Blame, winner of the Clark Handicap in his final start of 2009 and perhaps the top older horse stabled at Fair Grounds this winter, is about ready to head north and begin final preparations for his 2010 debut. Blame either will ship to Kentucky this weekend or a few days later, trainer Al Stall said.

Blame is scheduled to make his first start of the year on April 30 in the Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs, where he won the Clark in November.

"The Alysheba to the Stephen Foster is our tentative game plan," Stall said.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The postponement of the Grade 3 Cicada Stakes gave trainer Jason Servis a rare opportunity to thoroughly study a race before deciding to enter.

Having scoped out the competition, Servis decided the $100,000 Cicada for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday at Aqueduct was a reasonable spot for Southern Truth.

She wasn't among the eight entrants when the stakes was originally carded for March 13. That program was canceled due to heavy rain and high wind in the New York area and the stakes was delayed one week.

The 3-year-old colt Backtalk worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 on Wednesday morning at Fair Grounds, but his next race will not come at his current base in the March 27 Louisiana Derby.

"He had a very good work today," trainer Tom Amoss said in a text message. "The decision has been made to skip the Louisiana Derby and nominate to the Illinois Derby as well as the Wood Memorial, with a strong lean to the Illinois Derby."

Amoss said Miguel Mena would retain the mount on Backtalk in his next start.

Zenyatta returned to training at Hollywood Park on Wednesday, jogging two circuits on a backstretch training track, trainer John Shirreffs said.

Unbeaten in 15 starts for owners Jerry and Ann Moss, Zenyatta won her 2010 debut in the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Handicap at Santa Anita last Saturday. Wednesday, Shirreffs said Zenyatta is on schedule for a start in the $500,000 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park on April 9. Zenyatta won the 2008 Apple Blossom.

Fonner Park will try to bounce back from a rough weekend that saw the majority of last Saturday's card and all of Sunday's program canceled by wet track conditions.

An 11-race card featuring a trio of stakes is on tap for Saturday. The card will be followed by one of the biggest dance parties in the state as The Rumbles, a regional band out of Omaha, take the stage following the races. Action on the track is highlighted by the $25,000 Budweiser-Tondi Stakes. Defending champion The Nutz heads a list of 15 older horses nominated to the six-furlong race.

Santa Anita and Thoroughbred Owners of California officials met on Wednesday to discuss purse levels at the meeting, including the possibility of a need for a purse cut before the meeting ends on April 18.

Santa Anita vice president and general manager George Haines said that a "combination of things" have led to concern about purse levels, including a drop in ontrack and offtrack handle. He said the absence of a simulcasting signal from a group of Mid-Atlantic tracks from late December to mid-January also affected handle.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Blame wintertime rain for the two losses by Dynamic Range earlier at the Santa Anita meeting.

At least that's the perspective of trainer Julio Canani, who is anticipating a better performance from the 4-year-old Dynamic Range in the $150,000 San Luis Rey Handicap over 1 1/2 miles on turf here on Saturday.

Even though jockey Diego Saenz has been sidelined the last month with a broken collarbone, he will still win the Delta Downs riding title when the Vinton, La., meet closes Saturday night. Saenz was injured Feb. 17, after being thrown from a mount at the start of a race.

He leads the standings with 109 wins, 37 more than second-leading rider Don Simington. Saenz, 30, also will lead all riders in earnings when the meet closes, with his mounts having won $2,323,050 during the 91-night meet at Delta.

It's not clear when Saenz will be returning.

Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg will have a string of 16 horses this year at Thistledown.

With 6,395 winners, Van Berg, 73, is the second-winningest trainer in North American history, behind the late Dale Baird. In 1987 he became the first U.S. trainer to win 5,000 career races. In 1976, he saddled 496 winners, a record that stood for 28 years before being broken by Steve Asmussen, who sent out 555 horses to win in 2004. Van Berg's best horse was Alysheba, the 1988 Horse of the Year who earned more than $6.6 million.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Rule, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, will break from post 7 in a field of 11 3-year-olds entered for Saturday's $750,000 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.

Rule, the only graded stakes winner in the field, will be ridden by jockey John Velazquez.

"It's a good post for him," Velazquez said after the draw. "He should be able to get good position from there. He'll be forwardly placed but doesn't necessarily have to be on the lead."