The Pennsylvania Racing Commission has approved Penn National’s request to hold four daytime cards in May and June.

Penn National, which typically starts its programs at 6 p.m. Eastern, will have a first post of 1:30 p.m. on Triple Crown Saturdays – May 6, May 20, and June 10. The Grantville, Pa., racino also has moved up the starting time for its Penn Mile Day program, June 3, to 3:45 p.m.

The Penn Mile will be run as a Grade 2 for the first time this year. The earlier post time will allow Penn National to run several other turf races on the card before sunset.

Trainer Jonathan Maldonado is off to his best start since moving to Maryland from Puerto Rico in 2010.

Through Friday, Maldonado was 8 for 22 on the year and had already equaled his win total from 2016, when he sent 68 horses to the gate. He has won four of his last five starts dating to Feb. 20.

Maldonado, who turns 33 Sunday, began training in Puerto Rico in 2004. He had a good-sized stable there but moved to Maryland, where his older brother Rafael lived, and started over with a two-horse stable.

Hawaakom, one of the best older dirt horses at Fair Grounds, worked five furlongs in 1:01 on Thursday at Fair Grounds, his first timed breeze since he finished second behind Gun Runner on Feb. 20 in the Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park.

Wes Hawley, who trains Hawaakom and is his majority owner, said Hawaakom still is on track to race April 1 in the New Orleans Handicap here.

The 3-year-old gelding Guest Suite, who won the Lecomte Stakes and was a solid fourth in the Risen Star Stakes, had his first work since the Risen Star, going a half-mile in 49.60 seconds on Tuesday.

“It was a little maintenance half-mile,” trainer Neil Howard said. “He went nice and smooth. He’s doing fine.”

Guest Suite remains on track to make his next start April 1 in the Louisiana Derby.

The 8-year-old gelding Hogy ran so well in winning the $50,000 Colonel Power Stakes on Feb. 25 at Fair Grounds that he was invited to the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint on the Dubai World Cup undercard.

But while it’s always nice to be invited to the party, owner William Stiritz and his private trainer, Scott Becker, respectfully declined that invitation, Becker said Thursday. Hogy runs instead in the $200,000 Shakertown Stakes on April 8 at Keeneland.

There has not been a dominant older-male turf horse at Fair Grounds this winter. Enterprising won the most recent stakes race in the division, the Fair Grounds Handicap on Feb. 25, after finishing second in the Sunshine Millions Turf, a statebred-restricted stakes at Gulfstream Park.

That has trainer Mike Stidham thinking outside the box regarding the 5-year-old mare Zipessa, whom he is considering running against male horses April 1 in the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fl. - Gulfstream Park has released its spring-summer stakes schedule, which offers 29 events worth $3.85 million in purses topped by two “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup races, the Grade 2, $250,000 Princess Rooney and Grade 3, $250,000 Smile Sprint.

The spring-summer meet opens April 5.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though he has basically been doing the job since Dec. 31, Mike McMullen was officially tabbed last weekend as the new head starter for the New York Racing Association.

McMullen replaces Roy Williamson, who retired. Williamson had worked on the gate crew at NYRA since 1985 and was the head starter since 2007, when he replaced Richard Brosseau during the Saratoga meet.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Highway Star, who scratched out of last Saturday’s $150,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational, worked a half-mile in 48.11 seconds Thursday over the Belmont Park training track.

She likely will be pointed to the Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff Handicap, a seven-furlong race over Aqueduct’s main track on April 9.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Rudy Rodriguez will be well represented in Saturday’s Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap with Sassicaia and All Star Red, but one of his other stakes-winning sprinters will be sidelined until at least the fall.

Heaven’s Runway, who won the Grade 3 Fall Highweight at Aqueduct last November and the Dave’s Friend Stakes at Laurel in December, had surgery to remove a knee chip and will be out four to five months, Rodriguez said Thursday.