WHO'S HOT

Nobody in this or perhaps any other jockey colony has been hotter than Paco Lopez, who won 10 races last week, including four wins in a row Thursday, March 25. A former Eclipse Award-winning apprentice, Lopez followed that performance with riding doubles Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He spread the wealth, winning for nine trainers.

BREAKING DOWN THE BABIES

The biggest challenge for most handicappers each year at Keeneland's spring meet is deciding how to deal with the 4 1/2-furlong maiden races for 2-year-olds. At the beginning of the meet, the runners in these races usually are first-time starters, so there are no past performances to analyze. As the meet progresses, some of those horses will race again and a few others who have raced elsewhere will join them, but most often you are handicapping unraced horses. Should these races be ignored? If not, how can they be handicapped?

WHO'S HOT

Ramon Dominguez wrapped up his third consecutive inner-track title, finishing with 109 wins. He also surpassed the 4,000-win milestone March 19.

David Cohen, riding in New York for the first time, was a clear second with 87 victories. Anna Napravnik (42), C.C. Lopez (39), and apprentice Angel Serpa (36) rounded out the top five.

WHO'S HOT

ARCADIA, Calif. - The staff at trainer Bobby Troeger's stable at Hollywood Park are under instructions to walk gently past the stall of Gato Go Win this week.

"You don't drop anything around here," Troeger said. "He's sharp as a tack."

The tip-toeing policy will be enforced until Saturday, when Gato Go Win starts in the $150,000 Potrero Grande Handicap at Santa Anita. The sprint is Gato Go Win's first start in a graded stakes since last June. The Potrero Grande is one of three Grade 2 supporting stakes on the 11-race Santa Anita Derby program.

Nite Light, who finished second as the favorite in last year's Excelsior, is back for another try in the Grade 3, $200,000 stakes race for older males at 1 1/8 miles.

Nite Light developed a reputation as a marathon specialist last year, but has run decently at nine furlongs. Trainer Todd Pletcher said the primary reason he entered Nite Light in the Excelsior was because two stakes races at 1 5/8 miles here failed to fill.

Eightyfiveinafifty, who flirted with the Triple Crown trail before bolting in the Whirlaway Stakes in February, returns to action in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore Stakes at seven furlongs.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Digger has gotten very good in this, his 6-year-old season. Just how good he has gotten will be determined Saturday when he takes on a solid field in the Grade 1, $250,000 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct.

The Carter is one of three supporting stakes on the 11-race program highlighted by the Grade 1, $750,000 Wood Memorial for 3-year-olds. Those two races, plus the $200,000 Bay Shore and $200,000 Excelsior Breeders' Cup will comprise an all-stakes pick four with a guaranteed pool of $500,000.

Michigan's summer Thoroughbred racing season has been reduced to three days following action by the state Gaming and Control Board, which cited budget constraints in cutting the season at Pinnacle Race Course from its original 65-day schedule.

The action has drawn the ire of the state's Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association executive board, which was scheduled to meet Wednesday evening in Lansing to discuss options.

"It's nonsensical - it verges on insane," said Gary Tinkle, executive director of the Michigan horsemen's association.

Handle in this economic climate seems only to head one direction: Down. But Hawthorne has bucked that trend during the month of March, actually posting handle gains over a similar period during the track's 2009 meeting.