ELMONT, N.Y. – Barring an unexpected change of heart come entry day on Monday, Curalina will run in Friday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita and not in the $1 million Filly and Mare Sprint, her connections indicated Saturday.

“The filly’s doing great, she’s proven herself multiple times at a mile and an eighth,” trainer Todd Pletcher said Saturday at Belmont. “I guess we’ll have to make a final decision here soon, but most of our conversations have leaned that way.”

The light 2016 campaign for I’m a Chatterbox was by necessity. After an eight-start 2015 campaign that went from January through October and included most of the top races for 3-year-old fillies, she needed a break.

“She was tired after her 3-year-old year,” trainer Larry Jones said. “We gave her a pretty good break over the winter, just trying to do what was right for the horse. I’m not saying it was all designed.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – Runhappy was sent through his final workout leading into the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile when breezing five furlongs under the cover of darkness Saturday morning at Santa Anita.

Runhappy, the winner of the BC Sprint and the Eclipse Award for top sprinter last year, was timed in 58.55 seconds in a work that came at about 5:20 a.m. Pacific, before many other horses were out for exercise over a fast surface.

“Yay,” trainer Laura Wohlers said afterward. “He looked good down the stretch. It was a nice, strong work.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – Twice in recent months, Metaboss has turned into the stretch of a Grade 2 turf marathon at a California track with the rest of the field in front of him.

In the Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 20, Metaboss caught all of his rivals but one, losing by a nose to Ashleyluvssugar. In the John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita on Oct. 2, Metaboss rallied to finish fourth, a length behind Ashleyluvssugar.

Three Rules, undefeated in five career starts, blazed five furlongs in 57.64 seconds Friday morning at Gulfstream Park in his last serious move before the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita next Saturday.

With a strong wind at his back, Three Rules, under exercise rider Patrick Harris, was timed by track clockers in fractions of 21.80 for the quarter-mile and 32.80 for three furlongs, and he galloped out five furlongs in 1:12.40. It was the fastest of 21 moves at the distance, with the second-fastest time 57.88 seconds.

All-sources live handle at Northlands Park was down from last year at the 2016 meet, which concluded last Saturday.

The main reason for the decline, $18.9 million this year compared to $21.4 million in 2015, was six fewer days of racing this year.

The average over the 69 days was $274,337, off by 4 percent compared to 2015, when $286,337 was bet on a daily basis.

Another factor was the decline in average starters per race, 6.82 compared to 7.20 in 2015.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Runhappy, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner and the nation’s champion sprinter, has had a busy schedule since arriving here at Santa Anita for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, to be run next Friday. He goes out to train well before dawn every morning, and every day has spent time at a nearby farm, taking advantage of outdoor paddocks, a bit of grass on which to graze, and sand pits in which to roll, something he can do in one facility at his home base in Kentucky.

ARCADIA, Calif. – With a five-furlong work in 1:00.40 here on Friday, La Force is being prepared as if she will start in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 4.

It may take the whole weekend to determine whether it was a necessary dress rehearsal.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Forgive Bob Baffert if he has other things on his mind, such as slaying California Chrome in the Breeders’ Cup Classic with a 3-year-old named Arrogate.

Still, there are other Baffert horses for other Breeders’ Cup races, as evidenced by all the multi-tasking the Hall of Fame trainer undertakes every morning at Santa Anita. Two of the younger Baffert horses, Noted and Quoted and American Gal, will be in the starting gate for the $2 million BC Juvenile Fillies, the first of the nine BC events here next Saturday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tepin put in her final maintenance move in advance of her Breeders’ Cup Mile defense on Friday morning, leading a bevy of workers for trainer Mark Casse in the pre-dawn darkness at Churchill Downs.