ARCADIA, Calif. - Santa Anita will not race at all on April 9 and 16, and will not race on turf on April 10 and 11 to give the turf course a brief rest next month in advance of the final months of the winter-spring meeting, track officials said Saturday.

As a result of those added off days, there will be a gap of nearly two weeks without turf racing from April 5-16 for maintenance, racing secretary Chris Merz said. The course will be used extensively through the conclusion of the current meeting on June 20.

Sam Houston Race Park on Sunday announced overnight purses will be increased for the second time this meet beginning with Wednesday’s program.

Sam Houston will increase all main-track overnight races by $6,000 each and all turf overnight races by $1,000 each. In addition, the track on Friday received Texas Racing Commission approval to add a card to the meet on March 31.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Concert Tour and Hozier were headed home to Southern California on Sunday after running a respective one-two in the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel Stakes the day before at Oaklawn Park.

Concert Tour, who was trainer Bob Baffert’s eighth winner in the Rebel, earned 50 points toward a Kentucky Derby berth – and a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 94. Hozier, who finished 4 1/2 lengths back in second, earned 20 points for the Kentucky Derby.

“They came out of the race great, are on a plane as we speak,” Baffert said Sunday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The lightly raced but extremely promising 3-year-old Collaborate served notice he could be a force to reckon with in the Grade 1 Florida Derby by bouncing out of his recent, one-sided maiden win with a strong work Sunday morning at Gulfstream Park.

Placed in company with the older, stakes-winning filly Sound Machine, Collaborate went four furlongs in 46.93, completing his final quarter in 22.84 going easily while kept nearest the rail throughout. He galloped out five-eighths slightly in front of his mate in 1:00.44. 

Mandaloun, Proxy, and Midnight Bourbon filled the top three slots in the Lecomte Stakes in January and in the Risen Star Stakes in February, and now the leading trio of 3-year-olds stabled this winter in New Orleans top the eight entries for the March 20 Louisiana Derby.

Rush hour Saturday in New Orleans came at 5:45 a.m. out on the Fair Grounds dirt oval.

Dozens of horses, whose connections wanted a piece of a pristine, freshly groomed track surface, worked within about 15 minutes, including three Louisiana Derby hopefuls who breezed one after the other. Among that trio was the likely race favorite, Mandaloun, the Risen Star Stakes winner who went in company with recent Fair Grounds maiden winner Warrant and got an official clocking of 1:00.60 over five furlongs.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Risk Taking, the Withers Stakes winner, and Nicky the Vest, winner of the Gander Stakes, both put in workouts Saturday morning over the Belmont Park training track in preparation for the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 3.

Risk Taking, working in company with the 4-year-old maiden winner Mister Winston, went five furlongs in 1:02.23 seconds. Nicky the Vest, working in company with the unraced 3-year-old War Terminator, went five furlongs in 1:03.28. The training track did not yield quick times most of a cold, dry morning.

Greatest Honour turned in the first of his two scheduled works in preparation for the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 27, breezing an easy half-mile in company Saturday morning at Payson Park.

The work was his first since rallying to a 1 1/2-length victory over Drain the Clock in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park two weeks ago.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez looks to be on his way to winning a fifth Aqueduct winter meet training title, but this has not been a pleasant week for the veteran conditioner.

On Wednesday, Rodriguez was putting the 3-year-old Hyperactive Chris through a workout when that horse broke down near the wire on the Belmont training track. Rodriguez was thrown hard to the track and said he felt some discomfort in his ribs, neck, and back. Unfortunately, Hyperactive Chris, who had finished second in his lone start, had to be euthanized.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – As part of his Hall of Fame career, trainer Jonathan Sheppard dominated the Grade 1 New York Turf Writers Cup Steeplechase, winning the summer staple at Saratoga a remarkable 15 times.

Beginning this year, the race will now literally have his name on it.

The New York Racing Association and the National Steeplechase Association announced Friday that the New York Turf Writers will be renamed for Sheppard beginning with this year’s running on Aug. 19.