SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Erik Johnston, who three weeks ago announced his retirement from his position as director of racing and sportsbook at Penn National, was named stakes coordinator at the New York Racing Association, it was announced Friday.

Johnston will replace Andrew Byrnes, who has held the position since 1999 but who announced earlier this year that he was retiring at the end of the Saratoga meet. Johnston will assume his duties as stakes coordinator beginning Oct. 3.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mo Plex, the Grade 3 Ohio Derby winner who finished fourth behind Sovereignty in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy, will make his next start in the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 20 at Parx Racing, trainer Jeremiah Englehart said.

“I’d like to give him another shot against open company,” Englehart said. “The last two Pennsylvania Derby winners lost in the Jim Dandy and won their next start in Pennsylvania.”

Englehart said he considered the Albany Stakes for New York-breds on Aug. 21 but felt that race was too close to the Jim Dandy.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Captain Cook, winner of the Withers Stakes at Aqueduct in February, has been transferred by owners Vinnie and Teresa Viola from Rick Dutrow to Todd Pletcher and will be considered for multiple upcoming stakes, including the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens on Aug. 23.

On Friday, Captain Cook worked a half-mile in 48.83 seconds in company with the Grade 1-winning filly Candied over Saratoga’s main track. It was Captain Cook’s first work for Pletcher and first since he ran third in the Maxfield Stakes on June 29 at Churchill Downs.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Goal Oriented, third in the Grade 1 Haskell in his most recent start, worked seven furlongs in 1:23.80 on Friday morning at Del Mar for an anticipated start in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes on Aug. 23 at Saratoga.

Goal Oriented, trained by Bob Baffert, worked in company with Barnes, who is one of three horses Baffert is planning to run in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens on the Travers undercard.

Over the last five years, Brad Cox has trained 97 3-year-old turf winners and 445 3-year-old dirt winners. He’s won 111 sophomore dirt stakes during that span, 21 such turf stakes. But this summer, Cox packs a potent one-two punch with 3-year-old grass fillies. About a month after Fionn captured the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, chasing down divisional leader Nitrogen, Destino D’Oro turned in an excellent performance winning the Pucker Up by almost four lengths on Aug. 3 at Ellis Park.