OLDSMAR, Fla. – Tim Padilla has spent winters at places like Oaklawn Park and Hawthorne Race Course, where a trainer is often forced to walk and shed-row his stock when winter storms and frigid weather keep tracks closed for training.

So, when Padilla, a native of Phoenix with 23 years of experience as a trainer, shipped into Oldsmar, it took only a few days of blue skies and balmy temperatures to convince him that his decision to race at Tampa Bay Downs this winter was a wise one, at least from a climate standpoint.

Dortmund, considered one of the top 3-year-old prospects of the winter, worked a half-mile in 48.60 seconds at Santa Anita on Sunday, his first workout since winning the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 20.

Owned by Kaleem Shah and trained by Bob Baffert, Dortmund is unbeaten in three starts, including a maiden race for sprinters at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, and an allowance race at Churchill Downs on Nov. 29.

Hoppertunity, winner of the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs on Nov. 28, worked six furlongs in 1:12.60 on Sunday in advance of Saturday’s $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes over 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita.

Trained by Bob Baffert for Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, Hoppertunity won for the first time in the Clark since the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park last March. He was sidelined after a second to California Chrome in the Santa Anita Derby last April, returning to racing in October.

Saturday's victory in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita is likely to lead to further turf stakes in coming months for Finnegans Wake, beginning with the $200,000 San Marcos Stakes over 1 1/4 miles on turf on Feb. 7. A trip to Dubai for a $5 million turf race in March is doubtful, Miller said.

“We mentioned a race in Dubai but we’ve got a nice series of races here,” Miller said. “You know he likes the course and we don’t have to ship.

“We might consider, down the road, trying him on dirt.”

ARCADIA, Calif . -  A sore foot followed a month later by an illness kept Calculator from starts in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 1 and the Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 20.

Judging from a six-furlong workout in 1:11.60 at Santa Anita on Sunday, nothing will stop Calculator from playing a leading role in the $100,000 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday.

El Kabeir came out of his dominant victory in Saturday’s Grade 3 Jerome Stakes in good order and if all remains well he could make his next start in the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct on Feb. 7, trainer John Terranova said Sunday.

“When they’re doing well you run them,” Terranova said. “We’ll see. He really looks good this morning. We’ll take it day by day, week by week. I would be fine with [the Withers]. If not, we got the Gotham after that.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – The $100,000 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds Jan. 10 will be the first stakes for the division in Southern California in 2015, a chance for several up-and-coming colts and geldings to show they belong in the important stakes leading to the Triple Crown.

One hour and 35 miles apart, Bayern and California Chrome, the two leading contenders for the 2014 Horse of the Year honor, recorded flashy workouts Saturday in advance of an expected showdown in the $500,000 San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 7.

California Chrome, who won the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on Nov. 29 in his last start, worked six furlongs in 1:12.60 at Los Alamitos. Bayern, who won the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, a race in which California Chrome was third, worked five furlongs at Santa Anita in 1:00.40.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Wicked Strong arrived at the Palm Meadows training center recently to prepare for his 4-year-old campaign.

Wicked Strong won the Grade 1 Wood Memorial and Grade 2 Jim Dandy and was beaten a nose by stablemate V. E. Day in the Grade 1 Travers at 3. He also finished fourth last spring in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Lea, who has not started since his upset victory over Will Take Charge in the 2014 Donn Handicap, will launch his comeback here next Saturday going a mile in the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope.

Lea, a son of First Samurai, got sick about a month after the Donn and never recovered sufficiently to race again last season, explained trainer Bill Mott.