Frank Garcia, a longtime fixture at Santa Anita as a stable gate attendant, died recently after an extended illness. Garcia was 58.

Anyone who drove past the horsemen’s entrance to the east side of the stable area, or to a nearby valet parking lot frequented by horse owners and trainers, likely encountered Garcia in recent decades.

Based at that highly-traveled location of the racetrack property, Garcia warmly greeted people from all aspects of racing, from backstretch and track employees, front office executives as well as owners, trainers and jockeys.

Straight No Chaser, the 2024 champion sprinter, continues to progress toward his first American start of the year at Santa Anita next month after working five furlongs in 1:01 at Del Mar on Thursday.

Straight No Chaser won the Group 2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia in February, but was eighth of 11 in the Group 1 Golden Shaheen Sprint in Dubai on April 6 in his last start. Owned by the My Racehorse syndicate and trained by Dan Blacker, Straight No Chaser is scheduled to start in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship at six furlongs on Sept. 28.

Baeza, second or third in four major stakes for 3-year-olds since early April, is likely to run in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on Sept. 20, trainer John Shirreffs confirmed on Wednesday.

Owned by Lee and Susan Searing’s CRK Stables, Baeza finished second by a length to divisional leader Sovereignty in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga on July 26 in his last start. Earlier this year, Baeza was third in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and Belmont Stakes at Saratoga.

Led by the three-time stakes winner Thought Process, the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on Saturday has an expected field of 12 3-year-old fillies.

Thought Process, an easy winner of the Grade 2 San Clemente Stakes at a mile on turf for 3-year-old fillies at Del Mar on July 19, is one of two fillies trained by Phil D'Amato in the big field. He also starts Slick, who finished third in an allowance race at a mile on turf at Del Mar on July 20.

There were times in the 1960s and 1970s that jockey James Dreyer was in the winner’s circle of nearly every major race at Los Alamitos, and a few in New Mexico.

Dreyer rode such famous horses as Charger Bar, Go Josie Go, and Go Derussa Go in an 18-year career that included 535 wins, including 46 stakes at Los Alamitos.

But his success as a jockey was only part of a lifelong involvement in Quarter Horse racing at the Southern California track, and other venues. Dreyer later worked in the track’s racing office, and as a steward from 2003 until a few months ago.