ARCADIA, Calif. – American Pharoah and Beholder, the top two ante-post choices for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31, both worked just minutes apart Friday morning at Santa Anita, causing Richard Mandella, Beholder’s trainer, to remark, “We should have just worked them in company.”

ELMONT, N.Y. – El Kabeir, unraced since running third in the Wood Memorial in April, had his most serious workout since resuming training when he worked five furlongs in 59.60 seconds over the Belmont main track Thursday.

El Kabeir started about eight lengths behind stablemate Picture Day and joined him by the wire before galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.60.

It was the fourth workout for El Kabeir since a foot injury knocked him out of the Kentucky Derby and prompted his connections to give him a lengthy vacation.

ELMONT, N.Y. – It’s not often you see a horse whose past performances include running lines from Hollywood Park before it became known as Betfair Hollywood Park and then closed.

Blingo, a lightly raced 6-year-old gelding who debuted four years ago at Hollywood Park, makes a return to the races off an 18-month layoff in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Knickerbocker Stakes at Belmont Park.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Cavorting can be pretty aggressive in her morning gallops, which is why trainer Kiaran McLaughlin doesn’t mind going a long time without working the multiple graded stakes-winning 3-year-old filly.

On Thursday, however, Cavorting got back to work in preparation for a start as the probable favorite in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, breezing four furlongs in 49.01 seconds over the Belmont Park training track.

It was Cavorting’s first breeze since she won the Grade 2 Prioress Stakes by three lengths Sept. 6 at Saratoga.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The California Horse Racing Board has granted jockey Kent Desormeaux a stay of his $2,500 fine for being under the influence of alcohol while riding at Del Mar in late July.

Wednesday’s one-sentence decision from Chuck Winner, chairman of the racing board, was signed by executive director Rick Baedeker and allows Desormeaux to appeal the penalty, which was issued last Sunday by Santa Anita stewards Scott Chaney, Kim Sawyer, and Tom Ward.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The 2-year-old filly Mirage won her debut at Brighton Racecourse in England in a $7,600 maiden race at six furlongs in early June. She made quite an impression with that three-quarter-length victory.

Less than two weeks later, Mirage was purchased for approximately $592,000 at the Goffs London sale at Kensington Palace in London.

Nearly four months later, Mirage is ready for her stakes debut Saturday in the $100,000 Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita. Expectations are understandably high for owner Fitri Hay and trainer Simon Callaghan.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Gimme Da Lute, a winner of four consecutive stakes from early June to late August, worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 on Thursday at Santa Anita.

Trainer Bob Baffert said he does not have a race goal for Gimme Da Lute, who races for Jim Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman. Gimme Da Lute has won 6 of 9 starts and earned $627,560.

“There are a lot of options,” Baffert said.

MIAMI – Opening day of the 2015 Gulfstream Park West meet was deemed a big success by track management, with all-sources handle up 87 percent over the inaugural meeting held under Gulfstream Park auspices at the track formerly known as Calder Race Course last year. Total handle on Wednesday’s 10-race card was $2.4 million.

MIAMI – With little separation between at least a half-dozen members of the field, at least from a Beyer Speed Figure standpoint, bettors may want to look for value rather than choosing the obvious favorites in Saturday’s $50,000 turf-allowance feature at Gulfstream Park West.

Perfect Step, who put a punctuation mark on her current four-race win streak by taking an overnight stakes in her most recent start, and the versatile Katie’s Kiss likely will vie for favoritism in the five-furlong dash for fillies and mares.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – For a race as prestigious as the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, its next-race impact on the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf has been negligible. Often, a filly or two per year has ventured on to the Breeders’ Cup, but the group has done little once there.

One Queen Elizabeth II winner, Perfect Sting, won the 2000 BC Filly and Mare Turf the year after she won the 1999 QE II, but her performance in the Breeders’ Cup during the year of her QE II triumph resulted in a sixth-place finish.