AUBURN, Wash. - In her brief racing career, Elusive Horizon was unbeaten and seemingly unbeatable around two turns at Emerald Downs. She could have been a dominant player in the filly-and-mare division in 2010. But owner Jerre Paxton decided on a different course of action for his now 5-year-old mare, sending Elusive Horizon to Kentucky and a date with the red-hot stallion Candy Ride.

And so ended a remarkable racing career for Elusive Horizon. She won 8 of 14 starts, all at Emerald Downs, captured five stakes, and earned $241,715 for Paxton's Northwest Farms.

STICKNEY, Ill. - The 5-year-old mare Never Retreat has come back to Chicago after spending the winter at Fair Grounds, her connections fervently hoping that Never Retreat left her bad luck behind in New Orleans.

ARCADIA, Calif. - As many as four 3-year-old fillies based in Southern California, all stakes winners this year, may start in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs on April 30.

Blind Luck, who won the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes in February, as well as Crisp (Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks), Evening Jewel (Grade 1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland), and Harissa (Sunland Park Oaks) are being considered.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - Brothers Jordan and Jake Olesiak represent the sixth generation of racing in their family and have been racing horses together since their childhood in Cloquet, Minn.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Ian Black won the 2007 Queen's Plate with Mike Fox and would have had a serious contender last year had Southdale not been sidelined for the season following his second-place finish in the Plate Trial.

Black is back on the Plate trail this year with Stormy Lord and D's Wando, who finished second and third, respectively, here in November's 1 1/8-mile Coronation Futurity.

"They're both doing well," said Black, who kept a close eye on Stormy Lord and D's Wando while at Payson Park this winter.

Once again, a bevy of older horses are set to invade Charles Town for Saturday's $1 million Charles Town Classic. Once again, the horse to beat is the hometown hero Researcher, who is 9 for 13 at the uniquely configured Charles Town course.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - So much still has to happen for Eightyfiveinafifty to make it into the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby, but the speedy colt took one small step toward that goal on Wednesday with another typically fast workout at Aqueduct that kept him on target for the Grade 3 Derby Trial at Churchill Downs on April 24.

Aikenite, who finished eighth of nine in the Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland, will be wheeled back in the Grade 3, $200,000 Derby Trial at Churchill Downs on April 24, but he is not going to be considered for the Kentucky Derby one week later, Cot Campbell, the president of the Dogwood Stables partnership that owns Aikenite, said Wednesday.

Homeboykris, winner of the Grade 1 Champagne at 2 and currently 20th on the graded earnings list for the Kentucky Derby, worked six furlongs in 1:14 at Gulfstream Park on Wednesday.

Homeboykris, who has not started since finishing second behind stablemate Radiohead under allowance conditions at Gulfstream on Feb. 27, went in fractions of 12.20 seconds, 24.80, 37.00, 49.40, and 1:01.80 according to track clockers, who said he galloped out seven-eighths in 1:30 and change.

GROVE CITY, Ohio - The Fortune Six, the Beulah Park exotic that pays its jackpot only when there is a single winner, has reached an all-time high carryover of $403,341 going into Wednesday's card.