OZONE PARK, N.Y. – These are both successful and stressful times for trainer Linda Rice.

Coming off a fabulous 2019, where she won 145 races and amassed a personal-best $7.25 million in purse earnings, Rice is rapidly closing in on a milestone achievement. Entering Thursday’s card at Aqueduct, Rice has won 1,996 races. As early as this weekend, she will become just the third female trainer to achieve 2,000 career wins. Kim Hammond and Kathleen O’Connell are the other two women to hit that mark. Rice is the leading female trainer in stakes wins (198) and graded stakes (46).

A pair of female-restricted sprint races at the same class level – $40,000 claiming or second-level allowance – highlight a 10-race Thursday card at Fair Grounds. Race 7, the more interesting of the two, is carded for about 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, while race 8 is at six furlongs on dirt.

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. had himself quite a weekend. Not only did he win three stakes on Saturday – the Grade 3 Kitten’s Joy with Island Commish, the Mucho Macho Man with Chance It, and the Glitter Woman with Sound Machine – but he came back to register two more victories the following afternoon. He is now tied atop the trainer standings with Todd Pletcher and Jorge Navarro with a dozen wins apiece for the meet, and is in first place in money earned with more than $510,000 through Sunday.

Taraz, a Juddmonte Farms homebred Into Mischief filly who has started her career with a pair of blowout wins, worked a half-mile in 49.60 seconds Sunday at Fair Grounds, but trainer Brad Cox later in the day wouldn’t commit Taraz to a specific race.

Sycamore Run’s debut maiden sprint win Dec. 21 impressed his connections sufficiently that they’ll try him Jan. 18 in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes.

With marquee races such as the Sam F. Davis and Tampa Bay Derby straight ahead, there will be more good stories to come out of Tampa Bay Downs as the 2019-20 race meet continues to unfold.

But few will be able to top Merango Tango staying unbeaten by winning an $8,000 claiming race on Dec. 27 at the Oldsmar, Fla., track.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The six-time graded stakes winner Marley’s Freedom will be bred to Quality Road this year, owner Ron Perry said on Sunday.

Marley’s Freedom won 9 of 18 starts and earned $1,233,935. Trained initially by Bob Hess Jr., and later by Bob Baffert, Marley’s Freedom won her final start in the Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos last July.

ARCADIA, Calif. – After Saturday’s program at Santa Anita, trainer Richard Baltas sat atop the national trainers’ standings with stable earnings of $255,480.

Baltas took no chances. He memorialized the moment.

“I took of picture of it because it won’t last,” Baltas joked on Sunday morning.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Maximum Security and Omaha Beach top a list of 17 horses that have been invited to the $3 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 25. Maximum Security, the favorite to be named the 3-year-old Eclipse Award winner in 2019, is not expected to compete in the fourth running of the World Cup, being pointed instead for the $20 million Saudi Cup. Omaha Beach is already on the grounds at Gulfstream Park and preparing for his career finale in the World Cup.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – For those who can’t wait to see a rematch between Chance It and As Seen On Tv following their thrilling and thoroughly entertaining head-to-head, stretch-long battle in Saturday’s $100,000 Mucho Macho Man Stakes, the wait may be a short one.