The best sprinter in the country will go international this spring. Drefong, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last out, will point to the $2 million Golden Shaheen at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on March 25, according to trainer Bob Baffert.

Drefong was expected to start Dec. 26 in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita but got sick and was not entered. The 4-year-old has returned to light training; Baffert will either train him into the Golden Shaheen or run him in a prep race. The next sprint stakes at Santa Anita is the Grade 2 Palos Verdes on Feb. 4.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Arrogate remains on course for the $12 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park despite being scratched from the Grade 2 San Pasqual last Sunday due to a wet track at Santa Anita.

“I’m trying to set up a [work] schedule for him,” trainer Bob Baffert said Wednesday after Arrogate jogged. “I’m working around the rain.”

Baffert said Arrogate could work next Wednesday, pending track conditions.

“I want to work him Wednesday if it doesn’t rain,” he said. “It could be Wednesday, it could be Sunday.”

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. started a five-day suspension on Thursday for a careless-riding infraction dating back to Oct. 14 at Belmont Park. Ortiz is suspended for this four-day race week as well as next Thursday.

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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – In Bride Street, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin could send out the favorite in Sunday’s $100,000 Ruthless Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs.

Bride Street, a daughter of Street Cry, won her debut by a half-length at Aqueduct on Nov. 27. The horse she beat, Forever Lies, came back to win a one-mile maiden race at Laurel Park by 5 1/4 lengths on Dec. 31.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Takaful was basically eased while finishing last as the even-money favorite in the Jerome on Monday. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said Wednesday that Takaful showed no physical ailments or illnesses out of the race.

“Nothing showed up,” McLaughlin said. “He came out of it in good shape, scoped clean. I don’t know what to think. Not good any way you look at it.”

Takaful won his debut by eight lengths in a fast time Oct. 29 at Belmont and then ran third as the favorite in the Grade 2 Remsen.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Preparing horses in the Northeast for big races at this time of year can be a bit tricky, with trainers focused as much on long-range weather forecasts as they are their horses.

Trainer Cal Lynch and his owners are certainly taking weather into consideration as they map out the short-term future for their promising 3-year-old El Areeb, the 11 1/4-length winner of Monday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct.

In the fall of 2015, John Servis won a Parx maiden race with a 2-year-old filly and then sent her to Laurel Park for the Gin Talking Stakes, which she won easily. From there, it was off to Florida, with the Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Park circled on the calendar.

As it turns out, Cathryn Sophia was up to the challenge and won by 5 1/2 lengths. She added the Davona Dale next and then finished a close third in the Grade 1 Ashland before scoring her biggest win before a national audience in the Kentucky Oaks.

CYPRESS, Calif. – California Chrome is being sent to Florida on Friday in a condition that has delighted trainer Art Sherman.

Sherman has had California Chrome in his Southern California stable for most of the last four years and said the 6-year-old is training better now than in recent seasons. California Chrome is scheduled to have his final start in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28 before going to stud in Kentucky in February.

All-sources daily wagering was down slightly at the Turfway holiday meet that ended last Saturday night, according to figures released by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

Per-day wagering averaged $1,583,827 during the 20-day meet, which began Nov. 30. That was down 3.6 percent from the $1,642,549 averaged during a 15-day holiday meet in December 2015.

Turfway Park will recognize the remarkable career of Perry Ouzts during a ceremony between races Friday night at the northern Kentucky track. Perry Ouzts Day is an effort to heighten awareness of a fan-driven initiative to get the 62-year-old jockey into the Racing Hall of Fame.

With 6,712 career victories, Ouzts ranks 11th all time among North American jockeys and third among active riders behind only Edgar Prado (6,932) and Mario Pino (6,777).