OZONE PARK, N.Y. – When Junior Alvarado came to Aqueduct last winter it was strictly to ride the winter meet. Now, the 25-year-old rider wants to make New York his permanent home.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – A pedigree that suggests she will enjoy stretching out, the likelihood of a contested pace, and the possibility of a wet track give Motion Lounge a slight edge in a seemingly wide-open renewal of the $65,000 East View Stakes for New York-bred juvenile fillies Wednesday at Aqueduct.

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Racing fans should recognize Will Phipps’ name, as the trainer has been running horses at Tampa since 2009, but this will be the first time the young horsemen will be stabling horses on the grounds at Tampa Bay Downs.

Applauding, the fastest 2-year-old filly stabled at Fair Grounds until proven otherwise, showed Friday she can run as well on dirt as on Polytrack. Her next hurdle will be distance, with Applauding scheduled to stretch out after two six-furlong races to begin her career in the 1 1/16-mile Silverbulletday Stakes on Jan. 21.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Gulfstream Park’s earliest opening in its 69-year history proved to be a success on Saturday with a crowd of 8,524 on hand for the start of the 2011-2012 meeting.

Because opening day last season came a month later and on a Wednesday, Jan. 5, it is impossible to precisely compare business on the two days. But total handle on Saturday of $4,837,605 was an increase of 22 percent over last season’s opening day, and ontrack handle of $436,107 was up nearly 23 percent.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Home Sweet Aspen is likely bound for the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 31, which makes her appearance in Wednesday’s $60,000 Cool Air Stakes at Hollywood Park a key tune-up for that major stakes.

The Cool Air Stakes is run over six furlongs on turf, and will be Home Sweet Aspen’s first start on the grass. A 3-year-old filly by Candy Ride, Home Sweet Aspen has won 3 of 6 starts and $157,822, with the wins on dirt or synthetic tracks.

A surface switch is not a concern for trainer John Sadler.

NEW ORLEANS -- Nehro, who finished second in the Louisiana Derby, Arkansas Derby, and Kentucky Derby earlier this year, joined Steve Asmussen’s string at Fair Grounds last week and has resumed daily gallops preparing for a 2012 campaign.

Nehro had surgery to remove a bone chip in his ankle less than a week after finishing fourth in the June 11 Belmont Stakes. The surgery reportedly went well, and Nehro actually joined up with Asmussen’s string at Saratoga later in the summer.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The McFadden Memorial Sprint Claiming Series Finals are coming up on Wednesday, offering a $26,900 purse. The first two legs have not only produced some exciting racing, but four separate winners in the four divisions, and tons of action at the claiming box. The McFadden Memorial Sprint Claiming Series Finals will be race 6 on Wednesday, and post time is 2:20 p.m. Pacific. 

Here is a profile of the contenders in the finals:

1. Swiss Exploit

Owner: Bob and Pat Cosgrove

Jockey Jorge Chavez said Monday that he won’t decide on his riding future until he determines how he feels after he recovers from multiple injuries suffered in a spill during the running of Sunday’s ninth race at Aqueduct.

“I’ll know in three or four months from now,’’ Chavez said Monday as he lay in a hospital bed in North Shore University Hospital. “Right now, I don’t want to think about it.’’

Dr Disco his used his potent speed while Swag Daddy used a powerful late kick to win stakes races restricted to New York-breds Sunday at Aqueduct.