CYPRESS, Calif. – Songbird, the undefeated champion 2-year-old filly of 2015, has made progress recovering from an illness that will keep her from starting in the $1 million Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on May 6 and could resume racetrack training in the coming days.

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said on Wednesday that Songbird is “doing very well.”

“I would expect that she could return to the track soon,” he said. “She’s at the front of the stall looking for something to do.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tepin is a late nominee to the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic but is still more likely to stay within the filly-and-mare division when appearing on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs, trainer Mark Casse said Wednesday.

“Running on Derby Day has always been the plan,” said Casse. “We just wanted another option in case we need one, that’s all.”

At age 5, and almost 30 starts into his career, Sonny Inspired is peaking for trainer Phil Schoenthal. Still, it was a bit surprising when Schoenthal said in the winner's circle following the Ben's Cat Stakes at Laurel Park that Sonny Inspired would be pointed to the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic.

Sonny Inspired has made his mark as a closing sprinter and hasn't tried a distance beyond seven furlongs since June 2014. The Classic is 1 1/8 miles and requires navigating three turns over the six-furlong Charles Town track.

Russell Road will begin his 10-year-old season in the $50,000 Confucius Say Stakes for West Virginia-breds on Saturday on the Charles Town Classic undercard.

Russell Road will be making his first start since finishing ninth at 5-2 in the $450,000 West Virginia Breeders’ Classic in October. He bled in that race, according to trainer James M. Casey, and then was given the winter off at the Casey family’s Taylor Mountain Farm.

“We’re going to try him here and see how he does,” Casey said.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Mrs McDougal, who came off the bench to win the Plenty of Grace Stakes on Saturday, could make her next start in the Grade 1, $700,000 Just a Game Stakes on the June 11 Belmont Stakes undercard, trainer Chad Brown said.

Both the Plenty of Grace and the Just a Game are at a mile. Mrs McDougal is 2 for 2 at a mile and earned a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure for her one-length win over Strike Charmer in the Plenty of Grace.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Salutos Amigos, the winner of the Grade 1 Carter Handicap, is being pointed to the Grade 3, $150,000 Westchester Stakes going a one-turn mile on May 7 at Belmont Park, trainer and part-owner David Jacobson said.

The Westchester is the local prep for the Grade 1, $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap on the June 11 Belmont Stakes card. Jacobson said that running Salutos Amigos in the Westchester will give him the chance to evaluate how the horse handles the one-mile distance.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Like virtually every other trainer with a horse pointing to the Kentucky Oaks, Chad Brown figured to be running for second money with Gazelle Stakes winner Lewis Bay. But the stunning news Sunday night that Songbird would miss the Oaks due to a temperature changed the thought process completely.

With the defection of Songbird, Lewis Bay becomes one of many who figure squarely in the mix in a probable full field for the May 6 Kentucky Oaks.

The handle at Fair Grounds increased marginally compared with last season during its 80-day meet that ended March 28, according to figures released Monday by the Louisiana Racing Commission.

Fair Grounds, which canceled one card because of bad weather during a scheduled 81-day meet, handled $211,988,076 from all sources, a gross-handle increase of 0.4 percent over the $211,077,057 the track handled during 81 days (including one partial card) during its 2014-15 meet. Average daily all-sources handle was up 1.6 percent from $2,605,025 to $2,649,850.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Seymourdini, who came off a lengthy layoff to win a first-level allowance race here Friday, could make his next start in the Grade 2, $500,000 Woody Stephens, a seven-furlong race on the June 11 Belmont Stakes undercard, trainer Linda Rice said.

Seymourdini ran some fast early fractions in his one-mile allowance win but had enough left to hold off Voluntario to win by a head. Seymourdini, in his first start since Nov. 22, put up fractions of 22.84 seconds, 45.70, and 1:09.63 and ran a mile in 1:35.62. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 86.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – If he doesn’t get into the Kentucky Derby, Adventist likely will make his next start in the Grade 2, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park on May 14, trainer Leah Gyarmati said Sunday.

The results of Saturday’s Arkansas Derby – won by Creator – dropped Adventist from 20th to 23rd on the points list established by Churchill Downs to determine the field for the Derby in the likely event that the race draws more than the maximum of 20 starters.