While trainer Bob Baffert shipped Wood Memorial winner Rodriguez to Kentucky on Tuesday, he kept Citizen Bull back in California. On Wednesday at Santa Anita, the 2-year-old champion worked seven furlongs in 1:24.30 in preparation for the Kentucky Derby.

It was the third work in 11 days for Citizen Bull, who on April 13 went a half-mile in 47.60 seconds and on April 18 drilled six furlongs in 1:11.80. In the April 18 work, Citizen Bull started five lengths behind a workmate before finishing a length or so in front at the wire.

Relying on streaks of success at Charles Town, trainer Timothy Grams is well on his way to 1,000 victories. With three wins last week, the 61-year-old trainer now stands at 996 in his career and has several live runners who could put him over in the next few weeks.

There are those in the racing industry who use career milestones as benchmarks for success. Grams isn’t one of them.

“As far as how many races we win, as long as I got a couple dollars in the bank, that all doesn’t bother me too much,” Grams said.

Trainer Graham Motion recently completed another annual migration, shipping dozens of horses from Florida to Maryland to kick off the spring racing season. Combining his Florida string with those already stabled at the Fair Hill Training Center over the winter, he estimated that he now has 70 horses training in Maryland.

“It’s an organization, but it’s something we’ve been doing a long time,” Motion said. “I’ve been doing it since the old Gulfstream, so it’s been a while.”

A live auction during the Arkansas Racetrack Chaplaincy banquet last month raised $27,000 for the organization, according to Chaplain Robi Heffington.

She said there were 15 items on offer and the top sellers were an Oaklawn saddle towel quilt that brought $8,500 and a custom, artistic walking cane signed by D. Wayne Lukas that brought $6,000.

An original painting of Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan by award-winning artist Renee Torbit brought $1,000. There also were 100 silent auction items.

Jockey Tyler Bacon, who had a breakout meet at Oaklawn, will be riding next at Prairie Meadows, said his agent, Brian Assmann.

Bacon, who rode most of the meet with his apprentice allowance, is now a journeyman. He ranks fourth in the current standings with 47 wins from 337 starts for mount earnings of $3.2 million.

“Tyler wants to go back to Prairie Meadows so he can get as much experience as possible,” Assmann said. “We would like to thank all the trainers at Oaklawn that supported us, especially Chris Hartman and D. Wayne Lukas.”

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The depth of trainer Brad Cox’s older dirt horse division was on full display last weekend when First Mission won the Grade 2, $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap with a Beyer Speed Figure of 109, the same day Just a Touch captured a Keeneland allowance with a Beyer of 104 to put himself in play for the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga.

First Mission’s 109 Beyer equaled the top number put up in dirt races at a mile or more so far this year in North America. The effort came two weeks after Cox trainee Hit Show won the Group 1 Dubai World Cup.

Wagering on a futures bet for the May 17 Preakness Stakes will open on Friday, April 25, and close just prior to the running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 3, the administrators of the pool announced on Wednesday.

The future bet will include 40 entries – 39 individual horses and a final entry including “all other” 3-year-olds. The minimum bet will be $2, and only win betting will be offered. The takeout is18 percent.