HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Todd Pletcher said he plans to put off any decisions on where to run his long list of Kentucky Derby hopefuls until after Saturday’s Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. But one top 3-year-old in the barn whose itinerary has been set is Battalion Runner, who Pletcher said will not run again until the Grade 1 Florida Derby here on April 1.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Mark Casse reported on Thursday that 2016 2-year-old male champion Classic Empire is doing well after popping an abscess in his foot. The abscess was discovered less than 48 hours after his third-place finish as the heavy favorite in last Saturday’s Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

“The good news is I’ve seen these foot abscesses last a long time, but if all goes well he’ll go back to the track to train on Friday,” said Casse.

A couple of weeks after trainer Mike Maker started three horses in the Grade 3 John B. Connally Turf Cup at Sam Houston and watched them run 1-2-3, he is running another trio, this time at Turfway Park in the $50,000 WEBN Stakes on Saturday evening, with En Hanse, Hey Mike, and Hunka Burning Love.

He isn’t about to predict another Maker-trained trifecta.

“They got to beat Wesley,” he said, referring to trainer Wesley Ward, whose has two entrants in the 12-horse WEBN, Star Empire and Bound for Nowhere, although only one is likely to race.

OLDSMAR, Fla. – McCraken already has shown that he can win a major race at Churchill Downs, and on Saturday, he can prove that he’s deserving of another trip to the Louisville track for the Kentucky Derby on May 6.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Although tempted to launch Three Rules’s 3-year-old campaign in the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park last weekend, trainer Jose Pinchin stuck to his original plan and began the year on a more conservative note in the seven-furlong Swale.

And despite seeing Three Rules drop a three-quarter-length decision to Favorable Outcome in the Grade 2 Swale and then watching 2-year-old male champion Classic Empire disappoint in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull, Pinchin does not regret his decision.

Maryland racing pulled off a somewhat amazing triple last Saturday when Laurel Park-based El Areeb scored his fourth consecutive victory in the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct and Irish War Cry and Tequilita won Grade 2 stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Holy Bull Stakes winner Irish War Cry, trained by Graham Motion, and the Michael Matz-conditioned Tequilita, the $31 winner of the Forward Gal, were based at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., during their 2-year-old seasons before being shipped to Florida in late fall.

Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Aqueduct, Feb. 4, 2017

 (10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

 Winner: El Areeb, by Exchange Rate

 Trainer: Cathal Lynch

 Jockey: Trevor McCarthy

 Owner: M M G Stables LLC

 Beyer Speed Figure: 92

Grade 2, $350,000 Holy Bull Stakes; 1 1/16 miles; Gulfstream; Feb. 4, 2017
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: Irish War Cry, by Curlin
Trainer: Graham Motion
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Owner: Isabelle de Tomaso
Beyer Speed Figure: 97

Grade 3, $150,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes; 1 1/16 miles; Santa Anita; Feb. 4, 2017 
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: Royal Mo, by Uncle Mo
Trainer: John Shirreffs
Jockey: Victor Espinoza
Owner: Jerry and Ann Moss
Beyer Speed Figure: 93

The colt who knocked the Florida road to the Kentucky Derby askew last Saturday is named for Ireland, is by a Kentucky stallion, and has roots in European breeding. But his actual birthplace is a state not known for producing top Thoroughbreds – New Jersey.