OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Rosario Montanez’s victory on Going Strong in Aqueduct’s fifth race on Wednesday was a meaningful one, as it was his first in New York in nearly 2 1/2 years.

Montanez was sidelined for 18 months because of injuries suffered in a spill on July 19, 2014, at Saratoga. Montanez needed 18 operations to repair injuries to his eye socket, cheek bone, nose, and forehead. He returned to race riding on March 1 at Parx and had ridden 17 winners among Parx, Laurel, Penn National, Meadowlands, and Suffolk Downs before Wednesday.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Earlier this year, Whitmore took the Arkansas path to the Kentucky Derby. On Saturday, Whitmore’s comeback trail to Hot Springs begins in New York.

Whitmore, who placed in a trio of 3-year-old graded stakes at Oaklawn Park, makes his first start since running 19th in the Kentucky Derby. He runs in a second-level allowance race going 6 1/2 furlongs at Aqueduct.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Matt King Coal, unraced since a fourth-place finish in the Wood Memorial in April, finished second in his return to the races Wednesday at Aqueduct.

From the south of France via Keeneland, Hayabusa One is ready for his stakes debut in Saturday’s $300,000 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar.

Hayabusa One won his American debut in an allowance race at 1 3/16 miles on turf at Keeneland on Oct. 9, leaving trainer Graham Motion eager for the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

“Certainly, it’s a big step,” Motion said. “I thought he was really impressive at Keeneland. I’d be happy if it were a mile and a quarter and not a mile and an eighth. It’s a good opportunity for him.”

Dirt races will play a leading role in future starts for Midnight Storm, the winner of the Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes at Del Mar last Sunday.

Co-owner Billy Koch said on Thursday that Midnight Storm will be pointed to the $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on dirt at Santa Anita on Jan. 1, and that he and co-owner Alex Venneri are listening to offers about gaining a potential berth in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28.

The high-class turf females Miss Temple City and Time and Motion were among a field of 12 expected to be entered on Thursday for the Grade 1, $300,000 Matriarch Stakes, the highlight of the closing-day card at Del Mar on Sunday.

The Matriarch, at one mile on turf, is for fillies and mares. Miss Temple City was fifth most recently in the Breeders’ Cup Mile against males and owns two Grade 1 wins this year against males.

Time and Motion, 3, won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland last time out. This will be her first start against older runners.

DEL MAR, Calif. – In his first work since winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic 28 days earlier, Arrogate went a half-mile in 49 seconds on Thursday at Santa Anita, his first drill toward what could be a start in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28.

Santa Anita’s clockers designated the work “breezing,” the only work of 109 so denoted Thursday. Arrogate worked by himself with jockey Martin Garcia aboard.

FLORENCE, Ky. – It’s not all that uncommon for a trainer to disband his stable to become a jockey agent. What’s more unusual is for an agent to become a trainer.

Bert Crawford is doing just that.

Crawford, 52, had five horses in the entries for the first week of the Turfway holiday meet and said he will soon have about 25 horses on his shed row.

FLORENCE, Ky. – Mike Maker and Wesley Ward have their better horses in Florida at this time of year, but they still cast major shadows at Turfway.

Maker and Ward figure as the leading trainers at the holiday meet, which runs through Dec. 31, not only because they have greater numbers at their disposal than most of their training brethren but also because they frequently drop horses in class, not worrying whether they lose them via the claim box.

FLORENCE, Ky. – Turfway Park officials are hoping that their marquee race by any other name will be just as sweet – because it’s getting yet another name change.

The $500,000 Jack Cincinnati Casino Spiral Stakes is the new name for the traditional Turfway showcase for 3-year-olds. Inaugurated in 1972, the Grade 3 race remains a key prep for the Kentucky Derby, with its 46th running on March 25, 2017, once again being worth 50 eligibility points to the winner.