ELMONT, N.Y. – Cross Border and Somelikeithotbrown give trainer Mike Maker a strong one-two combination in Saturday’s $150,000 Mohawk Stakes, scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf. The one caveat is that the two are a combined 0 for 7 at Belmont Park.

Granted, Cross Border’s last two starts at Belmont have come in Grade 1 stakes. He is facing New York-breds for the first time since he won the Lubash Stakes on July 22 at Saratoga. He is 3 for 3 versus statebreds, with all those wins coming in Saratoga.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The connections of Mr. Buff hope a return to New York-bred competition results in a return to the winner’s circle when the 6-year-old gelding seeks a repeat victory in the Empire Classic on Saturday at Belmont Park.

The Empire Classic – this year worth $175,000 compared to $300,000 last year – heads an 11-race card devoted entirely to New York-breds. There are eight stakes worth $1.2 million. First post is noon.

Apollitical Gold and HR Princess Jess, third and fifth in the $3 million All American Futurity on Sept. 7 at Ruidoso Downs, won divisions of the Golden State Million Futurity trials Sunday at Los Alamitos for trainer Eddie Willis to secure berths in the $1,104,550 final on Nov. 1.

HR Princess Jess, owned by Larry Rice, won the 10th of 12 trials, running 400 yards in 19.81 seconds for the sixth-fastest qualifying time. Apollitical Gold, owned by Grant Cox, won the eighth trial in 19.92 for the ninth-fastest qualifying time.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The New York Racing Association announced protocols for jockeys wishing to ride at the Aqueduct 18-day fall meet that runs from Nov. 6 through Dec. 6.

Those who are considered members of the Aqueduct jockey colony who ride at another track during the Aqueduct fall meet must provide two negative COVID-19 tests taken within a five-day window in order to return to Aqueduct. For example, those who ride the Nov. 7 Breeders’ Cup card at Keeneland would need to return to New York on Nov. 8 take a test that day and again on Nov. 12 to ride the Nov. 12 card.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Funny Guy, runner-up to Firenze Fire in the Grade 2 Vosburgh here Sept. 26, returned to the work tab Monday, going an easy half-mile in 49.98 seconds over the main track in company with fellow New York-bred Tale of the Union.

Trainer John Terranova said he would definitely want to stretch Funny Guy out in distance for his next start, which could come as early as this weekend in the $175,000 Empire Classic for New York-breds at 1 1/8 miles, or the following weekend in the Grade 3. $100,000 Bold Ruler Handicap going seven furlongs.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Led by Rushing Fall and Sistercharlie, five of trainer Chad Brown’s possible 12 Breeders’ Cup candidates put in workouts Monday morning over Belmont Park’s yielding inner turf course.

Rushing Fall, working on the outside, and Sistercharlie went five furlongs as a team in 1:02.80, coming home their final quarter in 24.58 seconds around orange cones, referred to as dogs, over a course that had plenty of give in it following weekend rains. It’s the type of course they could encounter at Keeneland in early November.

Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M., has a handful of allowance races for Thoroughbreds on its Wednesday card that should produce starters for next month’s New Mexico Cup.

The New Mexico Cup series of stakes for horses bred in the state is being run over two cards this meet rather than the traditional single program in October. The races for Quarter Horses are on Nov. 9, and the offerings for Thoroughbreds on Nov. 11

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Southern Phantom, the uniquely marked son of Bodemeister who commanded the attention of cameras from New York to Arkansas to Texas to Oklahoma, has been retired from racing, owner Danny Caldwell said.

Caldwell purchased Southern Phantom at auction as a racing prospect. The horse made three starts for the barn, with his best effort a fifth-place finish in a maiden special weight at Lone Star Park. Southern Phantom finished seventh at the same level in his last start, which came Sept. 16 at Remington. Overall, he ran 10 times, starting his career in New York.

Owner Danny Caldwell was looking for an Oklahoma-bred closer when he haltered Dont Tell Noobody at Lone Star Park for $15,000 in late July. He ended up with so much more.

Dont Tell Noobody upset the richest race on offer for Oklahoma-breds last Friday night at Remington Park, the $175,000 Oklahoma Classics Cup. He paid $81.40.

“I knew several horses who were going to be in the race and felt we could get a real hot and heavy pace,” Caldwell said. “One of the reasons I claimed him is because he’s a horse that likes to lay back.

MIAMI – In the aftermath of Boca Boy’s two-length, upset victory over the previously undefeated and odds-on favorite Breeze On By in the 1 1/16-mile In Reality Stakes, there was talk of taking the steadily improving 2-year-old to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland on Nov. 6.

But in the end, the decision of whether or not to go came down to a matter of dollars and sense.