HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Pushing the traditional opener back two days, until Jan. 5, won’t be the only change awaiting horseplayers when the 2011 Gulfstream Park meeting gets underway on Wednesday.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – As strong and deep as the South Florida contingent of 3-year-old colts is this year, their filly counterparts are right there with them.

Not only are the first four finishers in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies – Awesome Feather, R Heat Lightning, Delightful Mary, Believe in A.P. – being readied for campaigns in south Florida this winter, but several other accomplished fillies, most notably Dancinginherdreams and Kathmanblu, also are here.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trip handicappers figure to be all over Indian Blossom when she faces five rivals in Wednesday’s first-level allowance feature at Aqueduct, run at a mile and 70 yards over the inner track.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Mark Casse sent out Delightful Mary to finish third in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. And she wasn’t even the best 2-year-old filly in his barn last season.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The Gulfstream Park turf course was open for training for the first time this winter and attracted a small but select group that included First Dude and 2009 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Tapitsfly.

First Dude, stepping foot on the turf for the first time in his career, worked five furlongs in 1:01.88 under jockey Kent Desormeaux. He was in turn followed by Tapitsfly, who breezed an easy and impressive looking six furlongs in 1:13.18. Tapitsfly has not started since winning the 2009 BC Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita.

Portland Meadows has cancelled live racing for both Monday and Tuesday due to freezing temperatures in the Portland area. Live racing is expected to resume on Wednesday, with a special post time of 12:20 p.m.

Portland Meadows will remain open for simulcast wagering on both Monday and Tuesday.

Arlington Park has named Howard Sudberry, a longtime Chicago television sportscaster, its senior director of marketing and communications.

Turfway Park concluded its December Holiday Meet Friday night with a gain in average ontrack daily handle but with a sharp drop in total wagering, according a release from the Florence, Ky., track.

Turfway ran for 17 days during the meet, four fewer than in 2009, and average ontrack handle rose 10.5 percent to $116,371. All-sources daily handle fell 15.1 percent to $2,372,697.

With four fewer days of racing at Turfway, totals were down from 2009 – 10.6 percent in ontrack handle and 31.3 percent for all-sources handle.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A new year means a new beginning. Not that Javier Castellano had a bad 2010; not at all. But the 33-year-old jockey would like for the infamous winner’s circle brawl at the Breeders’ Cup to get farther and farther in the proverbial rear-view mirror, and the passage of time is the best way for that to occur.

“I didn’t expect that to happen,” said Castellano. “All my life, I’ve gotten along with everyone. If I do something wrong, I apologize. Then I move forward.”

OLDSMAR , Fla. – Those who attended the races here at Tampa Bay Downs on Dec. 30 may well have seen a future star make his first step to prominence when Beamer scored in a maiden special weight route going a mile and 40 yards. Beamer, a Vindication colt from the Unbridled mare Untarnished, was making his second start, and he is trained by Carl Nafzger and owned by Jim Tafel, who teamed up to win the 2007 Tampa Bay Derby and Kentucky Derby with Street Sense.