NEW ORLEANS – Grant Forster is running Pirate’s Punch in the Mineshaft Stakes on Saturday at Fair Grounds, and out of curiosity he started poking around in stakes histories to see what sort of horses had won the Mineshaft. In fact, Mineshaft, the horse himself, won this race as a 4-year-old in 2003 when it was called the Whirlaway. Earlier in the Fair Grounds meet, Mineshaft, who’d begun his career in England, won a second-level dirt-route allowance race. Robby Albarado was his jockey.

NEW ORLEANS – It’s not like trainer Mike Stidham has trained dozens of world-class horses, but plenty of talented animals have passed through his barn during a long training career, perhaps none as talented as the 3-year-old filly Alms.

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NEW ORLEANS – The Fair Grounds track apron nearly was deserted for the first couple sets of horses Monday morning, but one trainer, Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, was down on the fence with his stopwatch.

Among several Asmussen horses to work were his starters for important stakes here this Saturday – Finite, who runs in the Rachel Alexandra, and Silver State, who’s part of the first division of the Risen Star Stakes.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The biggest name on the work tab around the local area Monday was Tiz the Law, who turned in his first breeze since his impressive triumph in the Grade 3 Holy Bull on Feb. 1 at Gulfstream. Tiz the Law’s connections confirmed they are pointing him to the $1 million Florida Derby here March 28 for his final Kentucky Derby prep.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Chance It continued his preparations for the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth on Feb. 29 by working five furlongs in 59.56 seconds on Sunday and galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.79 with jockey Tyler Gaffalione aboard. The work was the third for Chance It since his victory over As Seen On Tv in the one-mile Mucho Macho Man on Jan. 4.

:: Fountain of Youth Day 2020: News, analysis, picks, past performances, and more

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Fresh off his second consecutive Eclipse Award-winning season, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. is certainly giving every indication he’s not about to take his foot off the gas pedal in quest of a third consecutive title in 2020.

Ortiz went on a memorable roll late last week, winning 13 races over a three-day span beginning Friday and culminating with six victories on Sunday’s program, including five of the six legs of the Rainbow 6 sequence.

HALLANDALE BEACH , Fla. – Restless Rider will make her first start since a disappointing run in the Kentucky Oaks when she is part of a competitive field Saturday in the Grade 3, $150,000 Royal Delta at Gulfstream. Entries for the 1 1/16-mile race will be drawn Wednesday.

Trainer Kenny McPeek said he would like to run Restless Rider in the Apple Blossom on April 18 at Oaklawn, “with maybe a race in between”

“This should be a good first race to start with,” he said.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Between Gulfstream Park and Aqueduct, Danny Gargan has won at a 40 percent clip over the last two months. And the Kentucky-born trainer has no intent of slowing down.

“When you’ve got good owners and good horses like I do right now, you ought to win at a high percentage,” Gargan said. “I’m very fortunate to have both.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – The top California-bred sprinter Fashionably Fast continued his strong training in preparation for a bid at a two-turn race with a sharp drill Sunday morning at Santa Anita, when he went five furlongs in 1:01 on the training track under his regular rider, Tiago Pereira.

Winner of five straight, most recently the Cal Cup Sprint on Jan. 18, Fashionably Fast is scheduled to make his next start in the Tiznow Stakes on March 1. It’s against fellow Cal-breds, but is at one mile.

Flavien Prat will ride Kentucky Derby prospect Dennis’ Moment when he makes his 3-year-old debut in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 29, trainer Dale Romans said Monday.

:: Fountain of Youth Day 2020: News, analysis, picks, past performances, and more