LEXINGTON, Ky. - Jockey John Velazquez was released Saturday afternoon from the University of Kentucky Medical Center, some 24 hours after suffering a severe concussion in a spill during the stretch run of the seventh race on the opening-day card at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Velazquez, 37, will not be able to ride until further notice, according to Kim Valerio, racing manager for the owner of the horse he fell from. Velazquez was taken off his Saturday mounts at Belmont Park and his Sunday mounts at Keeneland.

White Spar rallied smartly to capture the $50,000 Luke Kruytbosch Stakes Friday, opening day of Turf Paradise's 53rd season.

Owned by Dennis Weir and trained by Kevin Lewis, White Spar, the 6-5 favorite, rallied under Daniel Vergara to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1.09.04. He paid $4.40 and the winner's share of $30,000 pushes his earnings to $155,447 from five wins in nine starts.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Arson Squad celebrated his return to a dirt track with a rousing 2 1/2-length win over Anak Nakal on Friday night in the Grade 2, $350,000 Meadowlands Cup.

The victory was the first for the 5-year-old gelding since the 2007 Strub Stakes at Santa Anita, the last time he had competed on dirt.

Skylighter lit up the tote board after drawing off in late stretch to win the Grade 2, $400,000 Indiana Oaks at Hoosier Park on Friday evening. Trained by Robert Frankel, Skylighter has won her last three races dating back to her maiden victory May 11 at Belmont Park.

The 4-year-old had a ground-saving trip early under jockey Eddie Castro, while stalking the pacesetters in the 10-horse field. Castro took Skylighter outside on the far turn and rallied into the stretch, drawing off late to win by three widening lengths.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - It seems that most of the trainers that nominated horses for the $100,000 Premiers next Sunday were not aware of the conditions of the race. Although it clearly states in the stakes book that it is an allowance stakes and that horses that haven't won $30,000 at a mile or over at least once this year will get some weight off, trainers were under the impression that it was a scale-weight stakes.

STICKNEY, Ill. - Horseplayers regularly encounter the horse known as the professional maiden. It's uncertain at what point the line marking the edge of professional maidendom is crossed - 15 starts without a win? 20? - but handicappers think they know one when they see one.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Opening day of the Keeneland fall meet was as eventful as it was beautiful. On a postcard-perfect Friday afternoon, come-from-behind victories by Forever Together and Dream Empress in back-to-back Grade 1 stakes were preceded by a frightening spill that fortunately resulted in no apparent serious injuries to jockeys or their mounts.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Zaftig proved she was a talented filly when she blew past Indian Blessing to win the Grade 1 Acorn here on June 7. If she's successful in her next start, Zaftig will prove to be truly something special.

MIAMI - A return trip to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile does not appear to be in the cards for Gottcha Gold, who finished second after setting the pace in the inaugural running of that event last fall at Monmouth Park.

Gottcha Gold recently returned to his old stomping grounds at Calder, where he worked a mile in 1:44.20 on Friday over a fast but still somewhat cuppy racetrack. The work should set him up nicely for the Grade 3 Spend a Buck Handicap here on Oct. 18.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Le Cinquieme Essai, a 9-year-old gelding who earned $1,424,605 in a career that spanned eight seasons and 33 starts, has been retired.

The decision was made after Le Cinquieme Essai, making his third start of the season, finished last of four in an open allowance race over one mile on turf here last Sunday.

"He came out of his race okay," said Paul Nielsen, who trains Le Cinquieme Essai for his owner and breeder, Bill Scott. "He's just lost a step or two, so we're going to call it a day. It's sad when it happens, but you know it's coming."