ARCADIA, Calif. - Mike Smith got through aboard Mr. Commons in early stretch of Monday’s $150,000 Sir Beaufort Stakes at Santa Anita and that was all that counted. For a moment, there was plenty of suspense as to what path the Hall of Fame jockey would take aboard the favored Mr. Commons and whether a ground-saving strategy would work.

Coming from just off the pace under leading rider Victor Lebron, Lotta Lovin ran down St. Louis City to post a half-length victory Monday in the $50,000 Gowell Stakes at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.

Owned by William Butler and conditioned by leading trainer Mike Maker, Lotta Lovin returned $11.80 as fourth choice in a field of 12 2-year-old fillies in the 27th Gowell. She finished the six-furlong distance in 1:12 over Polytrack.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Got Even seized the lead right out of the gate and led every step of the way when capturing the 2-year-old male division of the $100,000 California Breeders’ Champion Stakes on Monday at Santa Anita.

Al Muhtasib fell behind and couldn’t catch up earlier this month in the Claiming Crown Jewel, finishing a well-beaten third, but Monday at Fair Grounds in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial Handicap it was Al Muhtasib who sent his rivals on a futile chase. Leading throughout a race rained off turf and contested over a sloppy main track, Al Muhtasib posted a comfortable victory under Rosie Napravnik, beating runner-up Strike Impact by more than a length in this $75,000 stakes race.

STICKNEY, Ill. – Hawthorne Race Course will begin offering purse incentives at its spring meet in an effort to boost field size, the Chicago-area track announced Monday.

Late this past summer, Tom Amoss had two especially promising-looking 2-year-olds, the filly Always Here Too and the colt Shared Property, circulating in the Midwest. Neither one entirely lived up to what seemed like their potential in the autumn, but the next phase of their careers is set to begin at Fair Grounds.

ARCADIA, Calif. – There were plenty of smiling faces at Santa Anita for its opening day on Monday, but none shined brighter than that of John Shear, who was celebrating his 50th opening day manning the ropes as a paddock guard, a scenario that looked very much in doubt nine months ago.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Likely due in part to the anticipation of higher purses – which kick in Wednesday at Aqueduct – activity at the claim box was quite brisk through the first three weeks of the inner track meet.

In 15 days of racing from Nov. 30 through Dec. 18, there were 66 horses claimed for a total of $1,186,500. Not a day went by when at least one horse wasn’t claimed, and on six occasions six or more horses were haltered.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Horsemen and horseplayers alike should be getting a little help with their holiday bills when racing returns to Aqueduct on Wednesday following a nine-day break.

For horsemen, the much anticipated purse increase from revenue derived from the recently opened casino at Aqueduct goes from fantasy to reality beginning Wednesday. Total purse money for Wednesday’s nine-race card is $390,000 – led by a $65,000 open maiden race – which is a 30.8 percent increase over what those same nine races would have been worth just 10 days ago.

Champagne d’Oro will be retired in January and will have one or two more races before she is sent to Kentucky to be bred to Bernardini, trainer Eric Guillot said Monday.

She will start in Monday’s $100,000 Monrovia Stakes over about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course, which could lead to a start in the $300,000 Santa Monica Stakes over seven furlongs on the main track on Jan. 28.

“If she runs big, I’ll run her back in the Santa Monica,” Guillot said. “If she doesn’t run good, she’ll go to the shed. I’ve got a contract with Bernardini.”