Robert King, who has worn several different hats through his racing career, has been named the 2009 recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award.

The Gomez Award is given to a jockey who is Canadian-born, Canadian-raised, or has been a regular rider in the country for more than five years and has made significant contributions to the sport.

Presented annually at Woodbine on the day of the Woodbine Oaks, which will be run June 7 this year, the award is in memory of the talented and popular Gomez, who died after a three-horse accident in the 1980 Oaks.

ELMONT, N.Y. - A week before the 141st Belmont Stakes, jockey Kent Desormeaux got acquainted with his mount, guiding Summer Bird through a five-furlong work in 1:01.67 Saturday morning over a Belmont main track labeled fast, but one that still had moisture in it from Friday's rains.

Summer Bird, the sixth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby, was one of three Belmont candidates to work on Saturday. The Nick Zito-trained duo of Brave Victory and Miner's Escape went four furlongs in company in 48.55 seconds.

Fueledbymoonshine upset a field of 11 Indiana-bred and -sired fillies and mares in the $70,000 Shelby County at Indiana Downs Friday evening. She returned $33.40.

Trained by Ron Brown, Fueledbymoonshine stayed just off the early pace under jockey Jesse Garcia before rallying on the turn to take the lead. She held off a lat- charging Burke's Sister to prevail by a head in the six-furlong event. Burke's Sister, under Aldo Canchano, was a half-length in front of Brean Can in third. Fueldbymoonshine ran the six furlongs in 1.10.60 over a fast track.

St John's Gospel looked so good on paper that bettors pounded him down to 1-10 in a field of eight 3-year-old Pennsylvania-bred and Pennsylvania-sired sprinters. Then he proceeded to justify that support by running down pacesetter Count the Gold and drawing off to a 1 3/4-length victory in Friday night's Power by Far Stakes at Penn National.

The $100,000 Power by Far was the richest of four stakes on a card with a track-record $418,000 worth of purses.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Musket Man returned to Derek Ryan's barn at Monmouth Park on Wednesday, ending a brief vacation on a nearby farm for the third-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.

He will resume jogging Sunday with the $1 million Haskell Invitational, the richest race of the meet, on Aug. 2, the long-range objective.

Ryan does not plan on running Musket Man prior to the Haskell. Musket Man will resume serious galloping next week.

"He had a little busman's holiday," Ryan said. "There are only eight weeks to go. Time goes fast."

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Jonesboro and Song of Navarone are headed in separate directions after earning career-best Beyer Figures last week when finishing close behind It's a Bird in the Grade 3, $400,000 Lone Star Park Handicap.

Jonesboro, who was second by a head with a Beyer of 107, could run next in Iowa, said his trainer Randy Morse. Song of Navarone, the third-place finisher, was beaten a half-length for a Beyer of 106. He is under consideration for races in Southern California, according to his trainer, Henry Dominguez.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Bucephalus and Keino West showed enough as 2-year-olds to be considered viable candidates for the Queen's Plate heading into their 2009 campaigns.

On Sunday, both Bucephalus and Keino West will be looking to validate that earlier promise for training cousins Kevin Attard and Steve Attard when they compete in the Plate Trial.

The 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial, which is the major stepping-stone to the 1 1/4-mile Queen's Plate here June 21, attracted a field of 10, nine of whom remain eligible for the open first-level allowance condition.

Lone Star Park near Dallas has canceled five stakes races in July because of continued decline in business, the track announced late Friday. The move comes a week after Lone Star's overnight purses were cut 6 percent and its $50,000 Alysheba on June 27 was canceled because of a drop in handle on its live races compared with the corresponding meet in 2008.

The Ontario Racing Commission has announced a pilot project for whip use in Thoroughbred racing.

The initiative requires all jockeys in the first two races of every card at Woodbine from Wednesday through June 28 to use a "Lite Touch" whip.

The whips, shorter than traditional ones, include three rows of feathers at least one inch in length and a rubber, natural-stitch, or open-leather looped "popper."

Belmont Park, the New York racetrack that will host the third leg of the Triple Crown next Saturday, has been accredited by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Safety and Integrity Alliance, the NTRA announced on Friday.