BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Todd Pletcher pulled an audible with his prospective Kentucky Derby starters Gemologist and El Padrino early Friday morning, making the decision to work both 3-year-olds after the renovation break at the Palm Meadows training center with the possibility of heavy rains predicted for the local area beginning later that afternoon and continuing throughout the weekend. Both Gemologist and El Padrino had been scheduled to work at Palm Meadows on Sunday.

Trainer Bret Calhoun won the 2,000th race of his career Thursday when favored Forty Winks won the third race during evening racing at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Tex.

Calhoun, who operates a large stable with divisions based primarily in Texas and Kentucky, is best known for having trained two Breeders’ Cup winners in 2010 at Churchill Downs: Dubai Majesty in the Filly and Mare Sprint and Chamberlain Bridge in the Turf Sprint.

Dubai Majesty was later voted champion female sprinter of that year, the only Eclipse Award-winning horse that Calhoun has trained.

ALTOONA, Iowa - The $60,000 Golden Circle Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old colts and geldings, highlights the first Saturday of the 2012 Thoroughbred meet at Prairie Meadows.
Despite the small field of five, the Golden Circle shapes up as an intriguing showdown among the precocious pair of Alsvid and Twelve Hundred as well as Heir to Dixie, Whiskey Double and Wildcat Country, who are all improving.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Amazombie, the champion sprinter of 2011, is bound for the $400,000 Churchill Downs Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard on May 5, trainer Bill Spawr said on Thursday.

Spawr was between the Churchill Downs Stakes and the $125,000 Tiznow Stakes at Hollywood Park next Saturday for Amazombie's next start. The absence of Amazombie from the Tiznow Stakes is likely to lead to a larger field. Run over 7 1/2 furlongs for California-breds, the Tiznow Stakes is part of the California Gold Rush program for statebreds.

Diavoletto will try to repeat his last performance and make it two in a row in the $50,000 Howard B. Noonan at Beulah Park on Saturday afternoon. Trained by Mike Rone, the 3-year-old gelding trounced a field of other Ohio-breds in his last out March 31.

An evenly matched field of 10 3-year-old fillies is set to start in Saturday night's Hallowed Dreams Stakes at Evangeline Downs. The 5 1/2-furlong, $50,000 headliner will go as the 10th of 11 races.

While no one will threaten the string of 16 consecutive victories that the namesake of Saturday night's feature put together to begin her career several years ago, there is still some quality to be found in the Hallowed Dreams.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Dayatthespa took control at the start and was never seriously threatened in posting her third straight stakes victory Thursday in the 24th running of the Grade 3, $100,000 Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland.

Miss Valentine, a multiple listed stakes winner in open company as a 3-year-old, makes her 4-year-old debut against New York-bred fillies and mares in Saturday’s $75,000 Northern Willy Stakes at a mile.

Miss Valentine, trained by Christophe Clement, won the Serena’s Song at Monmouth and Mom’s Command at Belmont. Surprisingly, she finished second to Ava K. in a pair of New York-bred stakes.

Miss Valentine has not started since finishing fifth to Awesome Feather in the Grade 1 Gazelle last November at Aqueduct.

Herbert Schwartz, a longtime New York owner/breeder, died Thursday afternoon at his home in Woodmere, N.Y. of natural causes. He was 80.

Schwartz had been in the game since 1970 and bred two-time New York-bred champion filly Critical Eye. He also campaigned stakes winners Thunder Puddles, Critical Eye, Always Run Lucky, Brookhaven’s Money, Classic Endeavor, Dynamic Lisa, Go Rockin Robin, and Tom’s Thunder. Most of these horses were trained by his son Scott.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – With the opening of the Belmont spring/summer meet a week away, there are some new as well as old faces showing up on the backstretch.

Joe Orseno qualifies as both. Orseno, a mainstay on the New York circuit for many years before leaving for New Jersey in the mid 2000s, has returned and will be stabled at Belmont with 30 horses. As of Thursday, Orseno had 13 on the grounds with more on the way.