The last time Phil Bauer spent any length of time at Oaklawn Park it was working as an assistant trainer to Ken McPeek.

Bauer will return to the track as a head trainer this meet, with a 10-horse division in place for the season that opens Jan. 22. Bauer also has a division of horses at Fair Grounds.

“With the numbers that we have, we’re going to split horses this year,” he said.

Bauer is a private trainer for the Rigney Racing operation of Richard and Tammy Rigney. He took out his trainer’s license in 2013.

Trainer Ken McPeek won both of the stakes he had starters in on the Springboard Mile card at Remington Park on Friday night, taking the $75,000 She’s All In with Jeweled Princess and the $60,000 Trapeze with Oliviaofthedesert. Both horses invaded from Keeneland, and are now headed to McPeek’s farm in Florida.

“They’ll be going to Florida to get a rest,” McPeek said Saturday. “Both have been going all year. They’re both really professional. I was real pleased with the season they had and glad to top it off with a stakes win.”

Senor Buscador is being pointed to a Kentucky Derby prep race following his commanding win in Friday night’s $200,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park.

The horse roared to a 5 3/4-length victory over Cowan, covering the mile for 2-year-olds in 1:37.87. For the effort, Senor Buscador earned a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 93.

The morning after his race, trainer Todd Fincher was traveling with Senor Buscador.

“I’m driving down the road listening to Christmas music,” Fincher said Saturday. “He’s in the trailer behind me. We’re going to Houston.”

The Virginia Racing Commission on Thursday approved a 21-day 2021 race meeting for Colonial Downs.

The season is schedule to span July 19 through Sept. 1 with racing on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Purses are projected to average roughly $500,000 per day.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -- All stakes race run at Gulfstream Park will be run Lasix-free effective Jan. 1, 2021, the track's parent company, 1/ST Racing, announced Friday. Among the races affected by new the medication-free format are the $3 million Pegasus World Up Invitational and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational on Jan. 23 as well as the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 27.  

The race developed in a manner different than expected, but apprentice jockey Emily Ellingwood recorded her first career win in Thursday’s fourth race at Los Alamitos on 15-1 Billy K.

Ellingwood hoped to send Billy K to the front, but that idea changed rapidly after the 3-year-old filly was bumped at the start.

“The plan was to get her on the lead,” Ellingwood recalled Friday. “She prefers to be on the lead. That didn’t work out because I did get bumped coming out of the gate. I got her in a good spot where I could go between two horses.

Red Lark, winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks in August, worked five furlongs in 1:02.60 on Friday at Santa Anita for the Grade 1 American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita.

“She seems nice and she seems happy,” trainer Paddy Gallagher said.

Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Red Lark was fourth in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on Oct. 10 at Keeneland, closing from last in a field of seven to finish 1 3/4 lengths behind race winner Harvey’s Lil Goil.

Acting Out, winner of consecutive allowance races at Del Mar and Los Alamitos in November and earlier this month, is scheduled to have her stakes debut in the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes at six furlongs on turf Jan. 9 at Santa Anita.

A 3-year-old filly, Acting Out could give trainer Art Sherman his first stakes win since California Chrome’s victory in the Los Alamitos Winter Challenge in December 2016. California Chrome won his second Horse of the Year title in 2016.

Acting Out has developed rapidly in recent months for Sherman, 83.

An Arkansas rule change that now gives Oaklawn Park the ability to write Kentucky Derby points races like the Arkansas Derby as Lasix-free events was approved Friday by a state legislative review committee. The panel also gave final approval to other rules and amendments recently passed by the Arkansas Racing Commission.

Byron Freeland, attorney for the commission, said the rules will go into effect before the start of the Oaklawn meet. The season opens Jan. 22.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen is dominating the standings at Remington Park, which closes its meet Tuesday. He entered Friday night’s card with 72 wins, which is 46 more than second-leading trainer Austin Gustafson. Asmussen’s trainees have earned more than $1.3 million, which is tops this meet at Remington.

Heading into the Friday card, Asmussen led the owner standings by two wins over Danny Caldwell, 23-21.