OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Undefeated Gemologist drew post 6 in a field of eight 3-year-olds entered Wednesday for Saturday’s $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

[WOOD MEMORIAL: News updates, contender replays, watch the race live]

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The connections of Isn’t He Clever would like to see the horse advance to the Kentucky Derby, but with $188,000 in graded earnings he’s a bubble-type prospect, so plans have been made to run him in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 14.

“That’s mainly the reason we’re going,” said Henry Dominguez, who trains Isn’t He Clever, the runner-up in last month’s Grade 3, $800,000 Sunland Derby. “He came back out of his last race real well, and hopefully, he’ll show up in this race like he always does so we can proceed on to the big dance.”

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – It has been a winter of discontent for the horse racing industry in Ontario, with the Ontario government having directed the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation to cancel the province’s racetrack slots program by March 31, 2013.

Racetrack slots operations at Fort Erie and the Standardbred racetracks in Windsor and Sarnia will close at the end of this month, and the province’s other racetracks have received their site-holder agreement termination notices.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Not since the era of Pat Day has a jockey been more dominant at Keeneland than Julien Leparoux has been over the last six years. Leparoux has won or shared seven of the last 12 meet titles at this historic track, and although his life and career are about to undergo a couple of major changes, he is intent on keeping the status quo here at Keeneland.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – So Much Love began her career in high style. The well-bred daughter of Giant’s Causeway won her debut one year ago at Gulfstream Park going a mile on the main track. In her next start, she finished second behind no less a rival than Royal Delta who ended the year as the 3-year-old filly champion following her victory over older horses in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Following one of the warmest Toronto winters on record, live racing returns to Woodbine on Friday with a challenging 10-race card of mostly five-furlong sprints.

Monmouth Park in New Jersey plans to offer $3.9 million in total purses in 22 non-overnight stakes this year, a $1 million reduction from the total purses offered for non-overnight stakes last year, according to a schedule the track distributed on Wednesday.

ARCADIA, Calif -  Jockey Joe Talamo is on the verge of his 1,000th career win.

Talamo, 22, had three winners at Santa Anita on Sunday, ending the day with 999 career wins. The Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s leading apprentice of 2007, Talamo has four chances to hit the four-figure milestone on Thursday. He rides Lady Fairbanks in the third race, Splendid Fortune in the fourth, Veloce Canzone in the sixth, and Let’s Go Cheyenne in the seventh.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Zo Impressive, runner-up behind Grace Hall in Saturday’s Grade 2 Gulfstream Oaks, may not have to wait long for an opportunity to avenge that setback, with trainer Tom Albertrani considering the Kentucky Oaks for her next start. Grace Hall is expected to be the heavy favorite in this year’s Kentucky Oaks off her performance here this past weekend.

Albertrani said he will discuss the situation with Zo Impressive’s owner-breeder, Charlotte Weber, later this week, but that at the moment it appears they are leaning in that direction.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s previous attempts to win the Kentucky Derby came with the caveat the horse come from his homeland of the United Arab Emirates.

So, while a horse may have campaigned with success in North America as a 2-year-old, that horse would, after doing a period of quarantine, ship to Dubai for the winter where he would run in one, possibly two preps, then return to the United States for the first Saturday in May.

But while Dubai’s ruling leader still covets America’s most prestigious prize, he is less stringent on how to achieve the goal.