Nicole H, capitalizing on a clear path that opened up on the rail, ran down pacesetter Winning Image and snapped a seven-race losing streak in Saturday’s $100,125 Endine Stakes for fillies and mares.

ELMONT, N.Y. – With temperatures in the mid-to-upper 30’s here early Saturday morning, one could forgive some horsemen if they were doing a little California dreaming.

Trainers Bill Mott and Kathy Ritvo, in particular, had Santa Anita on their minds as they prepared their horses for upcoming Breeders’ Cup races Saturday morning at Belmont Park.

By the slimmest of margins, the 4-year-old gelding Arlo remains eligible for Tuesday’s $47,000 feature at Parx Racing, a first-level allowance at seven furlongs. Despite his nose loss at this same level and a 90 Beyer Speed Figure from his most recent race on Sept. 22 that exceeds the par of 84, Arlo may not be as strong of a win candidate as he appears.

Throughout her nine-race career, which began this past February, the 3-year-old filly Sister Earth has been entered to run on turf every time. But following back-to-back daylight victories in routes switched to the main track, Sister Earth must have convinced trainer Leigh Delacour that she may be even better on dirt.

Two of the handful of Breeders’ Cup prospects that Dale Romans is scheduled to put on a California-bound airplane Monday morning had serious workouts Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, leaving their trainer satisfied that they are heading into their races in excellent shape.

[BREEDERS' CUP 2012: DRF top 10 lists, video replays, latest news]

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Tim Richardson may be onto something. The Turfway Park-based trainer won two races at Keeneland this week with horses wearing no shoes in their Polytrack races, with Hankering upsetting the third race Thursday at a $78 mutuel, and first-time starter Mellow Fellow ($20.40) winning in rugged maiden special weight company in the sixth race Friday.

Once in a while a trainer will send out a horse to race on synthetics without racing plates on his back hooves, but a horse racing without plates on any of his four feet is rare indeed.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Byrama will attempt to win her second stakes within a month on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course in next Saturday’s $100,000 Sen. Ken Maddy Stakes.

Saturday at Santa Anita, Byrama worked a half-mile in 48.60 seconds under jockey Rafael Bejarano.

“She worked her usual good self,” said Aron Wellman, the managing director of Byrama’s owner, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. “Rafael was on her and loved what he felt. She bounced right off the track. If she bounces out in good shape, we should be ready for the Maddy.”

ARCADIA, Calif. - For the record, trainer Kristin Mulhall did not have even a token wager on Oligarch when the Florida stakes winner pulled an upset at 24-1 in an optional claimer on Friday.

Oligarch, who won the Tropical Park Derby in 2011, led throughout the race over 1 1/8 miles on turf, winning by three-quarters of a length over Causeihertz. Oligarch paid $51.60 as the longest shot in the field.

“I can’t believe they let him go off at such a big price,” Mulhall said. “I was kind of shocked. Oh, well.”

NORTH RANDALL, Ohio - Only Boy captured his second stakes win of the year when he closed from well off the pace to a 1 1/4-length win in the 26th running of the $75,000, Best of Ohio Endurance at Thistledown on Friday afternoon.

Only Boy  got through between horses on the second turn under Jareth Loveberry, angled outside to the five path entering the stretch and rallied determinedly. Raise the Reward was second, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Bold Captain who finished third.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – As a minor addendum to his training résumé, Cam Gambolati can now say he has a Keeneland victory – and a stakes victory at that.

Gambolati, who trained Spend a Buck to win the 1985 Kentucky Derby but had never won at Keeneland in limited tries, was on hand on a sunny Friday afternoon to saddle 3-year-old Madame Giry to a decisive  2 1/2-length score over older rivals in the $100,000 Franklin County Stakes at Keeneland.