Trainer Steve Sherman had a pair of winners last week – one with a former claimer and the other with a current claimer.

Justalittleloopy, who has five victories and has hit the board in all 10 career starts, scored a nice win in a $62,500 optional claimer on Friday, while Elizabeth A scored her third straight win and fifth in her past six starts on Saturday.
Justalittleloopy began her career in a bottom-level $8,000 maiden claimer.

“She’s definitely an overachiever,” said Sherman. “She tries her butt off every single time.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – If every week was like the last one, life would be very easy indeed for Ron Moquett. Moquett won four races last week, including a pair of high-end allowances at Churchill.

“I love when a plan comes together,” said Moquett, 41.

Livi Makenzie won a third-level allowance Thursday, Gentlemen’s Bet won a third-level allowance Friday, and Graceful Rage won a maiden special weight race Sunday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 16-year-old Hidden Assets has been an outstanding asset in the Klein family broodmare band as the producer of stakes winners Due Date, Country Day, and Good Deed. Her youngest foal to race, a 3-year-old filly named Crazy Lucky, has yet to reach those heights, but all she might need is a little more time.

Steve Margolis, the primary trainer for the Louisville banking family of Bert, Elaine, and Richard Klein, said he believes Crazy Lucky is progressing steadily and rates a decent chance to join her siblings someday.

MIAMI – After finishing third, just a nose shy of second, in the 2012 Smile Sprint Handicap with Close It Out, trainer Steve Towne is looking forward to getting his star sprinter back to the Grade 2 fixture on Summit of Speed Day here this summer.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia- Herbie D, the champion sprinter in British Columbia last year, made a successful return to the races with a sharp win in the $50,000 John Longden 6000 at Hastings Monday.

Herbie D paid $5.10 as the favorite in the six and one-half furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, which drew five horses.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The favored Paso Doble delivered a strong performance in the $125,000 New Providence Stakes for the third straight year Monday at Woodbine, winning the six-furlong dash for Ontario-sired stock by 1 1/4 lengths.

Paso Doble stalked an honest pace along the inside and then mowed down the front-running Royal Egbert early in the stretch before drawing clear and finishing in 1:09.81. Sorry About That rallied wide to finish second over another longshot, Executive Five.

ELMONT, N.Y. – When Bill Mott scratched Flashy Gray from the Kentucky Oaks, the Hall of Fame trainer hoped he could have the filly ready to run in the Grade 1 Acorn on May 27. But on Monday, Mott said the foot bruise sustained by Flashy Gray has developed into a quarter crack, and she won’t make the race.

Mott said Close Hatches, the Grade 2 Gazelle winner who finished seventh in the Kentucky Oaks, is possible for the Acorn. She worked a pedestrian half-mile in 54.54 seconds Sunday over a “good” Belmont main track that had orange cones up to protect the inside.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Verrazano, who suffered his first loss when 14th in the Kentucky Derby, will make his next start in the Grade 3, $150,000 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 16, trainer Todd Pletcher said.

The Pegasus, at 1 1/16 miles, will serve as a prep for the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth on July 28.

“It’s six weeks before the Haskell – I like that spacing,” Pletcher said. “It’s seven weeks out from the Derby, which gives him enough of a freshening.”

ELMONT, N.Y. – One horse trainer Todd Pletcher is not considering for the Belmont Stakes is Dreaming of Julia, who instead will run in the Grade 1, $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Belmont on June 22.

Dreaming of Julia finished fourth with a brutal trip in the Kentucky Oaks on May 3.

Though Pletcher won the 2007 Belmont with the filly Rags to Riches and is likely to run Unlimited Budget in the Belmont this year, he said Dreaming of Julia is a lightly built filly and would be better served by skipping the Belmont.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Jockey Mike Luzzi was scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday to repair a torn left shoulder and likely will be out four months.

Luzzi was to be operated on by Dr. Richard Alfred, an orthopedic surgeon based in Albany, N.Y. Alfred operated on Luzzi when he broke his leg at Saratoga in July 2004.

Luzzi said he banged his shoulder on the starting gate aboard Lady On the Run, who ran third in the No Reason Stakes at Belmont on May 10. Though he rode five races May 11 – including piloting Incognito in the Peter Pan Stakes – Luzzi has not ridden since.