With his stature back intact, champion Hansen left Belmont Park on Monday morning on a van bound for Kentucky, but the winner of Saturday’s Grade 3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct is expected to return next month for the $1 million Wood Memorial to be run over Aqueduct’s main track on April 7.

Hansen, who spent the winter in south Florida, was scheduled to arrive Monday night at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. He will stay there until the end of the week, when he will relocate to Churchill Downs’ Trackside training facility, a few miles away from Churchill itself. Trackside opens Friday.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Donnie Von Hemel didn’t get his picture taken following Saturday’s Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap at Aqueduct, but he was smiling nonetheless over the performance of Caleb’s Posse in his 4-year-old debut and was already looking forward to a rematch with Calibrachoa in the Grade 1 Carter on April 7.

“Despite not winning, I couldn’t be much happier with the performance,” Von Hemel said Monday morning. “It’s a good way to get started for the year.”

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After Hansen’s authoritative three-length victory in Saturday’s Gotham Stakes, there likely will be several new shooters taking him on in next month’s $1 million Wood Memorial. Perhaps one of those new faces will emerge from Wednesday’s $67,000 first-level allowance feature for 3-year-olds going a mile and 70 yards over Aqueduct’s inner track.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – In case anybody hadn’t noticed, the Kentucky Derby class of 2011 is alive and well and flourishing this winter at Gulfstream Park.

First there was Mucho Macho Man, third in last year’s Derby, who opened his 4-year-old campaign with a convincing victory in the Sunshine Millions Classic.  That performance was flattered this weekend after Classic runner-up Ron the Greek captured the Santa Anita Handicap.

Sham Stakes winner Out of Bounds came out of a workout at Hollywood Park on Monday morning with a condylar fracture to his left front ankle, an injury that will require surgery and removes him from the Triple Crown, trainer Eoin Harty said Monday.

The injury was discovered not long after Out of Bounds worked five furlongs in 59.20 seconds - the best time of 21 at the distance on Monday - in preparation for a scheduled start on Saturday in the Grade 2, $300,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita.

OLDSMAR, Fla. – In recent years Tampa Bay Derby has emerged as one of the more popular preps for 3-year-olds with Triple Crown aspirations. Since 2006 at least one Tampa Bay Derby starter has gone on to run in Kentucky Derby, and two of those runners, Street Sense and Super Saver, won the first leg of the Triple Crown. Musket Man finished third in 2009.

The Grade 2, $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby will be run on Saturday, Festival Day, and as many as 10 are expected for the 1 1/16-mile race, according to the track’s stakes coordinator, Gerry Stanislawyzyk.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – In 2009, Wesley Ward became the first American trainer to win a race at Royal Ascot when Strike the Tiger won the Windsor Castle Stakes at odds of 33-1. Two years later, Ward nearly did it again with Gentlemans Code, who led to the stretch before tiring to finish fourth of 24 in the 2-year-old dash.

Gentlemans Code will finally return to the grass for the first time since the Windsor Castle when taking on 11 American rivals in Wednesday’s $62,750 feature at Gulfstream Park.

Havre de Grace, the 2011 Horse of the Year, worked six furlongs in 1:11.40 on Monday morning at Fair Grounds, her most strenuous exercise since she finished fourth Nov. 5 in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The workout pleased her trainer, Larry Jones, who said Havre de Grace remains on course to make her 2012 debut March 17 in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes.

ARCADIA, Calif.- Sunday’s pick six at Santa Anita paid $53,204 to 35 ticketholders following heightened interest from a two-day carryover.

Sunday’s program began with a pick six carryover of $430,582 from Friday’s card, and Saturday’s Santa Anita Handicap program. Bettors added a robust $2,679,902 to the pool on Sunday.

The winners of Sunday’s pick six races were Unstopper Topper ($18.60), Italian Rules ($10.60), Sweet Nectar ($6.80), The Black ($5.20), Mr Gruff ($3.60), and Victoriasugrdaddy ($22.60).

ARCADIA, Calif.- A kinder pace scenario and a drop in class helped Mr Gruff win for the sixth time in eight career starts on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course in Sunday’s $79,880 Joe Hernandez Handicap.

Mr Gruff led throughout the race over about 6 1/2 furlongs. Ridden by Joel Rosario, Mr Gruff ($3.60) set fractions of 22.14 and 43.80 seconds, leading by a half-length on the hillside. Once on the main section of the turf course, Mr Gruff led by as much as 1 1/2 lengths in the stretch. He held off a persistent 12-1 outsider in Ain’t No Other to win by a half-length.