ELMONT, N.Y. – Lubash is the reigning two-time New York-bred male turf champion, an 11-time stakes winner, and an earner of $1.3 million. But has age finally caught up to the 9-year-old son of Freud, who has won 16 of his 48 career starts?

Lubash enters Saturday’s $150,000 Forbidden Apple Stakes at Belmont Park having run two subpar races to begin the year. He was fifth, beaten nine lengths, in the Danger’s Hour Stakes at Aqueduct, and fourth, beaten 4 1/4 lengths, in the Kingston Stakes in May. Both races were run over turf courses listed “yielding.”

ELMONT, N.Y. – The $125,000 Rockville Centre Stakes drew only five New York-bred juveniles and is likely to go with just four runners Saturday. But the race still should be competitive, with the stakes winner Silver Mission taking on the impressive debut winner Runaway Lute.

Silver Mission, a son of Mission Impazible trained by Todd Pletcher for Twin Creeks Racing, is 2 for 2, including a 6 1/4-length victory in the Tremont Stakes on June 10.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Tom Amoss was hoping to more clearly determine where he stood with his top 3-year-old, Mo Tom, once he breezed him a half-mile Thursday morning at Saratoga. But when Mo Tom completed the distance in 50.36 seconds and galloped out five furlongs in 1:05, Amoss didn’t get all the answers he was looking for.

The work was Mo Tom’s first since winning the Grade 3 Ohio Derby three weeks ago. Mo Tom rallied to finish eighth in the Kentucky Derby.

Add American Freedom to the lineup for the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 31.

In his first work since his victory July 1 in the Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows, American Freedom worked a strong five furlongs in 59.20 seconds on Thursday at Del Mar under jockey Rafael Bejarano, after which trainer Bob Baffert said he would be pointed to the Haskell.

“That was a good work for this track,” Baffert said of American Freedom, who worked in company, going from the half-mile pole out to the seven-furlong pole.

DEL MAR, Calif. – It has been nearly 20 months since California Chrome last was at Del Mar, but he settled right in after arriving Wednesday afternoon, then took a tour of the main track early Thursday morning as he readies for a key workout on Saturday, one that will be open to the public.

Jockey Iram Diego has never had a better year at the track in 14 years in the saddle, and it’s only July. Not only has he surpassed his personal-best totals for wins and mount earnings, he also celebrated a five-win day for the first time in his career last Sunday at Lone Star Park.

There could be more where that came from Friday night. Diego is well mounted for one of the track’s final programs of the meet, with stakes winner Meme Jo leading a turf-sprint allowance and Bim Bam making his first start since setting a course record in June.

Cupid ran so well in winning the Rebel Stakes in March at Oaklawn Park that he looked like a colt who could win the Kentucky Derby. At this point, any old derby – any old win, for that matter – would be a step back in the right direction for Cupid.

ELMONT, N.Y. – With entries closed through the end of the meet on Sunday, Chad Brown will win his first Belmont spring-summer meet training title.

Brown entered the final five days of the meet with 37 wins, 13 more than Todd Pletcher, who does not have that many entries over the last week. Brown has won the last four Belmont fall-meet titles.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Silver Mission is 2 for 2, including a win in the Tremont Stakes last month. On Saturday, he’ll meet New York-breds for the first time when he heads a field of five in the $125,000 Rockville Centre at six furlongs.

Silver Mission, a son of Mission Impazible trained by Todd Pletcher, beat open company at Aqueduct on April 21 and then came back to win the Tremont by 6 1/4 length at Belmont on June 10.

ELMONT, N.Y. – David Donk isn’t in any hurry to get to Saratoga.

Donk has enjoyed an extremely successful Belmont spring-summer meet, one he hopes continues Saturday when he sends out King Kreesa in the $150,000 Forbidden Apple Stakes. King Kreesa won this race last year in a field of six. This year, King Kreesa has to defeat only four opponents in the one-mile turf event.