HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oaklawn Park has budgeted a record $20 million in purses for its 56-date meet that opens Friday. That’s up from about $18 million a year ago, and the riches have lured more than a dozen new trainers to the mountain top resort town of Hot Springs. There also are more than a dozen new jockeys settled in at Oaklawn.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer George Weaver has only eight horses in New York for the winter, but two of them are in with a chance to succeed at Aqueduct on Friday.

In the second, a $67,000 first-level optional claimer, Weaver will bring Citizen Wells back to the races off a layoff of nearly six months against just four rivals.

In the seventh, a $52,000 first-level optional claimer restricted to New York-bred 3-year-old fillies, Weaver will send out True Fortune.

The breeding of the Quarter Horse filly Tres of Linda was a match made on the Internet.

Owners Christian and Ru Anna Singletary became acquainted with Oklahoma breeder Joleen Hales through a Quarter Horse racing website. The three of them met in person at horse sales and spent time together at the races in Ruidoso, N.M.

During one of those meetings, the Singletarys and Haleses decided to breed the Singletarys’s mare Lindas Dasher to Tres Seis, a stallion to which the Haleses owned a breeding season.

ARCADIA, Calif. –There may be no stopping Motown Men, the stakes-placed gelding who makes his second start on turf in an optional claimer at Santa Anita on Friday.

Motown Men, 4, has proven to be very fast, often too much for his own good. Frequently, Motown Men has led and been caught late.

In two starts since returning from a 10-month layoff in October, Motown Men was second by a head in an optional claimer for California-breds here Oct. 18 and was last of seven in the Zia Park Derby on Dec. 1 after leading for the first half-mile.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Chad Brown has a barn full of 3-year-old turf prospects heading into the 2013 campaign. One who may be flying a little under the radar is Devil’s Cave, a lightly raced daughter of Put It Back who will seek her second victory of the meet in Friday’s $54,500 feature at Gulfstream Park.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The undefeated 4-year-old filly Applauding is in the process of being transferred from trainer Al Stall Jr.’s barn at Oaklawn Park to trainer Michael Matz’s stable at Palm Meadows, Matz confirmed on Wednesday.  

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oaklawn Park was bustling on a brisk but clear Tuesday morning in anticipation of its Friday season opener. But later in the day it was announced that Calvin Borel, a fan favorite who has 4,999 career wins, would not be part of the opening-day festivities.

Borel, who worked horses Tuesday and was looking forward to his five Friday mounts, was diagnosed Tuesday afternoon with a small fracture in his wrist. The injury is expected to require a cast and will keep him out of action for several weeks.

Lovely Vin, who cruised to a 5 1/4-length victory Saturday in the Dixie Poker Ace, a turf stakes, might be switched to dirt for the $200,000 Premier Night Classic on Feb. 2 at Delta Downs, trainer Tom Amoss said.

Lovely Vin has excelled on the Fair Grounds grass course, finishing a close second to String King in the Champions Day Turf in December, but won and placed in a pair of open dirt allowance races last fall at Hoosier Park.

Amoss said he also plans to start Populist Politics in the Premier Night Classic.

Headed by the newly claimed entry of Crown the Chief and He’s So Chic, eight older sprinters who have combined for 60 wins and more than $2.1 million in earnings will clash in Thursday’s six-furlong feature at Aqueduct.

With the exception of Sinai – who figures to be no worse than second choice as he turns back in distance for trainer Rudy Rodriguez – every horse is entered for the optional claiming price of $35,000.

Trainer Larry Jones has won two editions of the Fair Grounds Oaks, including last year’s race with Believe You Can. You’ll be excused if you missed the emergence of Jones’s latest Oaks hopeful.

Dancinginthecircle turned in a breakthrough performance last Friday night, but did so at Delta Downs in western Louisiana, where she smoothly won the $100,000 By the Light Stakes by nine lengths. Her two-turn, seven-furlong time of 1:25 was fast by Delta standards and produced an 88 Beyer Speed Figure, by far the best of Dancinginthecircle’s six-start career.