ARCADIA, Calif. – Fed Biz has made quite an impression on Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith since Christmas.

On Dec. 26, Fed Biz threw a tantrum in the starting gate before the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes and finished sixth. He left Smith with a sizeable bruise on his calf.

Things went more smoothly in the Grade 2 San Fernando Stakes on Jan. 12, a race Fed Biz won by a head over Tritap. The win has left Fed Biz as the favorite for the $200,000 Strub Stakes for 4-year-olds at Santa Anita on Saturday, and Smith confident that the colt can win the third stakes of his career.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Before trainer Todd Pletcher officially welcomes Revolutionary to his deep bench of Kentucky Derby candidates, he wants to see the colt put forth another performance similar to his last.

On Dec. 28, Revolutionary galloped to an 8 1/2-length maiden victory over Aqueduct’s inner track, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 102 and flashing the potential that led him to be heavily favored in all four of his starts.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The $150,000 Arcadia Stakes over a mile on turf at Santa Anita on Saturday will be the first stakes appearance against older horses for the lightly raced Silentio. The Grade 2 Arcadia is an assignment that Silentio can handle, according to trainer Gary Mandella.

“I think he’s that good,” Mandella said. “We think we haven’t seen the best of him yet.”

Silentio won his stakes debut in the Grade 2 Sir Beaufort Stakes over a mile on turf for 3-year-olds here Dec. 26. He faces a much tougher field in the 14-runner Arcadia.

An enterprising handicapper with a contrarian streak might be trying to beat 2012 Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can, a horse returning from a seven-month layoff as an overwhelming favorite in the $100,000 Tiffany Lass Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Such a handicapper might even experience a “voila!” moment noting the one-month gap, from Dec. 21 to Jan. 17, in Believe You Can’s published workouts.

But beware, would-be favorite-beater: The hole in the work pattern came because Believe You Can has been working a hole in the wind.

If you had asked trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. last fall who would be his better 3-year-old prospect this season – Speak Logistics or Itsmyluckyday – he would have had a hard time answering.

HALLANDALE BEACH,Fla. – Merit Man is a nose shy of being undefeated in four career starts, the lone blemish on his record a heart-breaking setback in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint. He is also coming off a game three-quarter-length victory in his 3-year-old debut in the Spectacular Bid Stakes.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Flashback was starting to jog back to the barn following a routine gallop at Santa Anita on Thursday morning when a misbehaving horse came close to brushing him right in front of the grandstand, where trainer Bob Baffert was watching.

“Get him out of there,” Baffert shouted to exercise rider Manny Avila, his voice a mixture of anxiety and jocularity.

“Whenever he’s out there, I just want to get it over with,” Baffert said.

Walkwithapurpose and She’s All Scat, who both won stakes at Laurel Park in their final start of 2012, will clash for the first time in Saturday’s $75,000 Wide Country Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

As one of two Maryland-breds in the seven-horse field, Walkwithapurpose gets to shoot for a $50,000 bonus from the Maryland breeding fund in the seven-furlong Wide Country. Since losing her career debut at Timonium, the Sagamore Farm-owned Walkwithapurpose has put together a three-race winning streak.

PHOENIX – The one-week postponement of Turf Paradise’s $35,000 Glendale Handicap has added a new and significant wrinkle. The 1 1/16-mile grass event for fillies and mares was part of last Saturday’s card, which was canceled after heavy rains made the main track and turf course unsuitable for racing. At that time, the circuit’s top female, E Z Kitty, was not entered. That is no longer the case.

Jockey Gerard Melancon won the 4,000th Thoroughbred race of his career Wednesday night at Delta Downs in Vinton, La., when he guided Doc R U It to victory in the sixth race. He became the 65th rider in North America to reach 4,000 wins, according to a release from Delta.