There persists a thought that a horse who wins her career debut on the lead when sprinting might have big trouble when stretching out to two turns, especially given the requisite jump in class.

But does it have to be that way? Not necessarily.

“Although she was close to the lead in her first start, she was very relaxed, and I’m confident she’s going to be just as effective going long, maybe even more so,” trainer Tom Amoss said of Flashy Campaign, a 4 1/2-length debut winner in a six-furlong maiden race on opening weekend of the Fair Grounds meet.

Next year should be a milestone one for jockey Russell Baze, who is closing in on the 12,000 mark for victories.

Baze and South American rider Jorge Ricardo are in a race to the next triple-zero milestone.

Ricardo, who will resume riding Jan. 10 in Argentina, is listed with 11,868 winners on the website Pagina de Turf (paginadeturf.com.ar). The website credits Baze with 11,804 winners, but Daily Racing Form career statistics credit him with 11,863 Thoroughbred victories.

Show Some Magic got away from some of the division heavies and that did the trick as the son of Any Given Saturday captured Sunday’s $106,000 Riley Allison Futurity at Sunland Park.

Owned by J. Kirk and Judy Robison and previously trained by Steve Asmussen, the 2-year-old colt ran fifth in the Grade 2 Hopeful at Saratoga, sixth in the Jean Lafitte at Delta Downs, and ninth in the Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot.

Penn National Race Course called off its Saturday night live racing program after two races because of high winds. Live racing will resume on Wednesday.

Finding More ran a slow race when she finished third in her career debut at Presque Isle Downs, and only beat $62,500 maiden-claimers when she won her second career start at Woodbine. The link between those two venues? A synthetic racing surface.

Switched to dirt this fall, Finding More found a home. She won an allowance-race at odds of 44-1 in October at Churchill, and backed up that performance with a 2 1/4-length victory on Saturday at Fair Grounds in the $49,000 Letellier Memorial Stakes.

Hennesey Smash proved to be just as good facing open company as she has been against New Mexico-breds.

Facing open company for the first time in Saturday’s $50,000 Bold Ego Handicap at Sunland Park, the 3-year-old filly Hennesey Smash churned out her fifth straight victory for trainer Todd Fincher, owner Barbara Coleman, and jockey Casey Lambert.

The trainer John Good brought the decent 5-year-old horse China to Fair Grounds with the thought of racing him in the several dirt-sprint stakes at the meet, but when China finished a distant sixth in the Thanksgiving Handicap, Good wasn’t sure what to do. China worked back a couple times after that race, and nothing seemed to be amiss, so Good stuck him in the Bonapaw Stakes.

“This race itself was kind of an audible,” said Good.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -  Trainer David Kassen said he contemplated scratching Nikki’s Sandcastle after drawing post position 14 for Saturday’s $75,000 El Prado Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Instead, he was rewarded with an early Christmas present after his red-hot turf specialist circled the field en route to a three-quarter-length victory over 18-1 longshot Kharafa in 1 1/16-mile overnight stakes.

NEW ORLEANS – Tour Guide performed as jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. and most of the betters expected Saturday, scoring a decisive victory in the Sugar Bowl Stakes as the odds-on favorite.

“He was the fastest horse in the race,” Hernandez said. “I just wanted to be a good passenger on him and let him do his thing.”

Tour Guide stalked longshot Seeking Payday through a quarter-mile run in 21.90 seconds and grabbed the lead after a half run in 45.62.

PHOENIX  – Why Not Be Perfect has had a successful career, winning five times for more than $187,000. But all of those wins had come on turf and he was 0 for 12 on dirt going into Saturday’s $35,000 Hank Mills Sr. Handicap at Turf Paradise.