OLDSMAR, Fla. – Tampa Bay Downs has been carding smaller racing programs since the meet began Dec. 11.

“Tampa is no different than the rest of the country in that the poor economy has affected our racing program in several different ways,” said Allison Deluca, racing secretary at Tampa Bay Downs. “For starters, more and more owners of cheaper claiming horses are either getting out of the business or cutting back drastically, and that hurts us because claiming horses are the backbone of most racing programs, ours included.

ARCADIA, Calif. – May Day Rose didn’t exactly win as a 1-20 shot should, but she managed to defeat two seemingly overmatched rivals as the heavy favorite in the Grade 3, $92,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Joe Bravo was beaming as he came into the Gulfstream Park winner’s circle after capping a sweep of Grade 3 turf stakes Sunday aboard longshot Justaroundmidnight in the ninth running of the $100,000 Marshua’s River at Gulfstream Park.

“That was fun, that was fun, that was fun,” Bravo said rhythmically.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – What a difference a nose makes.

In the case of Little Mike, a nose made the difference between the steadily improving gelding becoming not only a stakes winner but a graded stakes winner for the first time after he won a head bob from Blues Street to upset Sunday’s $100,000 Fort Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Presious Passion was scheduled to work a mile over the Gulfstream Park turf Sunday morning, but after the multiple Grade 1 winner had completed the distance, he just kept going and going and going.

In the wake of a poor response from medical personnel to a jockey who was injured in the paddock at Aqueduct on Saturday, the New York Racing Association on Sunday implemented several new procedures designed to better serve the riders.

First, NYRA assigned a dedicated emergency medical technician to shadow the jockeys throughout a racing day. This EMT will be in the jockeys’ room, lead the riders to the paddock, and follow them back to the room after the race is run.

Snuggs and Kisses took an immediate liking to her new surroundings as the 4-year-old filly posted a mild upset in Saturday’s $25,000 Kachina Handicap at Turf Paradise.

Owned by L. Barrett Bernard and trained by Dennis Sowers, the daughter of Soto had previously campaigned in Kentucky and Florida and also was stepping up in class after a win over restricted $15,000 claimers at Churchill Downs on Nov. 11.

Black Hills defended his title in the $50,000 Winsham Lad at Sunland Park on Saturday, when he closed from last for a half-length win over Red Lead. It was another 4 1/4 lengths back in third to favorite Imco Spirit.

Black Hills ($13.40) was making his second start since last year’s Winsham Lad on Saturday, and trailed the field early on as Schramsberg showed the way through an opening half-mile in 47 seconds. Black Hills began his bid approaching the three-eighths pole, and went on to cover the mile and 70 yards in 1:41.

ARCADIA, Calif. -- It took until the end of his 5-year-old year for Aggie Engineer to finally win a stakes race, but the way he ran on Saturday, in the Grade 2, $150,000 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita, there could be plenty more to come. In what has to rank as his best performance yet, Aggie Engineer romped to a 3 1/4-length victory after patiently waiting in third, something he was incapable of doing early in his career.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.- What a difference eight months make.

The first time Soaring Empire met Rule, he finished more than a dozen lengths behind him in the 2010 Florida Derby. On Saturday, the vastly improved Soaring Empire turned the tables when holding off a late bid from Rule to register a 1 1/4-length victory in Gulfstream Park’s $100,000 Hal’s Hope. Morning Line finished third as the 3-5 favorite.