The connections of Hidden Connection felt the 3-year-old filly would improve going sprint to route while making her second start following a five-month layoff, and they were correct.

Third when beaten three lengths while earning a 76 Beyer Speed Figure in her Nov. 13 sprint comeback at Churchill Downs, Hidden Connection on Dec. 17 at Fair Grounds won a second-level, dirt-route allowance race by seven lengths, jumping up to an 86 Beyer that’s just two points off the career top she hit finishing second behind Echo Zulu in the Fair Grounds Oaks this past March.

Jockey Ramon Vazquez won his fourth riding title of the year, and Milton Pineda won the first training title of his career at the six-day Los Alamitos December meeting that ended on Sunday.

Vazquez, 38, swept the three meetings at Los Alamitos this year, having won the most races at the summer and September meetings. He was also leading rider at the Santa Anita autumn meeting.

At the two-week meeting at Los Alamitos this month, Vazquez won 10 races, four more than Juan Hernandez and apprentice rider Armando Aguilar.

Zozos aced his long-layoff comeback start on Dec. 17 at Fair Grounds by comfortably winning a second-level allowance race by 2 3/4 lengths. Now, it will be back to stakes competition for Zozos, but when and where has yet to be determined, trainer Brad Cox said Sunday morning. 

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - There will be a pick six carryover of $84,991 into Saturday’s card at Aqueduct after the wager went unhit for a second consecutive day.

Wins in the sequence by Acalteque ($33.20) and Lord Gatling ($38.20) left very few live tickets heading into Friday’s finale. Honest Banker, a first-time starter by Central Banker trained by Rob Atras, was one of three horses uncovered the pick six. Honest Banker ($33.20), under Jorge Vargas Jr., relished the sloppy track to win the finale and trigger the carryover.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Away from the work tab for a month, Art Collector worked a half-mile in 49.20 seconds Friday morning at Payson Park and is back in the mix for the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28.

Art Collector hasn’t raced since finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs on Oct. 1. He was at one time being considered for the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct, but was hampered by a foot problem, trainer Bill Mott said.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Mariachi, a 3 1/2-length winner of a six-furlong maiden race here Nov. 26, will point to the $150,000 Jerome Stakes for newly turned 3-year-olds here Jan. 7.

Mariachi, a New York-bred son of Maclean’s Music, finished second on debut, beaten a half-length by Don’tlosecruz while finishing eight lengths clear of the rest of the field. Mariachi came back to win his maiden emphatically, earning an 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Topped by the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial for 3-year-olds and the Grade 1 Carter Handicap for older male sprinters, there will be 14 stakes worth $2.775 million offered at the 2023 Aqueduct spring meet, according to a schedule released Friday by the New York Racing Association.

The stakes program mirrors the 2022 spring meet with a tweak here and there.

Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., will run 54 live race days of mixed Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing in 2023, a schedule that was approved Thursday by racing regulators in the state.

Fair Grounds will attempt to run turf races for the first time during its 2022-23 racing season on Dec. 26, the 22nd day of their race meeting.  

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Midnight Stroll, expected to ship to Southern California Thursday for the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, did not make the trip and won’t run, according to assistant trainer Tonja Terranova.

Midnight Stroll worked a half-mile in 48.65 seconds Thursday morning at Belmont Park, but Terranova said the horse seemed “a little flat” afterward and she didn’t feel comfortable putting the horse on the plane.

“We’re going to skip,” Terranova, assistant to her husband John, said.