HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Little Mike, an Eclipse Award finalist in two categories, breezed a very easy half-mile in 51.06 seconds immediately after the second renovation break here at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. It was his first work since closing out his spectacular 2012 campaign with an impressive victory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Oaklawn Park canceled Saturday and Sunday’s races after heavy rains made for unsafe track conditions. Racing is expected to resume as scheduled on Thursday.

Something about a road trip to West Virginia seems to bring out the best in 6-year-old geldings Esporon and Peppi Knows.

Within an eight-day span in December, the New York-based Esporon won back-to-back starts at Charles Town, the first at 6 1/2 furlongs and the second going 1 1/16 miles.

Peppi Knows, who is stabled at Penn National with trainer Tim Kreiser, is 2 for 3 lifetime at Charles Town, including a 3 1/4-length score the last time he visited the track in October.

Fox Hill Farm has produced more than its share of standout horses in the recent past. Since 2005, the Rick Porter-owned stable has campaigned 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Round Pond, and Kentucky Derby runners-up Hard Spun and Eight Belles.

The colt Coach flashed the potential to join that group as a stakes-caliber performer. A half-brother to Grade 3 winner Ocean Terrace, Coach looked good winning his maiden going two turns at Oaklawn Park in his second start as a 3-year-old last February.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Beholder may be a champion by the time she makes her 3-year-old debut in the $150,000 Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 21.

The winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies here on Nov. 2, Beholder is one of three finalists for the title of champion 2-year-old filly of 2012, which will be announced on Saturday, Jan. 19, at Gulfstream Park in Florida.

Regardless of whether she is named champion, Beholder has progressed since the BC Juvenile Fillies in the mind of trainer Richard Mandella.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Eblouissante, a half-sister to 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta, worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 on Saturday at Hollywood Park.

A 4-year-old filly, Eblouissante is nominated for the $150,000 La Canada Stakes over 1 1/16 miles for 4-year-old fillies on Jan. 20.

Trained by John Shirreffs for breeder Eric Kronfeld, Eblouissante has made one start, winning a maiden race impressively over 1 1/16 miles at Hollywood Park on Nov. 16.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Smiling Tiger, the winner of the Grade 3 Vernon Underwood Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park in December in his most recent start, is out of training because of a bruised foot, trainer Jeff Bonde said.

The minor injury will prevent Smiling Tiger from starting in the $150,000 Palos Verdes Stakes over six furlongs on Saturday, and has left his chances of a trip to Dubai for the $2 million Golden Shaheen in March as “questionable,” Bonde said.

Smiling Tiger has not worked since mid-December.

“I’m giving him a month off,” Bonde said.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Oaklawn Park opened its meet Friday with a slew of new faces in the entries, but when the horses hit the wire in featured $75,000 Fifth Season, it was two-time defending riding champ Cliff Berry winning a photo aboard Donoharm. Skyring held off a late-charging Win Willy for second, with the finish thrilling the ontrack crowd of 19,633.

Attendance was up over last year's opening crowd of 18,087. Oaklawn handled $2,954,686 on its nine-race card from all sources. Of that amount, $1,835,518 was bet offtrack, and $1,119,168 ontrack.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Demonic makes his career debut in Sunday’s fourth race, and he may be the 3-year-old to follow in trainer John Sadler’s stable in coming months.

Sadler and owners Lee and Susan Searing have high expectations for Sunday’s race, and beyond.

“He’s showed a lot of run,” Sadler said. “You don’t want to get too hyped before their first race. You never know how the year will shake out.”

As a reaction to the recent rash of equine fatalities at Aqueduct, the New York State Racing and Wagering Board has mandated a necropsy be performed on each horse that suffers a racing-related fatality during Aqueduct’s inner-track meet.

The mandate began Thursday with the breakdown of Pleasantfriday, the fourth fatality since Aqueduct’s inner-track meet opened on Dec. 12.