HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Union Rags, runner-up to Hansen in both the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and in the Eclipse Award voting, continues to progress towards his 3-year-old debut, which is scheduled to come in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on Feb. 26. Union Rags worked five furlongs in 1:02.60 at Palm Meadows on Tuesday, posting splits of 25.40 and 37.80 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:15.40.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Cajun Breeze nearly pulled off the biggest upset on Saturday’s Florida Sunshine Millions program when he finished second, a half-length behind Soaring Stocks, at odds of 18-1 in the Sprint. Cajun Breeze came into the race off a maiden win and with just three starts under his belt.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Mucho Macho Man went back to the track on Tuesday for an easy jog, obviously none the worse for wear from his extremely impressive 1 1/2-length victory over Ron the Greek in Saturday’s Florida Sunshine Millions Classic.

“He came out of the race fine and trained well this morning,” trainer Kathy Ritvo said on Tuesday. “He’s doing great.”

Portland Meadows, in a concerted effort to reward its grittiest competitors and their connections, have created the inaugural 2012 Route Claiming Series, a three-race event culminating March 14 in the final, a $25,000 race over 1 1/4 miles. Following on the heels of the track's successful McFadden Memorial Sprint Claiming Series, which crowned the hard-knocking 12-year-old Colonel Courtney as its champ last Dec. 7, the Route Claiming Series has attracted 27 entrants for Wednesday's first leg, a three-division split of mile-and-70-yard races.

Trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday that he is likely to run both Calibrachoa and Caixa Eletronica in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan Stakes at six furlongs at Aqeduct.

Initially, Pletcher was thinking of running just Calibrachoa – last year’s Toboggan winner – and holding Caixa Eletronica out until the General George on Feb. 20 at Laurel Park.

“They’re both doing well, they both like Aqueduct. I think in Caixa Eletronica’s case I don’t think running him necessarily means that he cannot run back in the General George – 16 days for him might be enough,” Pletcher said.

Judicial Leader, who has won three in a row and four of her last five races, heads a field of six entered at Aqueduct in Wednesday's $40,000 starter handicap for horses who have started for a claiming price of $10,000 or less in the last 37 months. The race will be run at a mile and 70 yards over the inner track.

Judicial Leader was claimed by Chris Englehart for $10,000 last September at Belmont. Since then she has four wins and a third in five starts, with the last two wins having come in two-turn races over the inner track.

Though trainer Kiaran McLaughlin nominated Redding Colliery to a couple of races in Dubai on March 31, he said the Evening Attire Stakes winner will likely make his next start in the Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct on March 17.

McLaughlin, speaking Sunday at the Palm Meadows training center in Florida, said the Excelsior and the $1 million Charles Town Classic on April 14 constitute “a good program.”

Coming off a three-win day last Saturday, the Kiaran McLaughlin stable hopes to keep the good times rolling this weekend when it sends out Count Fleet Stakes winner Alpha as the probable favorite in the Grade 3, $200,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct.

On Monday, Alpha turned in his one and only workout between starts, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.02 over Belmont Park’s training track. It was the fastest of 14 recorded moves at the distance.

Led by reigning Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, there is plenty of depth in the older filly and mare division this year.

Awesome Feather put herself among the upper echelon of that group with a 5 3/4-length victory in Saturday’s Florida Sunshine Millions Distaff that kept her undefeated in nine career starts.

Trainer Chad Brown isn’t sure where Awesome Feather – the champion 2-year-old filly of 2010 – will make her next start, but appeared to be leaning more toward the Rampart here March 31 than the Sabin on Feb. 25.

Eddie Castro climbed aboard Toby’s Corner on Monday morning for the first time since he guided the colt to an upset of Uncle Mo in last year’s Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. Castro guided Toby’s Corner through a five-furlong workout in 1:02.02 at Palm Meadows.

For Toby’s Corner, it was his sixth breeze since returning to the work tab on Dec. 24. Toby’s Corner was knocked out of last year’s Kentucky Derby due to a hind leg injury that forced him to miss the remainder of the year.