ARCADIA, Calif. – The decision came down to law books or riding horses earlier this year for Jessica Pyfer.

The law books are on the shelf.

Pyfer, a 10-pound apprentice jockey, began her career at Santa Anita on Sept. 25 and rode her first winner with her sixth mount in the final race on Friday.

“It was awesome,” Pyfer recalled on Sunday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Juan Hernandez finished the Del Mar summer meeting last month with 29 wins, good enough for fourth in the standings. Understandably, Hernandez had high expectations for the current Santa Anita autumn meeting and has thrived since the start of the five-week season on Sept. 25.

Through Sunday, Hernandez was second in the standings with 15 wins, one win behind leader Flavien Prat. Hernandez has been boosted by four three-win days at the meeting, the most recent occurring on Friday and Saturday.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 17-day Keeneland fall meet hits its exact midpoint Wednesday when a pair of allowances (races 4 and 7) for females anchor an eight-race card that starts at the usual 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

Race 4 is a $71,000, first-level allowance route for which Market Rumor is the 7-5 program favorite when facing five other fillies and mares. The Ian Wilkes-trained filly most recently was a close second in the Sept. 7 Weber City Miss at Laurel Park.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Amid what’s supposedly a down period, Dale Romans sure does have a lot of bullets for the Breeders’ Cup.

Last year, Romans totaled his fewest number of wins, 36, since 1997 and his lowest stable earnings, $3.08 million, since 2002. With still two-plus months to go in 2020, his wins (30) and earnings ($2.55 million) are on pace to surpass 2019, but not by much – unless he has a big showing at the Nov. 6-7 Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Brandon Boulanger was suspended three days and three riders were fined $100 to $200 for recent violations of strict whip rules that went into effect Oct. 1 in California. The riders were cited for instances in races at Santa Anita on Oct. 4, and on Friday and Saturday.

Riders are limited to six under-handed strikes per race and no more than two strikes in succession without giving a horse a chance to respond. The rules were approved by the California Horse Racing Board in June and went into effect earlier this month.

ARCADIA, Calif. - An all-star team of Breeders’ Cup hopefuls worked at Santa Anita over the weekend led by Sunday appearances from top older horses Improbable and Maximum Security.

Improbable, the winner of three consecutive Grade 1 races since early June, worked a half-mile in 47.20 seconds, a time slightly faster than Maximum Security’s clocking of 47.80 seconds.

Improbable and Maximum Security were first and second in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 26, their final prep races for the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Tim Hamm’s decision to give Dayoutoftheoffice a mid-summer break should have her a pretty fresh horse entering the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies next month at Keeneland. Her performance in Saturday’s Grade 1 Frizette makes her a dangerous one as well.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The big question surrounding Jackie’s Warrior entering the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile will be his ability to get two turns and 1 1/16 miles. His rider, Joel Rosario, seems to be confident it won’t be a problem for the undefeated 2-year-old.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Shug McGaughey has taken the conservative route with Civil Union most of the year. But after her victory over My Sister Nat in Saturday’s Grade 1 Flower Bowl Stakes at Belmont Park, and after consulting with owner Joe Allen, McGaughey will send Civil Union to Keeneland for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 7.

Owner Joe Allen “feels like if she comes out of it well, it’s worth taking a chance,” McGaughey said Sunday morning.

As of Sunday, at least, Civil Union came out of the victory in good shape.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Leading trainer Mark Casse’s tremendous roll with his 2-year-olds at Woodbine continued when he captured Saturday’s $250,400 Cup and Saucer Stakes with Master Spy.

Owned by Tracy Farmer, Master Spy is well regarded by Patrick Husbands, who won the Cup and Saucer for the sixth time on him. It was the fifth win in the turf route for Casse, who said the Silent Name colt is a prospect for next year’s Queen’s Plate. His half-brother, Cool Catomine, won the second leg of the 2017 Canadian Triple Crown, the Prince of Wales at Fort Erie.