They're not getting in a hurry with Mine That Bird.

The winner of last year's Kentucky Derby, Mine That Bird has been on vacation in New Mexico since the Breeders' Cup Classic and won't make his return to the races until later in the season, trainer Chip Woolley said.

"We haven't got him back up yet," Woolley said. "We're going to give him plenty of time. We're going to make sure we set up our year where we don't burn the horse too much early, so that he can be strong toward the end of the year.

Denis of Cork, one of the better early-season 3-year-olds of 2008, has been retired, trainer David Carroll said Friday.

Unraced since finishing second in the 2008 Belmont Stakes, Denis of Cork had posted six timed workouts preparing for a return to the races. But his most recent work came on Jan. 4, and Carroll said Denis of Cork had reinjured the right foreleg that had taken him out of training 1 1/2 years ago.

"He's still here with me, and we're letting him down right now," Carroll said. "He's the best racehorse I've had. It's just a shame."

NEW ORLEANS - Grade 1 winner Hot Dixie Chick had her first timed workout of 2010 on Thursday, but her breeze was a slow one, and the time and place of Hot Dixie Chick's 3-year-old debut remains up in the air, trainer Steve Asmussen said this week.

ARCADIA, Calif. - By late morning Friday, Santa Anita had sustained 7 1/2 inches of rain since last Sunday and track officials were assessing whether they would be able to race Saturday after a frustrating week in which the synthetic main track failed to drain sufficiently.

Prospects for racing were more optimistic for Sunday's nine-race program, which would allow for at least one day of racing on the weekend.

Duke of Mischief, who returned from a three-month freshening to upset the Grade 3 Ft. Lauderdale earlier this month, is one of seven horses who were pre-entered in both the Sunshine Millions Classic and Sunshine Millions Turf. The Classic will be run over the Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita with the Turf to be decided at Gulfstream.

Two horses tuning up for Saturday's Sunshine Millions Distaff had works over the fast strip at Gulfstream on Friday. Sweet Repent vanned over from Calder to breeze five-eighths in 59.48 seconds for trainer David Braddy, while Granted Tiger went seven furlongs in 1:27.20 for Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens.

Sweet Repent, who has won her last four starts including the Grade 3 Stage Door Betty Handicap over her home course, was forced to ship over to work, with Calder's main track closed this week for renovations.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The Mailet, who won the Grade 3 Miesque at Hollywood Park in her 2-year-old finale, broke down a quarter-mile into a five-furlong workout here at Gulfstream Park on Friday and was euthanized later in the morning.

After canceling Friday's live racing card, Turf Paradise announced it would also scrap the Saturday racing program, making the third straight live card that has been lost because of poor weather. The track had also canceled Wednesday and was then dark Thursday.

Heavy rain barraged the Phoenix area this week and made the track surface unusable. The track will remain open for full-card simulcasting Saturday, and officials are hopeful live racing can resume Sunday. First post is scheduled for 12:25 p.m.

WHO'S HOT

Rajiv Maragh

After getting off to a 1-for-27 start in the first six days of the meet and making our last "Who's Not" list, Maragh caught fire and jumped to the top of the "Who's Hot" parade by winning eight races in the second full week of the session, including four on Thursday, Jan. 14. A mainstay the last several winters in New York, it would appear Maragh and his agent, Richard DePass, have made a sound decision taking their business to south Florida this year.

Javier Castellano

TRACK TRENDS

The constraints winter weather places on track maintenance typically makes for a slower surface in the early part of the Oaklawn Park meet. But over opening weekend Jan. 15-18, some of the fractional and final times here were downright tortoise-like.