ARCADIA, Calif. – When Masochistic starts as one of the top contenders in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 5, it will be his first start in more than two months, so he had what trainer Ron Ellis called a “small dress rehearsal” on Thursday at Santa Anita. With Mike Smith aboard, Masochistic worked a quick half-mile from the gate in 45.20 seconds, the fastest time of 45 works at the distance.

“He was just going easy,” Ellis said. “Mike said his ears were pricked, and he was real relaxed. He came out of his last race great, and he runs well fresh.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – Two of the leading candidates for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff worked minutes apart Thursday at Santa Anita while their trainers had fun monitoring each other’s activity.

Beholder worked a half-mile in 49 seconds, breezing, for Richard Mandella. Songbird worked five furlongs in 58.60 for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

Beholder’s work was planned for immediately after the 6:30 a.m. renovation break. Upon learning that Songbird also was scheduled to work, Mandella jokingly said, “Tell [Hollendorfer] we’ll meet up at the half.”

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Three flags displaying the colors of the most recent winners of the Queen’s Plate, Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, and Grade 1 Canadian International adorn the Woodbine infield. After winning the Queen’s Plate with Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Sir Dudley Digges and the Woodbine Mile with Robert Masterson’s Tepin, jockey Julien Leparoux has a chance to sweep all three races in the same year when he rides World Approval for trainer Mark Casse in Sunday’s Canadian International.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Cavorting, a three-time Grade 1-winning filly who was pointing to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff next month at Santa Anita, has developed bruising of the cannon bones in her front ankles and has been retired, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Farms said Thursday.

McLaughlin said Cavorting appeared off in the last few mornings, and further evaluation revealed the problem. Cavorting had been expected to run in the Breeders' Cup Distaff on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita.

There is nothing whatsoever sexist about the Breeders’ Cup Mile, an open race that in its 32-year history has been won nine times by a filly or mare, and this year’s edition could attract a record number of female participants.

The last major stepping-stones toward the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf come this weekend at Keeneland, Woodbine, and Ascot in Britain.

The 3-year-old Seventh Heaven, considered one of the top European hopes for the Filly and Mare Turf, is entered in Saturday’s QIPCO British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes at Ascot, though as of Wednesday, trainer Aidan O’Brien had not decided whether she will run.

Retama Park runs its signature races Saturday night, the El Joven and La Senorita stakes. The one-mile turf stakes for 2-year-olds are worth $75,000 each.

The El Joven drew a field of 10, with much of the focus expected to be on Kielbasa, a maiden special weight winner at Arlington coming off a third in the Sunday Silence Stakes at Louisiana Downs. Richard Eramia has the mount for trainer Lon Wiggins.

MIAMI – After spending nearly four decades training horses for a living, Steve DiMauro has called it quits to pursue a new career as a racing official.

Bling On the Music, a multiple stakes winner who had come under brief consideration for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, is headed for the $100,000 My Trusty Cat at Delta Downs, said trainer J.R. Caldwell. He said the Oct. 21 race is intended as her stepping-stone to the Grade 3, $400,000 Delta Downs Princess on Nov. 19.

Bling On the Music ran third in the Grade 2 Pocahontas on Sept. 17 at Churchill Downs. Prior to that, she defeated males in the Gold Rush Futurity at Arapahoe Park and won the fillies’ division of the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity at Lone Star Park.

Country Candy will break from post 3 in Friday night’s $50,000 E.L. Gaylord Memorial at Remington Park, and the starting slot is ideal, said trainer J.R. Caldwell.

Caldwell said he likes that Country Candy is situated immediately outside of two of the race’s top contenders, Gold Shock, who will break from the rail, and Girls Know Best.