HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainers Marcus Vitali and Larry Rivelli found themselves in similar situations after entries were drawn for Saturday’s program, both having cross-entered their best 3-year-olds in the Grade 2 Holy Bull and Grade 3 Hutcheson. The Holy Bull is at 1 1/16 miles, and the Hutcheson is at seven furlongs.

Vitali entered Bluegrass Singer, who is fresh off a victory in the one-mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes here Jan. 3. Rivelli entered Dom the Bomb, who closed out his 2-year-old campaign with two one-sided tallies against Illinois-bred competition.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Nick Zito has run 25 horses in the Kentucky Derby since he had his first Derby starter 25 years ago. That’s an average of precisely one per year, and if Zito has his way, he’ll maintain that nice round number through this year.

Frammento, one of 10 3-year-olds entered in the Holy Bull Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, is the colt on whom Zito is pinning his 2015 Derby hopes, emerging prospects notwithstanding.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Jon Court has the mount on Take Charge Brandi in the $100,000 Martha Washington at Oaklawn on Jan. 31, trainer D. Wayn Lukas said Tuesday. The one-mile race will be the 3-year-old debut for Take Charge Brandi, who last Saturday was named champion 2-year-old filly of 2014. She became the 26th champion trained by Lukas, closing out her year with wins in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, the Delta Downs Princess, and the Starlet at Los Alamitos.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Read the Mirage won Monday’s seventh race at Aqueduct just eight days after he won a $12,500 maiden-claiming race, also at Aqueduct.

Beginning Thursday, what Read the Mirage did won’t be permitted. At least for a while.

In response to 13 equine fatalities in the first 25 full cards (and two races of another program) over Aqueduct’s inner track, the New York Racing Association last Friday announced four new protocols it hopes will enhance safety. One of those protocols prohibits trainers from running a horse back within 14 days of its previous start.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Far Right’s win in the first 3-year-old prep on Oaklawn’s road to the Kentucky Derby delighted his trainer, Ron Moquett. Not only is he excited to have a promising horse in the barn, but the win in the $150,000 Smarty Jones on Monday came in Moquett’s home state of Arkansas.

“I’m the chief cheer-master of Oaklawn,” said Moquett, a 43-year-old native of Fort Smith. “I appreciate how many fans come out here, and I appreciate how many are educated, true horse lovers.”

Nothing appears to be amiss with Top Decile, who finished sixth as the even-money favorite in the Silverbulletday Stakes, or with West Coast Belle, who was fourth at odds of 2-1 in that race.

Top Decile, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up, broke from post 9 and was carried very wide on the first turn, but that trouble alone couldn’t totally explain her flat performance.

International Star was back at trainer Mike Maker’s barn in Florida looking no worse for the wear after successfully shipping to New Orleans, where he won the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte by 2 1/2 lengths Saturday at Fair Grounds.

International Star did all his major work for the Lecomte at Palm Meadows and Gulfstream Park before flying to Louisiana on Wednesday, galloping two days, winning the stakes Saturday, and flying back to Florida the next morning.

It was one of those weekends for trainer Larry Jones. In the first race Sunday, for maiden claimers, his starters ran one-two, and later on that card, 4-year-old The Sandman won his two-turn debut over first-level allowance foes by 7 3/4 lengths.

Saturday had been even better. Jones sent out Hard Aces to win his first stakes in the $75,000 Louisiana Handicap, and a couple races later, his trainee I’m a Chatterbox impressively won the listed Silverbulletday Stakes.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Monday was a memorable afternoon at Gulfstream Park for trainer Jane Cibelli – and especially her loyal backers. Cibelli sent out Dude About Town to win the sixth race at a $51.20 mutuel, then came right back to take the eighth with Nic N Jr ($47.60).

“It was a good day,” said Cibelli, a native of England who has won 610 races in an American training career that began in 1987. “The most I’ve ever won in a day is three.”

A $1 pick three that bookended the two Cibelli winners (with a 5-1 shot in the middle) returned $5,793.

ARCADIA, Calif. – San Onofre zoomed through the early months of the 2013-14 Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, winning three times in less than 60 days. It seemed to be the start of an exciting 4-year-old campaign for the gelding until he was sidelined with injury.