Ohio native Steve Belford is a prominent owner and breeder in his home state and is set to showcase his operation when the Best of Ohio program is contested Saturday at Belterra Park. The operator of Ohio-based Maccabee Farm, he has three homebreds nominated for the $150,000 Best of Ohio Endurance, where reigning statebred horse of the year Mo Dont No is expected to be favored.

All three of Belford’s nominees, including stakes winner Strike Your Light, are trained by Tom Drury Jr. The Saturday card includes five stakes for Ohio-registered horses, worth a total of $750,000.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Stellar Wind remains favored for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, but not by much. In fact, the Distaff, to be run Nov. 3 at Del Mar, became a lot more competitive following decisive victories Sept. 30 by resurgent 3-year-olds Elate and Paradise Woods.

Elate powered to an 8 1/4-length score in the Grade 1 Beldame at Belmont Park, her second straight Grade 1 romp. Her early Distaff odds subsequently were trimmed by Daily Racing Form. Elate is 4-1 second choice; Stellar Wind is 7-2.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Om, second by a nose in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and third in the Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 29, will be pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Mile on turf Nov. 4 at Del Mar, trainer Dan Hendricks said.

Hendricks said he consulted with owner K.B. Sareen last weekend to discuss plans.

“He said I can go for the BC Mile,” Hendricks said. “We’ll look at it in a few weeks.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – By late Saturday afternoon, the 4-year-old colt Giant Expectations could have a new race goal for the Breeders’ Cup.

Giant Expectations starts in Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship, and although he is using the race as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, trainer Peter Eurton said he would consider switching him to the Sprint if he were to win.

MIAMI – Hopefully everybody got a good look at Florida Sire Series winners Soutache and Starship Bonita on Saturday, because it’s not likely either will be seen again for a while.

Trainer Ralph Nicks said Soutache has already been sent home to GoldMark Farm, where he’ll be given plenty of time off following his victory in the $400,000 In Reality Stakes.

Jorge Navarro, the trainer who has been dogged by controversy for the past several years, has agreed not to enter any horses at Delaware Park for the remainder of the track’s meet this year, the state racing commission’s top official said Wednesday.

John Wayne, the administrator for racing for the Delaware State Racing Commission, said Navarro agreed to the proposal during a sit-down interview at the commission’s offices Wednesday morning.

For more than three years now, Keen Ice has plied his trade across the country and in Dubai, his 23 starts taking place at 11 different tracks. And while he’s only won three of those starts, there are only a few from his crop still racing at the highest level in the sport.

Mychel Sanchez was not seriously injured in a Monday spill at Parx Racing and could resume riding as soon as this weekend, according to his agent, retired rider Josiah Hampshire Jr.

Sanchez was thrown hard to the turf when his mount, Shake Things Up, appeared to break down entering the first turn of the 1 1/16-mile race. With Sanchez momentarily knocked out and lying in the center of the course, the outriders directed the riders of the remaining eight entrants to pull up their mounts in the stretch. The stewards declared the race a no-contest.

Main Sequence, the retired champion male turf horse of 2014, is back at the Fair Hill Training Center, where he spent his racing days with trainer Graham Motion.

According to a newsletter put out by Herringswell Stables, Main Sequence has been moved into the stall and paddock previously occupied by Better Talk Now, who was euthanized in June at age 18 due to complications following colic surgery.

Main Sequence will share his paddock with the 29-year-old Gala Spinaway, who in August 1993 won the Grade 3 Polynesian at Pimlico, giving Motion his first graded win.

Graded stakes winner El Areeb, who has missed the bulk of his 3-year-old season with a knee injury, has returned to the Laurel Park work tab for trainer Cal Lynch and is being prepared for a winter campaign.

El Areeb breezed three furlongs in 37.80 seconds Sept. 23 and then picked up the tempo last Saturday with a bullet three furlongs in 36.00.

“We gave him an easy three furlongs two weeks ago and then last week let him work a little,” Lynch said. “He probably went a little faster than we’d like, but he did it well.”