ELMONT, N.Y. - He started slow but finished fast and now Trappe Shot may be ready to make an impact in the sprint division this year.

Making his first start in eight months, Trappe Shot overcome a stumble at the start to wear down the five-time Grade 2 winner D' Funnybone and win Wednesday's $60,000 Waldeboro Stakes at Belmont Park. It was two lengths back to Rule by Night in third. Deputy Daney, who set the early pace, finished last, beaten 13 lengths. This Ones for Phil and Sunrise Smarty scratched.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Darrin’s Dilemma, bet early and often, lived up to her 1-4 odds with a front-running, 2 1/4-length victory under Ramon Dominguez in Wednesday’s $100,000 Times Square division of the New York Stallion Stakes for 3-year-olds at Belmont Park. Freud’s Honor finished second, three lengths ahead of Warrior Up.

The Times Square was originally scheduled for this past Sunday, but did not have enough entries to be carded.

AUBURN, Wash. – After a whirlwind winter, Vann Belvoir has settled into his old routine at Emerald Downs. The 37-year-old trainer has more than 40 horses in his barn, with many more going through their paces at nearby West Coast Training Center, and he has been winning at a familiar 20 percent clip.

Sakakawea, the pride and joy of Ray Tracy’s stable, will be the odds-on favorite in Friday evening’s feature at Prairie Meadows, the $70,000 Mamie Eisenhower, a six-furlong sprint for four year olds and up Iowa-bred fillies and mares.

Defending her title in the race and an undefeated 7 for 7 record in one-turn races at Prairie Meadows, Sakakawea is as good as ever two races into her 5-year old-campaign. According to Tracy, “She’s definitely as sound as ever.”

Lincoln Race Course begins its second full season of racing under the operation of Omaha Exposition and Racing on Friday night. The 32-day season runs through July 17.

Average daily handle at the recently completed 90-day meet at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., was a record $4,572,054, according to figures released by the track on Wednesday, an increase of 9.2 percent over last year’s figure and the latest in a string of meet-over-meet increases that have propelled Tampa into the upper echelon of North American racetracks.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Trainer Elizabeth Stolzenberg wasn’t planning on being the hottest trainer at Hastings this year. In fact, she was considering stepping back from training horses last December. Thanks to owner Glen Todd, she changed her mind, and the horses she started at the current meet couldn’t be running any better.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Trainer Wayne Catalano sat at a shaded table just outside his Arlington barn on an unseasonably warm Wednesday morning and pointed in to stall number 1, situated right next to the barn office. That was where a big, gangly chestnut 2-year-old took up residence last June 25, a Team Valor colt by Leroidesanimaux whose best days figured to be well ahead of him. His name was Animal Kingdom, and last Saturday at Churchill Downs, Catalano and the rest of the racing world watched him win the Kentucky Derby.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Alternation’s road to the Kentucky Derby was derailed in Arkansas, where he had to be scratched out of the Rebel Stakes in March and where a slow start compromised his chances in the Arkansas Derby.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Trainer Cody Autrey returned to Lone Star Park for the first time in three years this meet, poised to have one of his strongest seasons ever after claiming about 30 horses for Midwest Thoroughbreds over the winter. But less than a month into the meet, the pair has parted company. Autrey is now in a rebuilding mode after losing about 40 horses owned by Midwest.

“It’s a big bite out of your stable,” said Autrey, 31. “I think a lot of the horses were sitting on wins.”