LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Eric Reed said Rich Strike has “pretty much been taking it easy” since the 2022 Kentucky Derby winner returned to his Mercury training center in Lexington shortly after the June 11 Belmont Stakes.

“We’ve all been trying to relax, take everything in, look back on exactly what happened these last couple months,” Reed said Friday after watching some of his lesser-known runners breeze over the five-furlong oval at Mercury. “We never really had time to appreciate all this, if that makes any sense.”

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Kenai Bob will attempt to win the $75,000 Assault Stakes for the second year in a row later this month at Lone Star Park. 

Trainer Francisco Bravo said the July 17 race is the target for Kenai Bob, who is coming off a victory in the track’s Texas Hall of Fame Stakes. The Assault is one-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and up bred in Texas. It’s the main event on Stars of Texas Day. 

“I think one more race at Lone Star, then we might give him a little time off, kind of look for something next year,” said Bravo. 

Mary Forney and Jack Owens have retired from executive positions with the Thoroughbred Owners of California, the organization announced on Thursday.

The retirements were effective Friday. The TOC is the state’s official horsemen’s representative on regulatory and legislative matters as well as business with racetracks on issues such as purses.

Led by the graded stakes winners Becca Taylor and Elm Drive, the Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos on Monday has a projected field of seven fillies and mares.

The $200,000 Great Lady M. Stakes is run at 6 1/2 furlongs and is the richest race of the three-week Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Los Alamitos, which continues through July 10.

The Great Lady M. was scheduled to be drawn at midday Friday.

Dance to the Music, second in the Grade 3 Desert Stormer Stakes for female sprinters at Santa Anita on June 4, will miss Monday’s Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos.

Trainer Mark Glatt said on Thursday that he would prefer a longer gap before Dance to the Music’s next start. The Desert Stormer was Dance to the Music’s second start of the year, preceded by a win in allowance race on May 7.

Trainers Ruben Alvarado, Simon Callaghan and Peter Miller were recently penalized by the California Horse Racing Board for infractions incurred earlier this year, according to recent rulings.

The trainers were sanctioned after reaching stipulated agreements with the racing board.

Callaghan was fined $2,500 by stewards at the Alameda County Fair at Pleasanton after Shes Bout a Mover tested positive for the muscle relaxant methocarbomal following a last-place finish at Golden Gate Fields on Feb. 6.

Cairo Memories was pronounced ready for her 2022 Grade 1 debut in the $700,000 Belmont Oaks at Belmont Park on July 9 after working six furlongs in 1:12.60 at Santa Anita on Thursday.

“It was plenty quick and she did it beautifully,” trainer Bob Hess, Jr. said. “She’s as good as she can be.”

The Belmont Oaks, run at 1 1/4 miles on turf for 3-year-old fillies, will be the first start outside of Southern California for Cairo Memories, a winner of 4 of 7 starts and $352,500, all for David Bernsen and Schroeder Farms.

Midwest-based trainer Robertino Diodoro plans to have divisions of his stable on both coasts this summer. He said he is scheduled to have about 12 horses at Saratoga and about 15 to 20 at Del Mar.

Diodoro is currently racing at Churchill Downs, Canterbury, Lone Star Park, and Louisiana Downs, and in the winter is based at Oaklawn Park.

Diodoro last competed at Del Mar on a regular basis in 2017. He said one of the motivating factors for the decision to send runners back to the summer meet was the communication he’s had with Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Mr Money Bags and Algebra will both sit out the upcoming Stars of Texas Day program on July 17 at Lone Star Park and will likely return to action this winter at Sam Houston Race Park.  

Mr Money Bags won a pair of Texas-bred stakes last season at Sam Houston. He was preparing for a start in the Wayne Hanks Memorial Stakes earlier this month at Lone Star, but was forced to miss the race won by Algebra.  

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – The undefeated El Pando is poised to return to stakes company following his impressive 3-year-old debut win last Friday at Lone Star Park.  

Trainer Jaylan Clary said Tuesday that El Pando is probable for the $250,000 Robert Hilton Memorial on Aug. 26 at Charles Town. The seven-furlong race for 3-year-olds will mark the two-turn debut for the horse, who is 3 for 3.  

“He’s run at seven furlongs – it was just one turn,” Clary said of El Pando’s win in the $100,000 Clever Trevor last October at Remington Park.