Jockey E.J. Perrodin has hung up his saddle after more than 3,000 wins in more than 35 years of riding, primarily in his home state of Louisiana. The 55-year-old jockey informed Fair Grounds officials on Friday that he was retiring when he declined to accept his only mount of the day, aboard The Reverend James for his brother-in-law, trainer Patrick Mouton.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trainer Tim Ice wins at an above-average rate with recent claims, and on Thursday at Oaklawn Park he could enhance his stats with Competent. The horse he took for $25,000 last month looks like a top contender in the eighth, a first-level allowance for 4-year-olds and up. The race will be run over 1 1/16 miles, with a field of eight set to go, including Timely Pursuit, who defeated Competent last out at Oaklawn, and Saratoga Red, who was fourth in the Grade 2 Rebel a year ago here.

ARCADIA, Calif. – With his victory in the San Antonio Stakes on Sunday in his 2012 debut, Game On Dude has put himself in position to join the likes of John Henry, Milwaukee Brew, and Lava Man as repeat winners of the Santa Anita Handicap, which Game On Dude won last year following a bumpy stretch run.

The Big Cap comes at the beginning of March, four weeks after the San Antonio. And then four weeks later comes the Dubai World Cup, whose outsized $10 million purse makes the Big Cap, worth a tidy $750,000, look like walking-around money.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Thursday’s feature at Aqueduct comes early, when some lightly raced fillies with potential clash in race 3, a second-level optional $50,000 claimer with a purse of $69,000.

There’s no mystery about tactics for Coco Ecolo, who drew the rail. She has led early in eight of her last nine starts for Kelly Breen, and looks to rebound after coming up short at 3-5.

A Story of Revenge drew right outside the probable pacesetter.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Discreet Dancer, whose status for the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth may be in jeopardy after he spiked a temperature on Monday, isn’t the only Kentucky Derby prospect in the area a little under the weather these days. So is Grade 1 winner Dullahan, who is battling a cough, said his trainer, Dale Romans.

Dullahan has not worked in nearly a month, with his last official work an easy five furlongs in 1:01.40 at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 14. Dullahan has not started since finishing a late-running fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

All three reigning Triple Crown race winners are scheduled to make their 4-year-old debuts in Florida this month.

Belmont winner Ruler On Ice will face Preakness winner Shackleford in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap this Saturday at Gulfstream Park; both were assigned 119 pounds for the race, two fewer than highweight Flat Out.

The California-bred stablemates Lady Railrider and Antares World will line up to run against each other in a Golden Gate Fields allowance race Friday.

Both were bred and are owned by Larry and Marianne Williams, and are trained by Steve Specht.

Combined earnings for the two is $980,328 with Lady Railrider having earned $602,040 and Antares World $378,288. A victory by either of the two would boost their combined earnings beyond the $1 million mark.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Technically speaking, the ninth race, a third-level optional $80,000 claiming a event with a $60,000 purse, is the feature on Thursday’s card at Gulfstream Park. But the third race on the program, a second-level $62,500 optional claimer worth $56,500, is certain to draw the most attention.

Thursday’s third race at 6 1/2 furlongs has attracted a field of seven older horses, including a pair of graded stakes winners, Travelin Man and Gourmet Dinner, both of whom are launching comebacks following lengthy vacations.

Five runners are under consideration for the Grade 3, $200,000 El Camino Real Derby on Feb. 18 at Golden Gate Fields.

The four possible local runners for the 1 1/8-mile Tapeta race are California Derby and Gold Rush Stakes winner Russian Greek; Cahill Chrome and Unveiled Heat, second and fifth in the California Derby; and Rockinarz Recruit, a maiden winner here who went south and ran third in an allowance race in his last start.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The jump from beating maidens to facing winners for the first time is significant, especially for a horse that took 11 tries to win his first race.

But Colossal Gift meets a group of rather ordinary opponents when he seeks his second consecutive win in Wednesday’s featured first-level allowance race at Aqueduct. The two-turn mile race goes as the eighth on a nine-race program and is the fifth leg of a pick-six wager that begins the day with a $29,812 carryover.