HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Adios Charlie appeared well on his way to having a major impact on the 3-year-old division during the second half of the 2011 season until a bone bruise, discovered in late July, put a temporary hold on his promising career.

Adios Charlie’s much anticipated comeback begins Friday at Gulfstream Park, when he closes out his brief but successful 3-year-old campaign against a full field of older second-level optional claiming rivals that also includes Uptowncharlybrown, the fifth-place finisher in the 2010 Belmont Stakes.

OPELOUSAS, La. - Quarter Horse jockey Alfonso Lujan, who is attempting to win his fifth consecutive riding title at Evangeline Downs, injured his ankle in a training incident last Friday. Lujan took off of his mounts for two days before it was determined that he would not be able to finish the meet. The 46-day meet Evangeline meet concludes Saturday and Lujan leads Danny Lavergne 53-46 coming into Wednesday’s card.

As one career reached a climactic conclusion, another essentially began in major stakes at Los Alamitos last weekend.

Good Reason Sa won the $750,000 Champion of Champions on Saturday, the 4-year-old colt’s final start before going to stud in Oklahoma in 2012. In 2009, Good Reason Sa won his first major stakes in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity.

On Sunday evening, I Like the Odds won his first futurity in the Los Alamitos Two Million, becoming the one to follow in the major derbys at Ruidoso Downs and Los Alamitos in 2012.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Lucky Chappy, fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5, contracted a fever on Tuesday and was not sent as planned to California for Saturday’s $750,000 CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park.

Trainer Graham Motion said the fever was detected a day before Lucky Chappy was booked to travel on Sunday.
“He was supposed to ship today and he had a fever of 102 yesterday afternoon,” Motion said on Wednesday. “We couldn’t do it. It’s very frustrating.”

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Hansen and Remsen winner O’Prado Again were out on the track for some routine exercise over the weekend.

Trainer Mike Maker said Hansen just started back in training after taking time off following his game wire-to-wire victory over Union Rags in the Juvenile.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The first half of December has already proven to be a success for Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley Stable and trainer Eoin Harty.

Last Saturday, their 2-year-old Out of Bounds won a seven-furlong maiden race at Hollywood Park in a style that suggested the colt is a prospect for the 3-year-old stakes at Santa Anita in 2012.

He may have a 4-year-old stablemate racing at that level in coming months.

Balladry could move closer to his stakes debut, if he runs well in an optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles at Hollywood Park on Thursday.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The Factor, the winner of the Grade 1 Pat O’Brien Stakes in August but was winless in two important stakes in the fall, is a candidate for the $300,000 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, trainer Bob Baffert said on Tuesday.

The Factor worked six furlongs in 1:12.60 at Hollywood Park on Monday.

“Right now, he’s right on schedule,” Baffert said. “Right now, he looks good.”

The Factor was fourth in the Grade 1 Ancient Title Stakes at Santa Anita in October and eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5.

Rapid Redux won his first race of 2011 at Laurel Park on Jan. 12 and won his 19th race of 2011 there Tuesday, capturing the sixth race by a half-length to push his remarkable winning streak to 21.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Although he was off the board in his last two starts, Speightscity figures to be favored against five other 2-year-olds in Thursday’s $53,000 allowance/optional claiming feature at a mile and 70 yards.

In New York’s first juvenile dirt route race of the season at Saratoga, Speightscity switched from turf to dirt while making his second career start and galloped to an impressive maiden triumph, widening through the stretch to win by better than 11 lengths despite racing a bit greenly.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Cozzetti has been shipped from Kentucky to California for his stakes debut in Saturday’s $750,000 CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park, a trip that trainer Dale Romans expects to show why the colt belongs on a short list of Triple Crown candidates for 2012.

“I think he’s a special horse and I want to give him a shot in a big race,” Romans said on Tuesday. “He’s one of those horses that with a couple of races under his belt, he’s moved forward. I think he’s peaking right now.”