With his place among California-bred 3-year-olds secured by three consecutive stakes wins, Gold Rush Dancer will be tried in his first graded stakes later this summer.

DEL MAR, Calif. – For the first time in his career, Power Jam will run twice in a month when he starts in an optional claimer at Del Mar on Saturday. The lightly raced 4-year-old has set a high standard this July.

On July 10 at Santa Anita, Power Jam won an optional claimer at 5 1/2 furlongs in a track-record time of 1:01.71 in his third career start and his first race since last November. On Saturday, Power Jam is part of a field of 10 racing seven furlongs.

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist was made the 6-5 morning-line favorite for Sunday’s Grade 1 Haskell Invitational when post positions were drawn for the $1 million race Thursday. Nyquist, the 2-year-old male champion of 2015, will break from post 1 in the six-horse field.

Nyquist’s assignment in the Haskell grew more difficult Wednesday while he was in transit from Southern California when Exaggerator, the Derby runner-up and Preakness winner, was redirected from the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga to the Haskell by trainer Keith Desormeaux.

The Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby will again anchor the Oaklawn Park stakes program for 2017, but the track has made a handful of upgrades to its 31-race stakes schedule that’s worth a track-record $8.2 million. Oaklawn will open Jan. 13 for a meet that runs through April 15.

The Arkansas Derby, at 1 1/8 miles, highlights a closing-day card of four stakes. The local preps start Jan. 16 with the $150,000 Smarty Jones. The Grade 3, $500,000 Southwest follows on Feb. 20, and the Grade 2, $900,000 Rebel on March 18 again serves as the final stepping-stone to the Arkansas Derby.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – What trainer Keith Desormeaux was seeing in the flesh from his 3-year-old Exaggerator was not jibing with what he was seeing on the track.

So, the trainer called a major audible Wednesday, deciding to send his Preakness winner to Monmouth Park for Sunday’s Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Invitational rather than running in Saturday’s Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga or attempting to train up to the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers, also at Saratoga, on Aug. 27.

The stakes winner Above Fashion will be returning to the overnight ranks for the first time since September in Friday night’s fourth race at Evangeline Downs. She is part of a field of six fillies and mares set for an allowance over 5 1/2 furlongs.

Above Fashion was second in the $50,000 Cajun Miss Stakes in her last start April 8 at Evangeline. Blip ‘n Th Bye won the race, one start before finishing second in the Grade 2 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Todd Pletcher opted to sit out the Belmont Sprint Championship with Anchor Down after the Metropolitan Mile runner-up drew the rail. Now, Pletcher is faced with a similar dilemma after Anchor Down again pulled post 1 for Saturday’s Grade 1 Vanderbilt.

“I guess I’ll talk to the owners and let them make that decision again,” said Pletcher, who trains Anchor Down for Alto Racing LLC.

Anchor Down has been a beaten favorite against allowance company when breaking from the inside post twice over the past year.

Hit It Once More earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for his runaway victory last Saturday in the $164,000 New York Derby at Finger Lakes. The figure was by far a career best for Hit It Once More, a New York-bred son of Hard Spun whose previous top was an 87 earned two starts earlier while winning a statebred allowance race at Belmont Park.

Two course records were set over the firm Laurel Park turf last weekend.

Heiko went 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.47 over the Bowling Green layout in race 3 on Sunday, breaking the mark of 1:40.96 set by Relentless Ride on April 17. Heiko’s record came in a $7,500 starter race.

In Race 8, a first-level allowance, Coastal Sea was timed in 1:01.00 for 5 1/2 furlongs over the Bowling Green course, breaking the previous mark of 1:01.04 set by Whatsnottolike on Sept. 26, 2012.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The talented 3-year-old Stradivari underwent surgery Tuesday to repair the right front ankle he fractured during training here last week.

On Wednesday morning, trainer Todd Pletcher said doctors at the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital here “were pleased late yesterday afternoon after the surgery and after recovery.”

“So far, so good,” Pletcher said.