HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The Winchell and Asmussen families have been doing business together for three decades. Keith Asmussen gave such Winchell-owned runners as Tight Spot, Olympio, and Sea Cadet their first lessons in racing at his training center in Laredo, Texas. And his son, Steve Asmussen, would later train major stakes winners Summerly, Cuvee, and Pyro for the Winchells.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Kingpin Ryno would stand out Thursday in the race 7 feature at Santa Anita, if only the California-bred allowance turf race was shorter than one mile.

“He’s pretty aggressive, he might be a better sprinter,” owner-trainer-breeder Joshua Litt conceded. “He can get the [mile] distance; I just think he might be better shorter.”

The front-running victory by Izzy Rules in the Las Flores Stakes on Sunday gave jockey Edwin Maldonado his first win in a graded stakes race. It was also his first stakes win at Santa Anita.

Maldonado, 29, a native of Puerto Rico, also rode in Winnipeg, Texas, and Louisiana before arriving on this circuit 1 1/2 years ago.

“It feels great. This is a dream come true,” he said. “I was hoping to win a stakes race here at Santa Anita, and I finally did.”

Few horses are expected to take on Unzip Me on Saturday in the $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes, a downhill turf sprint for California-bred fillies and mares, but rain could significantly impact the look of this race, too.

Santa Anita will not run a downhill race if horses have to cross a sloppy main track, so when the rain arrives Saturday would be paramount.

Trainer Steve Margolis’s quiet period early in 2012 came to an end the last two racing weeks at Fair Grounds. Last week alone, Margolis won three races in four days, among them the Allen Lacombe Memorial with Miz Ida, but it was second-time starter Cigar Street’s two-turn maiden win Saturday that created the greatest buzz.

ARCADIA, Calif. – A small number of nominations, combined with the likelihood of wet weather this weekend at Santa Anita, should keep the field sizes abbreviated for both the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Stakes on Saturday and the Grade 2 San Luis Rey Stakes on Sunday.

The $300,000 Santa Margarita, at 1 1/8 miles, is the biggest race of the season for older fillies and mares. But this division, whose leading lights in recent years on this circuit included Zenyatta and Blind Luck, has fallen dramatically. There were a mere seven nominations to the race, and as few as four could start.

Havre de Grace, the 2011 Horse of the Year, completed the heavy lifting for her 2012 debut with a five-furlong workout in 59.60 seconds on Monday morning at Fair Grounds. It remains to be seen what sort of opposition can be rustled up to take her on Saturday in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes.

Nonios was impressive winning his debut in a six-furlong maiden race on Feb. 11. Last Saturday, he was spectacular winning a Golden Gate first-level optional $32,000 claimer at one mile.

A son of Pleasantly Perfect, Nonios gives trainer Jerry Hollendorfer yet another candidate for major 3-year-old stakes, joining the likes of Russian Greek, Rousing Sermon, and Longview Drive. Nonios has yet to be nominated to the Triple Crown.

Larry Ross, perhaps best remembered here for the lightning-fast graded stakes-winning sprinter Ema Bovary, is back in Northern California for the first time since 2005.

Now based in Washington, Ross will send out two runners Friday, Flair for Gold in a $20,000 maiden claimer and Come Away Home in a $40,000 starter allowance.

“They don’t start Emerald Downs until April so I thought I’d come back here and get a race into them before going home,” Ross said.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Wayne Catalano toyed with the idea of supplementing Breeders’ Cup winner Stephanie’s Kitten to Sunday’s $150,000 Herecomesthebridestakes, but in the end, he opted to work her over the local turf course instead and will await a more lucrative spot for her 3-year-old debut. Catalano said Stephanie’s Kitten would likely begin her campaign in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ashland at Keeneland on April 7.