OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The luck of the Irish will be put to the test in race 7, a second-level optional claimer that serves as the St. Patrick’s Day feature at Aqueduct, when Ricoriatoa heads a short but salty field of six older sprinters, all but one of whom are eligible to be claimed for $50,000.

Ricoriatoa came up a neck short at 4-5 after a race-long duel last Friday, and has been entered right back by Gary Contessa, who claimed the gray gelding for $35,000 on behalf of new owner Sean Shay – whose silks are dotted with green shamrocks.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer Richard Mandella put Champ Pegasus on a plane to Dubai on Tuesday and will leave himself for the Middle East on Thursday, but he’ll still be in action here Saturday, with Blue Maiden and Calla Vista being considered for the Grade 2, $150,000 Santa Ana Stakes and Chalulu One definite for the $100,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.- Despite a record in which he has won two stakes in four career starts, Archarcharch finds himself needing a big effort Saturday in the Grade 2, $300,000 Rebel at Oaklawn to be looked upon as one of the nation’s top 3-year-olds. And he probably won’t be the favorite in the 1 1/16-mile race that serves as a springboard to the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Don’t make any plans with Sean McCarthy on Thursday. His day is booked solid.

In the morning, he will arrive at Santa Anita to train his string of 12 horses. Midday, he will hustle over to the frontside of the track to put in a 2 1/2-hour shift on HRTV, where he works part-time as an analyst. And then McCarthy will head on over to the paddock to saddle Lucky Timing, a 3-year-old filly he trains and who has an excellent shot to make off with the day’s featured seventh race.

“My days can get pretty full sometimes,” he said Tuesday.

Sierra Olson, like many 14-year-old girls, loves horses. She has a room filled with horse posters, horse show ribbons, horse figurines, horses on her bed linen, and even an old saddle.

She also has Evans Syndrome, an autoimmune disease in which the body makes antibodies that destroy the red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells. Symptoms can include weakness and fatigue, and a susceptibility to bleeding or infections.

But Olson’s disease that has not robbed her of her passion for horses or desire to become a veterinarian.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There are nine horses in Thursday’s $55,600 optional claiming feature at Gulfstream Park, and handicappers can make a case for almost each and every one winning the 6 1/2-furlong dash, including the second-, third-, and fourth-place finishers from a similar race run here earlier this winter.

Penn National has added a couple of new twists to its World Series of Handicapping.

The contest, which began in 1977, will allow players to make their selections from any Thoroughbred track simulcast at Penn National from noon Eastern until the fourth live race of Penn National’s live program. Contestants can play at Penn National or one of its offtrack wagering facilities in Reading, Lancaster, Chambersburg, or York, Pa.

Arguably the best sprinter and best router at Golden Gate Fields made their comebacks Sunday, with Goggles McCoy and Bold Chieftain running one-two in a strong six-furlong allowance sprint.

Goggles McCoy, who made his 4-year-old debut, grabbed the lead out of the gate under Aaron Gryder and was never seriously challenged in defeating Bold Chieftain by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:09.70. Goggles McCoy is 3 for 3 at Golden Gate Fields, while Bold Chieftain had his seventh exacta finish in eight Golden Gate starts.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Game On Dude, the upset winner of the controversial Santa Anita Handicap on March 5, will miss a scheduled start in the $10 million Dubai World Cup on March 26 because of a foot abcess, his trainer, Bob Baffert, said Tuesday morning.

Game On Dude was scheduled to depart for Dubai on Tuesday with the rest of the American-based contingent for the World Cup card.

Though plans for Monmouth Park’s 2011 Thoroughbred meet remain unsettled, the New Jersey track will distribute $4.95 million in purses for non-overnight stakes races this year, according to the track.

The richest purse will be offered in the $1 million Haskell Invitational, a Grade 1 race for 3-year-olds that has long been the centerpiece of the track’s summer meet. The Haskell is scheduled as part of an eight-stakes card on July 31 that will also feature two other graded stakes, the Grade 3 Oceanport and the Grade 3 Matchmaker, both on the turf.