Horse Racing News

In 2017, Itsinthepost was second in his first two starts and later won three stakes in a nine-race campaign. Saturday, Itsinthepost won his first start of the year in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita.

Trainer Ian Wilkes said he is expecting McCraken to arrive this week at Palm Meadows to begin preparing for a 4-year-old campaign that will focus primarily "on races of about a mile."

Ax Man, the dazzling winner of a maiden race for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita last Monday, is likely to have his stakes debut in the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at seven furlongs on Feb. 10.

Fifteen were entered Friday for the 74th running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes, the featured event among six stakes on the Jan. 13 Road to the Derby Kickoff card.

The success of Gun Runner on the track in 2017 translated into Eclipse Award finalist recognition for he and many of those connected to him when the top three vote getters in all 17 divisions, both human and equine, were announced on Friday.

Even though the trend is leaning toward fewer starts for the best horses, there is at least enough revealed during the course of a long season to mix and match records worthy of Eclipse consideration.

Collected and West Coast, who were second and third in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar in November, worked at Santa Anita on Wednesday in advance of the $16 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 27.

Jockey Martin Pedroza and valet Max Corrales may face sanctions for fighting in the jockeys' room at Santa Anita last Friday.

Trainer Chad Brown said that Stellar Wind remains on track to run in the $16 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park.

Laurel Park has canceled its Friday card due to the continuing deep freeze that has gripped the Northeast for more than a week.