ARCADIA, Calif. – Masochistic, who tested positive for a banned steroid after a second-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 5, was not allowed to enter Saturday’s $100,000 Midnight Lute Stakes at Santa Anita because he had yet to pass a test showing the medication had cleared his system by entry day, Wednesday.

Trainer Ron Ellis was informed Wednesday by track stewards that Masochistic was ineligible to start until he is removed from a stewards’ list for the positive test. Ellis said Masochistic was tested on Monday and that results will not be available until Friday.

With two programs remaining at the Laurel Park fall meet, Mary Eppler is six wins in front in the trainer standings and on the verge of her first title. Her prospects for 2017 are looking up too, as her super-claim, Page McKenney, is nearing a return to the races after being diagnosed in May with a minor tendon injury.

If Eppler wins the title, she will be the first woman to lead the standings at Laurel Park and the first to win a Maryland meet since Karen Patty sent out 10 winners to lead the 1992 Pimlico fall meet.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Attendance and handle showed growth from last year on Monday’s opening day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.

According to figures released by the track, ontrack attendance was 46,514, a gain of 3.5 percent over 44,873 on opening day of the 2015-16 winter spring meeting on a Saturday.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Mario Gutierrez will serve a one-day suspension Saturday for participating in more than one designated race at Los Alamitos on Dec. 17 while under suspension.

In California, designated races are typically six-figure stakes exempt from routine suspensions. Gutierrez rode two such stakes at Los Alamitos on Dec. 17 while in the midst of a three-day suspension for causing interference in a race at Los Alamitos in September.

Arrogate will start in Sunday’s $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita after impressing trainer Bob Baffert in a workout at Santa Anita on Tuesday.

Arrogate worked six furlongs in 1:12.20.

“He went really well,” Baffert said. “He was just cruising. He was just in a gallop. As long as he looks good, it looks like Sunday is a spot for him.”

A horse stabled at Fair Grounds tested positive for equine herpesvirus Monday, Fair Grounds senior director of racing Jason Boulet confirmed Monday night.

Boulet said representatives from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture were scheduled to arrive at Fair Grounds early Tuesday morning to assess the situation, which is likely to lead to various quarantine protocols.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Thursday’s program at Santa Anita will have two carryovers in the pick six – $115,062 in the main pool and $24,656 in the single-ticket jackpot pool.

There were no winning tickets in Monday’s pick six on the opening day of the track’s winter-spring meeting.

Untapped, the 2-year-old full sister to champion Untapable, won her second straight race last Friday at Fair Grounds to run her career record to two wins and a third from three starts.

The veteran trainer Paul McGee has been sitting at 999 career wins for a few weeks now. A milestone – 1,000 wins – is right around the corner and could come in the featured seventh race Thursday at Fair Grounds with a very promising prospect named December Seven.

December Seven is one of eight entrants in a second-level allowance race that is also open to $40,000 claimers and carded for 1 1/16 miles on dirt. The 11-race card starts with modest offerings, but races 6 through 11 all are for open maidens or allowance horses.

The veteran trainer Paul McGee has been sitting at 999 career wins for a few weeks now. A milestone – 1,000 wins – is right around the corner and could come in the featured seventh race Thursday at Fair Grounds with a very promising prospect named December Seven.

December Seven is one of eight entrants in a second-level allowance race that is also open to $40,000 claimers and carded for 1 1/16 miles on dirt. The 11-race card starts with modest offerings, but races 6 through 11 all are for open maidens or allowance horses.