Itsinthepost has never won a Grade 1 stakes. He did not have his last start in a major stakes at Belmont Park or a famous European track, such as Ascot or Chantilly.

When he starts in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar, Itsinthepost will be overlooked, despite a win in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita on Oct. 1. The focus will be on runners from New York or Europe.

“He’s French,” trainer Jeff Mullins protested with a laugh Sunday morning. “He’s not local. He’s a transplant.”

ARCADIA, Calif. - Midnight Storm galloped slowly down the stretch at Santa Anita on Sunday morning, as good a time as any for majority owner Alex Venneri to admire a 6-year-old horse soon to go off to stud in Kentucky.

“He’s training awesome,” Venneri said. “He’s as good as he was when he was 5.”

A few minutes later, Midnight Storm worked a half-mile on his own in 48.40 seconds under jockey Tyler Baze. When Midnight Storm will make his next start has yet to be decided. The options include Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar or Saturday’s Mile on turf.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Chad Brown and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. dominated their divisions and Seth Klarman topped all owners by wins at the Belmont Park fall meet, which ended abruptly Saturday after the closing-day Sunday program was canceled due to inclement weather.

A 38-year-old native of upstate New York, Brown has led the trainer standings at the last six Belmont fall meets. He and Rudy Rodriguez tied at last year's meet with 30 wins apiece, and Brown and David Jacobson shared the 2012 title with 21 wins.

Hazel Park Raceway will host 40 race dates during its 2018 live meet, as approved Friday by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

The Detroit-area racetrack will race Fridays and Saturdays from May 4 to Sept. 15, with a 7:20 p.m. Eastern post time. The lone exception will be Friday, June 29, when first post will be 6:30 p.m.

Del Mar  
Track: Fast 
Weather: Hazy 
Temp.: 65

DEL MAR, Calif. – Two-year-olds took center stage at Del Mar on Saturday, with three of the nine Breeders’ Cup workouts during the morning turned in by horses pointing for the Juvenile, including Free Drop Billy and Hollywood Star for trainer Dale Romans.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer Dale Romans decided to send his Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runners out to California several weeks in front of the Breeders’ Cup, and the decision appears to be agreeing with Free Drop Billy, who continued his impressive local training with a five-furlong work on Saturday morning here at Del Mar that Daily Racing Form’s Mike Welsch caught in 1:00.86.

Romans also worked Hollywood Star five furlongs, in 1:01.98, a bit later in the morning. Both were ridden by his life partner, exercise rider Tammy Fox.

ARCADIA, Calif. - A champion went first at Santa Anita early Saturday morning.

Moments after the track opened for training at 5 a.m., Finest City, the champion female sprinter of 2016, worked a half-mile in 47 seconds. For the rest of the morning, 47 other horses worked the same distance. None was as fast.

The solo workout was the last major exercise for Finest City before a scheduled start in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 4. Finest City won the 2016 BC Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The veteran gelding Imperative will not run in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on Friday at Del Mar owing to "what appears to be the beginning of a hairline fracture of the pelvis," trainer Bob Hess Jr. said Saturday.

"It'll heal. He'll be fine. But he's out of the race," Hess said. "I don't think it will be career-threatening."

Hess said Imperative was uncomfortable after galloping on Saturday morning. "He was lame back at the barn," Hess said.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Bolt d’Oro is the established horse to beat in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar next Saturday, but Firenze Fire confirmed that he will be one of the serious challengers in the 1 1/16-mile race with a serious workout Saturday morning at Belmont Park.

Firenze Fire, the Grade 1 Champagne winner, worked a sharp five furlongs in 1:00.12 and galloped out extremely well over the training track Saturday in his final drill for the Juvenile.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Calling it “one of the best breeze days I’ve had going into a Breeders’ Cup,” trainer Chad Brown worked 12 of his 13 expected Breeders’ Cup starters Saturday morning at Belmont Park.

Lady Eli, who could be making her final career start in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, topped the list with a sensational five-furlong workout in 1:00.79 over the turf course. Lady Eli, with exercise rider Walter Melasquez aboard, worked in company with Roca Rojo, and the pair went their first quarter in 24.75 seconds and got their final three-eighths in 36.04.