David Wilkenfeld has already made the score of a lifetime that most horseplayers can only dream about. In 2008, he had the sole winning ticket of a $3.3 million pick six at Santa Anita.

Five years later, Wilkenfeld is on the cusp of being able to live the dream that virtually every horse owner wants to experience. As the owner of Vyjack, Wilkenfeld has an undefeated 3-year-old who could be on his way to the Kentucky Derby.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It’s been a quiet winter for trainers Milt Wolfson and Mark Frostad, but both will try to make a little noise when sending out two of the key players in Thursday’s $65,000 featured event at Gulfstream Park.

Wolfson will saddle his multiple stakes-winning filly Frolic’s Revenge, while Frostad counters with last year’s Queen’s Plate runner-up, Irish Mission, in the 1 1/16-mile turf event to be decided under high-priced optional claiming conditions for fillies and mares who have never won a graded stakes.

Jockey Edgar Paucar posted the 2,000th victory of his career in Monday's second race at Beulah Park. Paucar won the maiden-claiming race aboard Two Cat Wendy, who is owned and trained by Don Mills.

Through Sunday, Paucar ranked 18th in North America in wins, with 35. In 2012 he finished eighth with 260 winners, 166 of them at Beulah.

Paucar graduated from the Jockey School of Peru, which also produced such outstanding riders as Edgar Prado and Rafael Bejarano. Paucar has won riding titles at Beulah Park and River Downs.
 

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.– Figuring out there is a lot of speed in Wednesday’s $54,500 optional claiming headliner going five furlongs over the Gulfstream Park grass course is easy. Trying to predict who is going to win the race, now that’s a different story.

It’s Saturday Nite, Heaven Knows What, Miss Suwanee, and D’princess are among the leading contenders in the wide-open turf dash, each with a similar running style, having done their best work to date on or near the lead.

After finishing second with Violence in the Fountain of Youth and Dreaming of Julia in the Grade 2 Davona Dale on Saturday, trainer Todd Pletcher got a bit of redemption the following afternoon, when Stopshoppingmaria posted a popular 1 3/4-length decision over Rosa Salvaje in the Ladies Turf Sprint. The win was the third straight at this session, all at five furlongs on the grass, for Stopshoppingmaria, who was ridden by Velazquez.

Trainer Eddie Kenneally said he is leaning toward turning Majestic Hussar back to one-turn races after the speedy colt set lightning-fast fractions before tiring to finish fourth while making his two-turn debut in the Fountain of Youth. Majestic Hussar ran a 45.45-second opening half-mile and a 1:08.85 three-quarters before fading to finish 9 1/4 lengths behind Orb.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Shug McGaughey said he is trying not to worry about the Kentucky Derby just yet, even after watching his top 3-year-old, Orb, upset Violence in Saturday’s Grade 2 Fountain of Youth to all but assure himself a spot in the big dance on May 3. But the Hall of Fame horseman does admit that the Derby has crossed his mind at least once or twice this winter.

“I don’t get Derby fever,” McGaughey said Sunday. “But don’t think I’m not excited, because I am.”

OLDSMAR, Fla. - Take a dead-honest racehorse in the hands of a top-flight horseman, then add a jockey riding in top form, and you have a dangerous combination.

Good Lord’s eight rivals found that out Saturday. Forrest Kaelin, who has been training for more than 50 years, sent out the 6-year-old to capture the 23rd running of the $75,000 Super Stakes in track-record time.

OLDSMAR, Fla. – While horse racing is a sport to the fans, to those who work in the industry it’s first and foremost a business.

And like other walks of life, the “little guys” in racing face an uphill battle trying to survive while competing against sharp owner syndicate groups such as Team Valor and world-wide racing and breeding operations such as Juddmonte Farms.

ARCADIA, Calif. - There was a time earlier in his career that Ain’t No Other would have torn away from his rivals at the start of a race such as Sunday’s $100,750 Sensational Star Stakes on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita.

The tactic was not always successful. Sometimes, he held on to win. Sometimes, he was caught.

But with experience, and the addition a set of blinkers on Sunday, Ain’t No Other was more patient. The result was his third career stakes win in the turf sprint for California-breds.