No Surrender, a striking 3-year-old maiden winner of the third race here March 28, has been purchased by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and will be sent later this week to trainer Todd Pletcher’s string at Churchill Downs.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - After The Admiral won a first-level allowance race at 1 1/16 miles, trainer Bob Baffert had the option of trying to stretch his 3-year-old out farther in distance in an attempt to jump onto the Triple Crown trail.

But Baffert wasn’t overly impressed with The Admiral’s effort in that March 15 race and instead will shorten the son of Giant’s Causeway in distance by running him seven furlongs in Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Bay Shore Stakes.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Sweet Reason will attempt to earn her way to the Kentucky Oaks when she takes on five rivals in Saturday’s $300,000 Gazelle Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Sweet Reason, who came off a lengthy layoff to narrowly win a one-mile allowance race March 7, will attempt 1 1/8 miles for the first time in the Gazelle.

“I don’t see why she can’t go any distance with her demeanor,” trainer Leah Gyarmati said. “She’ll sit and sit, and she has a good turn of foot.”

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The Southern California-based apprentice Drayden Van Dyke traveled to his hometown of Hot Springs, Ark., last month and came within a length of winning his first graded stakes race when he guided Please Explain to a third-place finish in the Honeybee at Oaklawn. He returns to the track Saturday to again team with the filly in the Grade 3, $400,000 Fantasy.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After winning two sprints here this winter, Strapping Groom will now brace for some tougher company when he meets the likes of Sahara Sky and Central Banker in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct.

Strapping Groom, the winner of last year’s Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga, won the Gravesend by 6 1/2 lengths on Dec. 21 and, after some time off to deal with foot issues, won the Grade 3 Tom Fool, running down Dads Caps inside the final furlong. Dads Caps is among the horses entered in the Carter.

STICKNEY, Ill. – You could say trainer Terrel Gore has gotten hot during the winter-spring meet at Hawthorne, but that would be saying far too little.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainer Mark Casse is pointing Conquest Titan and Thundergram to the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, and the horses give him a two-pronged approach to the April 12 race. Thundergram has done his best work on the front end, while Conquest Titan is a deep closer.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – By sunset Saturday, Social Inclusion could be the favorite for the Kentucky Derby or he could be a fading memory.

A late-comer to the scene, Social Inclusion has impressed with two eye-catching victories in a 19-day span at Gulfstream Park, including a 10-length victory over the Grade 2 winner Honor Code in a race in which he set a track record of 1:40.97 for 1 1/16 miles.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

Lost in all the hoopla surrounding Florida Derby weekend were the performances of Viva Majorca and Little Daddy, a pair of 3-year-olds with great potential but who were too late to arrive on the scene for the Kentucky Derby picture.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Action Andy shipped down from his winter home at Tampa Bay Downs to dominate a good field of high-priced optional-claiming competition here three weeks ago. He’ll make the four-hour trip back to Gulfstream Park to face a similarly conditioned but seemingly tougher lineup that includes the Grade 3-placed Valid and multiple stakes winner Managed Account in Friday’s $54,500 allowance headliner at seven furlongs.