Two of trainer Bill Mott’s New York-based horses worked Friday for upcoming stakes at Aqueduct.

Arena Elvira, pointing to Tuesday’s $75,000 Ladies Handicap, breezed four furlongs in 49.31 seconds over the Belmont training track. Star Harbour, possible for the Boom Towner Stakes on Jan. 9, went four furlongs in 49.87 seconds.

Arena Elvira, who won five consecutive stakes from Aug. 5, 2011 through March 17, 2012, will be making her third start off a layoff for trainer Bill Mott. She was twice beaten by Afleeting Lady in graded stakes at Belmont and Churchill.

Trainer Bill Mott has plenty of star power in his barn for the upcoming season, a group led by two-time Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic winner Royal Delta, the multiple Grade 1 winner Ron the Greek, and Flat Out. Mott’s arsenal got even stronger Thursday with Cigar Street, who returned from nearly nine months on the sidelines to register a very impressive allowance win over the Grade 1-placed Fast Falcon.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – As a native of Michigan, trainer Doug O’Neill is well versed in cold weather.

So while he was only here a few hours, the now Southern California-based O’Neill was well prepared for Friday morning’s below-freezing temperatures at Belmont Park.

“This ain’t my first rodeo in the cold weather,” said O’Neill, bundled up with two coats, wearing a ski hat, with hot coffee in hand.

NEW ORLEANS – Fair Grounds will offer horseplayers a hodgepodge of handicapping challenges Sunday in a 11-race card.

The tests include a first-level allowance race for older horses, a route race for 2-year-old maidens, a turf sprint for maiden 2-year-olds fillies, and two stakes races for Alabama-breds.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Sunday’s $100,000 Ocala will be run at Gulfstream Park, but certainly has the look of a Calder stakes with five of the six fillies and mares in the field stabled across town at the North Miami oval.

If the one-mile Ocala were to be run at Calder, My Pal Chrisy would be hard to look past, having posted all eight of her career victories over her home course. But with the final stakes of the 2012 south Florida racing season to be decided at Gulfstream, the favorite and 123-pound highweight may prove vulnerable.

STICKNEY, Ill. – Hawthorne assistant general manager Jim Miller has resigned his position at the track to take a job with the Midwest Thoroughbreds Inc. stable of Richard and Karen Papiese, Miller said Friday.

Miller said his role with the biggest racing operation in North America hasn’t yet been entirely defined.

“I’m not really going to have a title,” he said. “I want to learn as much as I can about the operation. I hope to help improve the quality of what they already have going.”

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Darrin Miller had two options for his speedy sensation Little Distorted on New Year’s Day at Gulfstream Park – keep him at six furlongs in the Spectacular Bid or stretch out to a mile for the Gulfstream Park Derby.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It took until late in her 3-year-old season for Gendarmour to make it to the races, but the New York-bred daughter of Officer may prove worth the wait.

With two solid races under her belt, Gendarmour looms the horse to beat in a first-level allowance race for statebred fillies and mares that serves as Aqueduct’s feature on Sunday’s nine-race card.

An overflow field of 15 was entered for the six-furlong race in which three are offered for the optional claiming price of $14,000. Only 12 will be permitted to start.

Dm Streakn Thru Fire will attempt to turn the tables on champion Prospect to the Top on Sunday when the Quarter Horses meet in the Grade 1, $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park. The 400-yard race for 3-year-olds and up is one of two stakes on the program.

The $85,000 Albert Dominguez Memorial Handicap for New Mexico-breds at 1 1/16 miles is led by 123-pound highweight Our Choice.

ARCADIA, Calif. – My Miss Aurelia, the 2011 champion 2-year-old filly, who was third as the favorite in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes on Wednesday, will have a 2013 campaign focused on the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic here in November.

Friday, it was unclear how active My Miss Aurelia would be in coming months at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.

Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen, said that discussions will be held with owners Barbara Banke and George Bolton on plans for the filly, who has won 6 of 8 starts and $2,422,000.