ARCADIA, Calif. – Smiling Tiger’s latest workout has convinced trainer Jeff Bonde that the 4-year-old deserves a start in Saturday’s $150,000 San Carlos Handicap at Santa Anita.

The winner of two Grade 1 races last year, Smiling Tiger zipped five furlongs in 58.40 seconds at Santa Anita last Saturday, the fastest of 60 recorded works at the distance. Sunday, Bonde did not list Smiling Tiger as a probable runner, but by Wednesday, when entries were taken for the San Carlos, Bonde had reversed his decision. Smiling Tiger was in the Grade 2 San Carlos Handicap over seven furlongs.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – After two consecutive dominant victories – including one in the Grade 3 Queens County Handicap – in late 2009, Rodman gave his connections hope that he could be a significant player in the handicap division in 2010.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The short-term opportunities for Sarasota Sunshine, who makes her American debut in an optional claimer over seven furlongs at Santa Anita on Friday, remind trainer Mike Mitchell of another of his recent English imports.

In 2009, St Trinians, who had won 4 of 7 starts in England, took advantage of allowance conditions to win her first two starts in this country and later become a multiple stakes winner. She is one of the leading older females in California this winter.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Gulfstream Park racing secretary Dan Bork has written a one-mile overnight handicap for 3-year-olds to be run here March 12. The race, called the Timely Writer, will offer a $100,000 purse and will carry no conditions, which makes it open to all 3-year-olds, including reigning division leader and Eclipse Award champion Uncle Mo.

March 12 also is the date of the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs. Uncle Mo’s connections have been pointing the horse to an early or mid-March return.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – There were at least nine probables for Monday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Southwest at Oaklawn Park as of Wednesday morning, with Yankee Passion confirming his place in the lineup after a bullet five-furlong workout. Entries for the one-mile race for 3-year-olds will be taken on Saturday.

“We possibly could have up to 11,” said Pat Pope, the racing secretary at Oaklawn.

Oatman finished a troubled sixth in the $2 million Los Alamitos Million Futurity in December, a loss that left the husband-wife training team of Mark and Holly Skeen wondering what could have been.

After a tough start, Oatman was beaten three-quarters of a length by One Quick First Down, who earned $818,874. Oatman’s portion of the purse was a still respectable $97,845, but less than hoped.

“I can’t say he would have won,” Holly Skeen said earlier this week. “I have to say he could have broken better than he did. He could have improved his position.”

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Sky Music looks to make amends for two disappointing efforts at short prices when he heads a field of six New York-bred 3-year-olds entered to run in Friday’s $60,000 Undaunted Mettle Stakes at Aqueduct.

NEW ORLEANS – Starlight racing this past Jan. 21 at Fair Grounds fell victim to its own success. Overrun with a huge crowd, Fair Grounds wasn’t quite prepared to accommodate the raft of fans, but the track has pledged to be ready for any rush this time around.

Friday’s nine-race card, first post 5 p.m. Central, is the third night-racing program of the second Fair Grounds season that has included racing under lights. The experiment appears to be producing successful results – far more than Fair Grounds had anticipated, in fact.

Delaware Park has retained all 22 of its stakes from last year for 2011 and kept both the total amount devoted to stakes purses and the daily overnight purse structure the same as last season.

Aside from the slight decrease in live racing dates from 113 run last year to 106 in 2011, the only notable changes are a $50,000 purse boost to the Grade 2 Delaware Oaks, now worth $300,000, and the shuffling of the order of a few stakes.

The $125,000 Sweet and Sassy, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, was run in late October last year but has been moved to June 25.

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HALLDANDALE BEACH, Fla. –The field for Friday’s $51,500 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park consists of both the known and the unknown. Several familiar horses come out of a similar first-level allowance turf race earlier in the meet. The unknown are three fillies making their U.S. debuts, including Giants Play, an extremely well-bred filly trained by Christophe Clement.