Sunland Park in New Mexico is scheduled to resume racing after a month’s absence Friday, but the status of its premier races, the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Park Derby and $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks, are pending. Both are “tentatively scheduled to run” March 20, according to a press release issued Tuesday night by Sunland. The track has not raced since Jan. 22 due to an outbreak of equine herpesvirus in which more than 72 horses were confirmed positive in New Mexico, most of them stabled at Sunland.

Trainer Larry Jones is open to the possibility of launching I’m a Chatterbox’s 4-year-old campaign in a new $50,000 overnight stakes, the Esplanade, on March 18 at Fair Grounds.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Cathryn Sophia will go postward the heavy favorite in Saturday’s Grade 2 Davona Dale, and she’ll do so with a new rider, Javier Castellano.

Joel Rosario rode Cathryn Sophia to her easy victory in the Grade 2 Forward Gal here last month and was scheduled to have the mount again in the one-mile Davona Dale. But trainer John Servis had to reach out for Castellano after Rosario suffered a broken right wrist as a result of a nasty spill in Saturday’s Melody of Colors Stakes.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Conquest Windycity is a 3-year-old who wants 1 1/4 miles, according to trainer Mark Casse, and he will soon get a shot at one of the Kentucky Derby preps. Conquest Windycity has put himself under consideration for the Grade 2, $900,000 Rebel at his Oaklawn Park base by winning his first start of the year last Friday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Dortmund, one of the top 3-year-olds of 2015, continues to struggle with foot issues that will postpone his 4-year-old debut.

Wednesday, trainer Bob Baffert said he is planning to give Dortmund a one-month rest, which would preclude the colt from starting until late spring or early summer.

“I’ll let his feet grow out,” Baffert said. “I was going to work him, but I’m not seeing what I want to see.”

Only a handful of challengers were entered on Wednesday to face Mohaymen on Saturday in the Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and the field could be even smaller by race day, because trainer Stanley Gold was contemplating whether to run both Awesome Banner and Fellowship, or merely go with Fellowship and re-route Awesome Banner to the Tampa Bay Derby on March 12.

ARCADIA, Calif. – McHeat, who is scheduled to start in Saturday’s $100,000 Sensational Star Stakes for California-breds, has been the star of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting for trainer Barry Abrams.

From 21 starts, Abrams has won two races, both by McHeat in early January. McHeat won an optional claimer against Cal-breds at a mile on turf at 11-1 on Jan. 1, and an optional claimer against open company at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course at 17-1 on Jan. 14.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita has posted a gain in ontrack attendance, but declines in ontrack and all-sources handle with more than half of its winter-spring meeting completed.

Through Sunday, the 35th day of the 63-day meeting, ontrack attendance has risen 9 percent compared with the corresponding period of the 2014-15 meeting, according to vice president of marketing Nate Newby. Ontrack handle has declined 4 percent, while all-sources handle, including simulcast and account-wagering sources, is down 2 percent.

The meeting began on Dec. 26 and continues through April 10.

Considering that the main track at Parx Racing had been closed for seven weeks to install a new safety rail and that no horses could train, director of racing Sam Elliott was understandably concerned that the entry box Monday afternoon might be closer to empty than full.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Most of the buzz here Sunday centered around the performance of Unified, a 3-year-old son of Candy Ride who launched his career with an eye-catching three-length victory and earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure after completing six furlongs in 1:08.95. Unified is trained by Jimmy Jerkens for Centennial Farm.