Splendora, who ended her 2025 season with a win in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar in November, is on schedule to start in the Grade 2 D. Wayne Lukas Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 7, trainer Bob Baffert said recently.

The Feb. 7 card is the leading program of the month at Santa Anita, a day with four stakes.

Splendora worked a half-mile in 47.80 seconds at Santa Anita last Saturday, her fourth workout since late December. Owned by Michael Talla, Splendora has won 5 of 10 starts and earned $860,800.

The Grade 1 winners Brant and Subsanador had workouts at Santa Anita in recent days, the beginning of comebacks for starts in coming months.

Brant, the winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs in September, worked three furlongs in 37.80 seconds on Thursday, his first major exercise since a third-place finish by 1 1/2 lengths as the 8-5 second choice in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar on Oct. 31.

Turfway Park's cards for Friday and Saturday have been canceled, with severe winter weather expected in the region.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office announced that he has “activated state emergency response resources” because of the threat of severe winter weather in some areas on Friday.

Sam Houston puts on its richest card of the meet, the Houston Racing Festival, on Saturday afternoon. Right now, the forecast in the area is not threatening the card, according to track executive Bryan Pettigrew.

Strategic Risk, the winner of both the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn and the In Reality division of the Florida Sire Stakes at Gulfstream Park, worked Wednesday at Oaklawn and remains on course for a start in the Southwest, trainer Mark Casse said.

The Grade 3, $1 million Southwest carries points for the Kentucky Derby. It will be run Jan. 31 and entries will be taken on Sunday.

Strategic Risk worked five furlongs on a track rated good in 1:02.40.

Nitrogen, an Eclipse Award finalist for champion 3-year-old filly of 2025, will start her 4-year-old season a month earlier than anticipated if she continues to work as sharply as she has of late, trainer Mark Casse said Wednesday.

Nitrogen, who was freshened after running second in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff in November, was targeting a return in the Grade 2, $400,000 Azeri on March 7 at Oaklawn. However, those plans changed after she breezed five furlongs in a bullet 1:00 at the Hot Springs, Ark., track on Jan. 17.

The lure of mild January weather led Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza to return to his former base at Santa Anita this winter.

“Back East, it got too cold for me,” Espinoza said recently. “I can’t deal with the cold weather. I never got along with the cold, even when I started my career.”

Espinoza is attempting to reestablish himself among a competitive group of jockeys in California after a few quiet years for him. Espinoza, 53, has not won 100 or more races since 2014 when he won 102.