OLDSMAR, Fla. - Spectacular Sky took the lead shortly after the start, raced several of her early pursurers into defeat, then had enough left to turn back a late challenge from Cheechako for a popular neck victory in the $50,000 Manatee Stakes.

With Daniel Centeno contributing a well-judged ride aboard the Marty Wolfson trainee, Spectacular Sky won her sixth race from 18 career starts. The Manatee was the first start of 2013 for the 5-year-old mare and her first outing for since she finished sixth in the Grade 2 Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs last November.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Fort Loudon survived a race-long pace battle to emerge a game half-length winner over Swagger Jack in Saturday’s $150,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Point of Entry and Animal Kingdom put on the show everybody had been waiting for in Saturday’s $300,000 Kitten’s Joy Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap.

With jockey John Velazquez riding a patient and tactically perfect race, Point of Entry hooked up with Animal Kingdom on the final turn then gradually edged clear of the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner in late stretch, ultimately posting a 1 1/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Turf. Unbridled Command rallied mildly to finish third.

Dynamic Strike emerged from a pack of six horses spread across the track with a furlong remaining to record his third straight victory in Saturday’s $75,000 Miracle Wood Stakes for 3-year-olds at Laurel Park.

Trainer Tim Glyshaw’s starter-allowance run began a half-decade ago with Ready’s Rocket, a win machine sent out to pasture last year to an Old Friends equine retirement facility. Grand Traverse, another starter-allowance tiger, soon followed, and more recently, Glyshaw won a Claiming Crown race – the zenith for starter-allowance horses – with Tiban.

Mizdirection, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint against males in November, will start around two turns for the first time in 18 months in the $150,000, one-mile Buena Vista Stakes for fillies and mares on turf next Monday at Sant Anita.

The assignment will be slightly easier than expected.

Friday, trainer Simon Callaghan said that Rhythm of Light, who won the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes in November, will miss the Grade 2 Buena Vista because of concern over the condition of one of her ankles.

Based on her two most recent workouts, Disco Barbie has discovered some early zip, thanks to the addition of blinkers. After racing far back early as the beaten favorite in two stakes to close out her 2-year-old campaign, Disco Barbie figures to be more prominent early when she launches her 3-year-old season in Monday’s $47,000 sprint feature at Parx Racing.

The first-level allowance, which will be contested at six furlongs, drew a field of six 3-year-old fillies, including Kelwynne, whose lone defeat in three career starts came when she was second in a stakes last fall.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Mudflats had two widely diverse races in consecutive starts at Aqueduct this winter.

An emphatic win in a maiden race over seven furlongs in December was followed by a confusingly poor seventh in the Grade 2 Jerome Stakes over a mile and 70 yards on Jan. 5. The loss has dented plans of running Mudflats around two turns in a major stakes for 3-year-olds in coming weeks, an opinion that could be reversed if the gelding runs well in the $150,000 San Vicente Stakes over seven furlongs at Santa Anita next Sunday.

Charlie Lopresti can hardly wait to get started on another year of racing.

Lopresti, who guided Wise Dan to the 2012 Horse of the Year title and two other Eclipse Awards, is excited about the prospects that 2013 holds not only for Wise Dan, but also for Successful Dan and Turallure, whose campaigns last year were compromised by injury.

“They’re all doing awesome,” Lopresti said Friday.

AUBURN, Wash. – Emerald Downs announced dates for its 2013 meeting on Friday. Among the changes: The elimination of Thursday cards, a later post time for Friday twilight racing, and an overall reduction of six racing dates from a year ago. At 75 days, it will be the shortest meeting at Emerald Downs since the suburban Seattle track opened in 1996.