yorkton in the Queenston Stakes on May 13 and Dragon Bay in the Grade 2 Eclipse Stakes on May 20.

“Both horses ran really good races,” Simon said. “It’s always nice when they run to your expectations.”

Yorkton was originally nominated to the Queen’s Plate in February but did not remain eligible after the second payment deadline of May 3.

“We made the decision that he really hadn’t showed us that he wanted to go a mile and a quarter and two turns,” Simon said.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Grizzel recorded her second straight victory on Tapeta in the Grade 3 Selene Stakes here on May 21. However, with few options for 3-year-old fillies bred outside of Canada at Woodbine over the next few weeks, Grizzel likely will make her next start at another track.

Trainer Mike Doyle said he was looking to get Grizzel back on turf for her next start.

“She seems to love the Tapeta, but she likes the turf, too,” he said. “We’re looking at some long turf options out of town.”

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mark Casse said 2015 Canadian Horse of the Year Catch a Glimpse was in good order Sunday after a scary incident in Saturday’s Grade 2 Nassau Stakes, where she collapsed after being pulled up by jockey Florent Geroux on the turn. Following the incident, Catch a Glimpse was able to walk onto the horse ambulance and was vanned off.

“She ate last night, and she’s a happy camper this morning,” Casse said Sunday. “It was one of the more scary moments of my training career, that’s for sure.”