For 37 years, Terry Wallace was the voice of Oaklawn Park, the historic track in the old Arkansas spa and gambling town of Hot Springs, where fans still flock to the races. The crowd on the apron can’t easily follow the live action, and the voice of the track announcer remains a primary guide, the sound of authority.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Todd Pletcher was up from south Florida to enjoy the unseasonably mild New York weather, spend some time with his family, and check on his New York string.

The star of Pletcher’s New York stable is Caixa Eletronica, who won Sunday’s Rise Jim Stakes impressively. Pletcher indicated Wednesday that Caixa Eletronica would be pointed to the $200,000 General George at Laurel Park on Feb. 20 rather than the Toboggan here on Feb. 4. Pletcher is expected to run Calibrachoa in the Toboggan, a race Calibrachoa horse won last year.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Following Nicole H's hard-fought victory in the Interborough Stakes here on New Year's Day, trainer Mike Hushion indicated that the filly would be pointed to the $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap on Feb.  18.

Upon further review, Hushion and owner John Waken have changed course and will now point Nicole H to the $100,000 Correction Stakes here on Feb. 4. The Correction is run at six furlongs, while the Fritchie is a seven-furlong race.

Reigning Kentucky Derby champion Animal Kingdom arrived at Palm Meadows on Wednesday morning, about a week ahead of schedule, while accompanied on the van by 2011 Wood Memorial winner Toby’s Corner.

Trainer Graham Motion had originally planned on working the pair one more time this weekend at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland before sending them down to Florida but the threat of bad weather altered his schedule.      

Martin Garcia has picked up the mount on Jeranimo for the Grade 2, $150,000 San Gabriel Stakes for older horses at 1 1/8 miles on turf Monday, trainer Michael Pender said Wednesday morning.

Garcia is filling in for Garrett Gomez, who fractured his left heel Sunday and was scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday.

Laurel Park has condensed its winter stakes schedule slightly, using the savings to increase the purses of 10 of its remaining 11 stakes, including its two Grade 2 events, the Barbara Fritchie Handicap and the General George Handicap. Both stakes will be contested during the Presidents Day weekend holiday, Feb. 18 and Feb. 20.

The 2012 stakes schedule was published on Laurel’s website Wednesday, but still must be approved by the Maryland Racing Commission at its meeting Tuesday.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It has been six months since Carl Lizza, the head of Flying Zee Stable, died. The stable, which was the leading owner in wins (59) and starters (332) on the New York Racing Association circuit in 2011, is down to 12 horses in training, only five currently stabled in New York.

One of those horses is Agave Kiss, a talented New York-bred 3-year-old filly, who puts her 2-for-2 mark on the line against open company in Saturday’s $75,000 Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct. The Ruthless, run at six furlongs, drew a surprisingly large field of 10 3-year-old fillies.

Trainer Jeff Bonde swept into Oaklawn from California a year ago and won two stakes during the Racing Festival of the South. He’s back again this season, but much earlier in the meet, with a 20-horse division. Bonde also is racing at Santa Anita and Golden Gate and said there were a couple of reasons to branch out to Oaklawn.

“We try to maximize with the horses we have,” he said. “We enjoy racing there, and the money’s good.”

Win Willy will not be defending his title here Friday in the $75,000 Fifth Season, but he is penciled in for another appearance in the Oaklawn Handicap. He won the race impressively a year ago, when he closed from last to defeat Misremembered by a length and earn a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 107. Win Willy has not raced since, but is back in training at Oaklawn, where he is 5 for 11.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Some big decisions concerning the most accomplished horse stabled on the Oaklawn Park grounds will come down Monday night.

While the connections of Caleb’s Posse are attending the Eclipse Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., owners Don McNeill and Everett Dobson and trainer Donnie Von Hemel will be plotting the course they will take to get Caleb’s Posse to his first major objective of the year, the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park in May.