Whelen Springs, who won last year’s Grade 3 Philip Iselin at Monmouth Park, will be honored as the 2023 Arkansas-bred of the Year during a Friday night banquet at the Oaklawn Event Center, said Deana Echols, executive secretary of the Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Horsemen’s Association.

Track Mate will get a chance at Grade 1 company after winning back-to-back allowances in his last two starts at Oaklawn. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Monday that Track Mate is being pointed for the Grade 1, $1 million Churchill Downs at seven furlongs May 4.

Track Mate popped a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 100 for a two-other-than allowance win at six furlongs April 5. The Calumet Farm homebred is a son of Union Rags and from the female family of War Front.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainer Todd Fincher was on the road again Monday, hauling Perfect Dude from New Mexico to Oaklawn Park for Saturday’s Grade 3, $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap.

The trip comes on top of back-to-back flights to the Middle East, where Fincher saddled Senor Buscador to win the $20 million Saudi Cup in February and run third in the $12 million Dubai World Cup in March.

And next month, Fincher will be bringing a division of horses to Southern California, basing at San Luis Rey Downs Training Center.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – As part of an eight-win day at four tracks Saturday, Chad Brown won two stakes at Aqueduct with Shidabhuti upsetting the Grade 3, $169,750 Distaff Stakes and Reasoned Analysis doing the same in the $175,000 Bay Shore Stakes.

Shidabhuti, who hadn’t run since finishing eighth in the Monmouth Oaks on July 29, was entered in an allowance race that didn’t fill, so Brown wound up supplementing her to the Distaff.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – If all goes to plan, the second half of White Abarrio’s 5-year-old campaign will look exactly likely that of his 4-year-old season.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – All-sources handle on Saturday’s 11-race Wood Memorial program was $15,318,421, down 23.3 percent from last year’s figure of $19,984,716.

Those figures include handle in both years on multi-race wagers linking races from other tracks. When wagering only on Aqueduct’s card is considered, handle was down 25 percent.

There were 11 races with 90 betting interests on Saturday’s card, the exact same as a year ago. However, last year, there were four turf races run whereas Saturday there were none.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Ralph Todd, who owned the multiple Grade 1 winner The Tin Man as well as the California stakes winners Mama Simba and Oraibi, died in March, his daughter Stacey Nance said Sunday.

A memorial service was held recently in Santa Ynez, Calif. Todd was 90.

Todd, who owned a pipe and supply company based in Buellton, Calif., owned and bred Thoroughbreds for more than 40 years. He also owned a stone import business.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita concluded the winter-spring portion of its marathon meeting on Sunday, and will start its spring season on April 19.

The spring season runs through June 16 and includes two Grade 1 races on turf May 27 worth $300,000 – the Shoemaker Mile and the Gamely Stakes at 1 1/8 miles for fillies and mares – as well as the Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup, a $200,000 race on dirt at 1 1/4 miles.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks on Saturday did not produce any expected starters for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 3.

Race winner Nothing Like You, who paid $16.40, and runner-up Kinza, the 1-2 favorite, are trained by Bob Baffert, who is currently banned from having runners at Churchill Downs by that track’s management.

Corposo, who finished third by eight lengths in her stakes debut, earned 25 qualifying points, and ranks 26th on the list of eligible fillies for the Kentucky Oaks. Only 14 will start in the Kentucky Oaks.