OZONE PARK, N.Y. – David Jacobson’s 106 wins at the three New York Racing Association tracks have him tied with Richard Dutrow Jr. for most by a trainer on this circuit in 2012. Perhaps Jacobson’s biggest victory this year came at the claim box, where on March 8 he won a four-way shake to take Saginaw, coincidentally trained then by Dutrow.

Wednesday, Saginaw will attempt to become the horse with the most wins in North America for 2012 when he takes on four rivals in the $75,000 Alex M. Robb Stakes at Aqueduct as racing resumes on this circuit following a nine-day break.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Nick Zito was in the wrong place at the wrong time this week with Mister Woolman and Ricochet Court, both of whom had to be scratched out of races on Thursday’s card.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Mucho Macho Man, who ran the race of his life only to come out second best behind Fort Larned in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, will open his 2013 campaign the same way he began 2012, in the Florida Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream Park.

NEW ORLEANS – The class level stays the same for Brainwash. So does the distance.

The only change that trainer Bret Calhoun wants for Brainwash in Sunday’s feature is a slightly different outcome from his Fair Grounds debut.

With Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard, Brainwash will break from the outside in a field of seven older horses running a mile and 70 yards in a second-level optional $40,000 claiming race.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Like everyone else, Rajiv Maragh knows how dominant Ramon Dominguez has been on the New York Racing Association circuit the last several years, especially during the winter.

Unlike most everyone else, however, Maragh is not willing to concede Aqueduct’s inner-track riding title to Dominguez for what would be a sixth consecutive winter.

Sagamore Farm’s resurgence to prominence can take another step in the right direction when the historic stable sends out favored Walkwithapurpose in Wednesday’s $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship at Laurel Park.

NEW ORLEANS – Jockey Leandro Goncalves faced traffic challenges on a mile-and-70-yard trip with Hawaakom in a maiden race for 2-year-olds last weekend at the Fair Grounds.

On the backstretch, Hawaakom was jammed along the rail and shuffled back. On the final turn, the inside was blocked, and Goncalves had to swing the colt wide.

With running room on the outside in the stretch, Hawaakom overpowered the opposition. “When I asked him, he just took off,” Goncalves said.

Holiday Mischief will be making a meaningful distance move Sunday, when he stretches back out to two turns for the $100,000 Riley Allison Futurity at Sunland Park. He will face nine other 2-year-olds in the one-mile race, including four runners from the barn of trainer Henry Dominguez.

The Riley Allison is the first of two local stepping-stones to the Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby on March 24. The other prep is the $130,000 Mine That Bird Derby on Feb. 23.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Greg Griffith knew 20 minutes before El Commodore’s last start, in the Japan Racing Association Stakes at Laurel in September, that his horse was in big trouble.

“It poured so hard as we were leading them over for the race you couldn’t see the racetrack five feet away,” said Griffith. “The turf course went from concrete to a complete bog and speed never had a chance.”

Check My Thoughts needs only to repeat the performance of his victory in the Grade 1 Golden State Derby in August to win Sunday’s $170,900 Southern California Derby for 3-year-old Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos.

That’s the outlook of trainer James Glenn Jr., approaching Sunday’s race.

“He’s really good,” Glenn said Thursday. “He seems like he’s getting stronger and bigger than I could have imagined. We’re ready to go. If he gets a good break and has a little luck, he’ll be right there with them.”