The first three weeks of the Del Mar summer meeting have not been kind to trainer Phil D’Amato.

Through Sunday, D’Amato had 1 win from 31 runners, far below his normal productivity. Last summer at Del Mar, D’Amato had 20 wins from 83 starters, and was second in the trainers’ standings to Peter Miller, who had 28 wins.

“We’re definitely not where we want to be,” D’Amato said. “Things have been zigging and we’ve been zagging – bad posts and you name it.

Sword Zorro, winner of the Singletary Stakes at Santa Anita in April, will be trainer John Sadler’s lone starter in Sunday’s Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap for 3-year-olds on turf at Del Mar.

Sadler said on Wednesday that Rock Your World, the winner of the Santa Anita Derby in April, will be held out of the $150,000 La Jolla Handicap in favor of the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 4.

“He’s doing beautifully,” Sadler said. “We’re going to wait for a little more spacing for the Del Mar Derby.”

Trainer Wesley Ward has no shortage of 2-year-old turf sprinters, and he’ll take his time figuring out what comes next for the filly Miss Alacrity, who won the Miss Colleen Stakes by an easy 2 3/4 lengths Sunday at Monmouth.

Leader of the Band will be aimed toward the $150,000 Cathryn Sophia Stakes on Aug. 24 at Parx Racing and could get a look in the Grade 1 Cotillion there in September if she performs well.

Leader of the Band won her second race and first stakes when she swept to victory Saturday at Monmouth Park in the Grade 3, $250,000 Monmouth Oaks. Leader of the Band beat favored Edie Meeny Miny Mo by two lengths, her time of 1:43.44 for 1 1/16 miles on dirt producing a career-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure.

Three longshots on Sunday’s card at Monmouth yielded an unhittable early pick-five sequence, which has produced a two-day carryover of more than $200,000 into Friday’s six-race program.

The early pick five, which has a 50-cent minimum, covers races 2 through 6 on Friday’s card. The carryover pool stands at $201,341 and the sequence looks challenging. First post is 5 p.m. Eastern.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Tom Albertrani said Wednesday that plans are up in the air for the popular 8-year-old Sadler’s Joy, whose career earnings are approaching the $2.7 million mark. Sadler’s Joy hasn’t raced since finishing fourth in the Grand Couturier at Belmont in June.

“He’s here at Saratoga and we aren’t quite sure what we’ll do with him next,” said Albertrani. “We might try to get one or two more races out of him, try to find a couple of softer spots, perhaps a race like the John’s Call.

Trainer Tim Hamm reported Wednesday that Dayoutoftheoffice, the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up who was expected to be among the key contenders for Saturday’s Grade 1 Test, has been retired.  Hamm owns Dayoutoftheoffice with Siena Farm.

My Sassenach, whose 8 1/4-length romp in the $100,000 Desert Vixen at Gulfstream Park on Saturday was her first win, will run back in the next race for fillies in the Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-olds, but trainer David Braddy is making no commitments beyond that.

My Sassenach ran second in her lone start before the six-furlong Desert Vixen. The Uncaptured filly, a $152,000 purchase earlier this year by the Champions Equine of Michael Sucher, now proceeds to the $200,000 Susan’s Girl, a seven-furlong race Aug. 28.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Chiefswood Stables general manager Robert Landry said a final decision has yet to be made regarding whether Weyburn will contest the $1 million Queen’s Plate here Aug. 22.

Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, Weyburn took the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct in March before ending up fourth there in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 3. Following a break, he was second to Mandaloun in the June 13 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth. The son of Pioneerof the Nile is coming off a fading fourth-place finish in last Saturday’s Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga.

HENDERSON, Ky. – The two biggest weekends of the summer at Ellis Park are just ahead.

Seven previews toward the rich Kentucky Downs meet will be run over the Ellis turf this coming weekend, while the richest program of the 31-day meet is set for Aug. 15.

Lineups are already set for Saturday, when three $100,000 previews and the $60,000 Tri-State will be run. Sunday will bring four more previews – the $125,000 preview toward the Kentucky Turf Cup and three for $100,000 apiece.