OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Throughout his four decades in racing – 30 years training horses – John DeStefano Jr. has lost countless horses through the claim box, most often without a second thought.

But there was something about Kid Cruz that made DeStefano, now the managing partner of Black Swan Stable, think twice. So, after losing Kid Cruz for $50,000 via claim Nov. 22 out of a race he won by six lengths, DeStefano made multiple attempts to buy the horse back.

OLDSMAR, Fla. – The words “overpowering” and “courageous” might best describe the performances of Testa Rossi and Cloud Scapes in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks and Grade 3 Hillsborough Stakes as those two distaffers took different routes to victory Saturday on the strong undercard for the Tampa Bay Derby.

In the case of Testa Rossi, it was simply a case of a world-class filly using a Grade 3 stakes as a coming-out party for 2014, as jockey Jose Lezcano took no chances with the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf runner-up.

Wise Dan, the reigning two-time Horse of the Year, had his third breeze on the comeback trail when going a half-mile Sunday morning in 48 seconds over the Polytrack surface at his home base at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

The work came one week after Wise Dan had his second breeze. Trainer Charlie LoPresti said he would have preferred to wait another day or two, but the Keeneland surface was to be closed several days this week, starting Monday, for regularly scheduled maintenance work.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Tapiture was out for a maintenance move Monday at Oaklawn Park, breezing a half-mile in 50.20 seconds in preparation for the Grade 2, $600,000 Rebel on Saturday.

Tapiture could go favored in the 1 1/16-mile race following his win in last month’s Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest at Oaklawn. He was a 4 1/2-length winner for Winchell Thoroughbreds and trainer Steve Asmussen and earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 98.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Ria Antonia, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies via disqualification at Santa Anita last November, worked a half-mile in 47 seconds Saturday.

Ria Antonia was recently transferred to trainer Bob Baffert, with the intent of giving her a start in the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks over 1 1/16 miles on April 5.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Sahara Sky, the winner of Saturday’s $200,000 San Carlos Stakes, will follow a familiar path to the $1,250,000 Metropolitan Mile Handicap at Belmont Park on June 7, a race he won in 2013.

Sahara Sky is a candidate for the $500,000 Carter Handicap over seven furlongs at Aqueduct on April 5 as a prep for the Met Mile, according to Dan Ward, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer’s assistant. In 2013, Sahara Sky was second in the Carter Handicap.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The turf miler Winning Prize is proving dangerous in a variety of racing scenarios.

The 5-year-old Winning Prize stalked the pace in the Grade 2 Arcadia Stakes over a mile on turf Feb. 1 and won by 1 1/2 lengths. In Saturday’s $350,000 Frank Kilroe Mile, Winning Prize led throughout and won by a half-length over the Florida invader Lochte.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer Bob Baffert’s admiration for Game On Dude reached a new level after the $750,750 Santa Anita Handicap on Saturday.

The race was almost two hours old when Baffert was told that Game On Dude’s winning time of 1:58.17 for 1 1/4 miles was a stakes record in the 77th running of the historic race.

“I’m still in awe of Dude,” Baffert said.

CYPRESS, Calif. – Despite having a runner at Los Alamitos on Saturday night and losing an hour of sleep because of daylight saving time, trainer Art Sherman was at work before anyone at his Los Alamitos barn Sunday morning, still excited over the victory by his colt California Chrome on Saturday at Santa Anita in the San Felipe Stakes.

“I came here early and checked his legs. They were nice and cold,” Sherman said while watching his trainees at Los Alamitos. “He ate everything up. He’s alert. He wants to bite you.”

Pioneering Native won the $70,000 B-Connected Stakes by a nose over One King's Man on Saturday night at Delta Downs to give his owner and trainer team, Maggi Moss and Tom Amoss, a one-two finish.

The pair raced as separate interests. Pioneering Native ($6) was ridden by Tracy Hebert in the race that was restricted to Louisiana-breds who have never won a stakes.

Pioneering Native covered the mile on a good track in 1:38.91. The horse has won 9 of 37 starts and $270,060.