Rocco Bowen is home and cooled out in the race for leading jockey at Emerald Downs. Going into the weekend, the 29-year-old native of Barbados has 81 wins, and his closest pursuer is Kevin Orozco, with 59.

Bowen, who also dominated the standings last year, is confident he hasn’t reached his full potential as a rider.

“Mike Smith said a jockey doesn’t really become good until he’s 30,” said Bowen. “I am not too thrilled about turning 30, but I want to see how true that statement is.”

Bowen learned to ride at a jockey school sponsored by the Barbados Turf Club.

Santa Anita will run three stakes at five furlongs on turf at the 22-day autumn meeting from Sept. 28 to Nov. 4, the track announced on Thursday.

This will be the first meeting with five-furlong turf races, which will be run on the oval portion of the course. The races will be run on a limited basis, track officials said. For decades, the shortest turf races at Sana Anita have been run at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course, which will continue.

The first of 26 stakes at the meeting – the Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes on Sept. 28 – will be run on the hillside course.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Among the 75 or so turf workers at Saratoga on Thursday was A Raving Beauty, the Grade 1 Just a Game winner, who worked five furlongs in 1:00.70 in company with Santa Monica. The pair got their last quarter in 23.89 seconds.

A Raving Beauty, third to Sistercharlie in the Grade 1 Diana here early in the meet, is preparing for the Grade 2, $400,000 Ballston Spa Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 25.

Trainer Chad Brown has five nominated to the Ballston Spa and is considering running Off Limits and Quidura in addition to A Raving Beauty.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Last summer, trainer Chad Brown and owner Seth Klarman won a maiden race with a 2-year-old filly by 11 3/4 lengths. That filly, Separationofpowers, went on to become a Grade 1 winner at 2 and 3.

Last Sunday, Brown and Klarman unveiled another good-looking 2-year-old filly in Feedback, who won a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race by eight lengths, earning an 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Red Ruby has been sidelined since her July 7 victory in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks due to a fracture of a splint bone. But trainer Kellyn Gorder said Thursday that Red Ruby could return to the races this year and perhaps even make the Breeders’ Cup.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Owner Roddy Valente thought it was a thrill to participate in the Kentucky Oaks with Coach Rocks. But as a resident of New York’s Capital Region – he lives in nearby Loudonville – having her in the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga is more exciting.

“Just having the luxury to run in the Alabama in my backyard, it’s a thrill,” Valente said. “I thought the Kentucky Oaks was a rush. Being this is Saratoga, our hometown, it’s really going to be a fun day.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After getting a bit of a break following her convincing 4 1/4-length victory in the Grade 3 Schuylerville on opening day, Catherinethegreat got back to serious business here Thursday, working five furlongs in 1:00.20 in company with stablemate Moon Colony in preparation for the Grade 1 Spinaway on Sept. 1.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Collected, the winner of the 2017 Pacific Classic, worked three furlongs in 37.20 seconds at Del Mar on Thursday, his first workout in nearly seven months.

Collected, who was second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar last November, has not raced since finishing seventh in the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in January. Trained by Bob Baffert for Speedway Stable, Collected is expected to resume racing this fall. He was rested through the spring and early summer.

A 5-year-old, Collected has won 8 of 14 starts and earned $2,966,500.

DEL MAR, Calif. – There is a mandatory payout in the $2 pick six at Del Mar on Saturday, although there will be no more than a two-day carryover because the bet paid off to a single-ticket winner on Wednesday.

The pick six will be held on races 6-11, which includes the day’s three graded stakes – the Del Mar Handicap (race 6), Del Mar Oaks (race 8), and Pacific Classic (race 10).

Through the first 21 days of the meeting, the pick six has been hit by a single ticket six times.

The pick six also will be disbursed on closing day, Sept. 3.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Martine Bellocq, who suffered severe burns in the wildfire that struck the San Luis Rey Downs training center last December, will be honored between races at Del Mar on Saturday with the Laffit Pincay Jr. Award.

The annual award is presented for meritorious service and dedication to racing, and is named in honor of the legendary Hall of Fame rider. Pincay is scheduled to present the award.