HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Gentlemen’s Bet had his first published work in seven weeks Monday at Oaklawn Park, beginning his wind-up for a 5-year-old campaign that could start next month in the Grade 3, $300,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap. The six-furlong race at Oaklawn on April 10 would be the horse’s first since he ran a bold third last November in the $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

“Right now, I’d he say he’s more of a prospect for the Count Fleet than he is to miss it,” said Ron Moquett, who trains Gentlemen’s Bet for Harry Rosenblum.

New Golden Gate Fields racing secretary Patrick Mackey begins working at the track Thursday. The 36-year-old Mackey was hired to replace David Jerkens, who recently accepted the position of racing secretary at Del Mar.

Mackey has worked in the racing offices at several tracks, including most recently the New York Racing Association. He will work with Jerkens for six weeks before Jerkens assumes his new position.

Race 1

Trainer Tom Amoss is making no secret of the tactics Rise Up will employ when he starts Saturday in the Louisiana Derby. Rise Up is going to the front and taking the Louisiana Derby field as far as he can.

“My instructions are going to be, ‘Damn the torpedoes,’ ” Amoss said Monday morning.

Two potential New Orleans Handicap starters are being pointed to other races, their trainers said Monday. Mylute, who hasn’t raced since the Jim Dandy Stakes last summer, will run in an allowance race on Thursday at Fair Grounds. Revolutionary, seventh in the Donn Handicap, will make his next start in the Oaklawn Handicap, trainer Todd Pletcher said in a text message.

The New Orleans Handicap still will have a good field, headed by Palace Malice, Normandy Invasion, and Mineshaft Handicap winner Bradester.

Five allowance races

Trainer Mike Stidham sent Ground Transport out on the road this past weekend to get the 4-year-old Big Brown colt an elusive first stakes victory.

Ground Transport shipped to Laurel, set a soft pace, and comfortably won the $100,000 Johnson Memorial on Saturday over Mr Palmer, his fourth victory but first outside the maiden or allowance ranks. Ground Transport had finished second in the Tenacious Handicap to Prayer for Relief and fourth in the Mineshaft Handicap earlier in the Fair Grounds meet.

Apprentice Michael Ritvo, the son of Gulfstream Park president and general manager Tim Ritvo and trainer Kathy Ritvo, won for the first time in his riding career with just his second mount when guiding Little Daniella to a front-running victory in Sunday’s second race.

“This was 10 times better than I thought; there’s no other experience like it,” said Ritvo, 19, who has been working and galloping horses at Gulfstream for the past two months.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – At 84, Allen Jerkens moves a little slower and has considerably fewer horses in his barn than he had when he last won the race now known as the Gulfstream Park Oaks with Teammate in 2006. But “The Chief” still knows what to do when he gets his hands on a good horse, one like House Rules, who could have Jerkens back in the winner’s circle after the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks on Saturday.

OLDSMAR, Fla. – A bone chip dashed any chance Tulira Castle had of competing in last year’s Triple Crown races, but now the 4-year-old is starting to make it look like trainer Jim DiVito knew what he had when he tried the War Pass colt against top company last winter in the Grade 3 Holy Bull and Swale stakes.

Tulira Castle blew by the leaders while leaving the second turn of Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile, $58,800 Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs and scored by 2 3/4 lengths in a decent field to improve to 2 for 2 this year.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Talk about attrition. Since Churchill Downs offered its earliest-ever Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool in late November, only two horses have been listed in all four pools toward the 2014 Derby – Cairo Prince and Strong Mandate.