ARCADIA, Calif. – George Papaprodromou had a modest record of nine wins from 166 starters in 2015, a letdown from a career-best 16 wins in 2014. The disappointment has been short-lived. Papaprodromou’s stable in on course for a record season in 2016, with Iron Rob’s victory in the San Pedro Stakes on March 20 the stable’s 10th win of the year.

Iron Rob is at the forefront of Papaprodromou’s stable again this week. On Saturday, Iron Rob starts in the $1 million Santa Anita Derby, the leading West Coast prep for the Triple Crown.

OPELOUSAS, La. – Evangeline Downs will open its 51st season of racing Wednesday with a retooled stakes schedule, a rehabilitated turf course, and a recommitment to local horsemen. The 84-day stand will run through Aug. 27, with live racing Wednesday through Saturday nights. First post will be 5:50 p.m. Central.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The 2015-16 Gulfstream Park championship meet ended Sunday with the track reporting record all-sources handle of $807 million for the 90-day session, up 15 percent from the previous year, which had also set a record. Saturday’s 14-race Florida Derby program also shattered records, with the handle of more than $32 million setting a single-day mark since the new Gulfstream building was erected in 2006. Handle was the highest in track history for a non-Breeders’ Cup program.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Although the 3-year-olds, most notably Nyquist, stole the show on Saturday’s Florida Derby program, one of the best performances of the day came from the old warrior Grande Shores, who captured the Sir Shackleton Stakes for the 15th victory of his career.

Reporting Star, determined half-length winner of Saturday’s Grade 3 Appleton Stakes at Gulfstream Park, will be shipped in the next week-to-10 days to Keeneland, where his trainer, Brendan Walsh, will have myriad options.

Though the Appleton was at a mile, Reporting Star has hit the board in races at 1 1/4 miles and 1 1/2 miles, which makes a race like the Grade 2, $250,000 Elkhorn going 1 1/2 miles at Keeneland on April 23 a consideration. Of course, there’s also the $500,000 Woodford Reserve at Churchill Downs at 1 1/8 miles that is also under consideration.

After basically starting him once a month for the last two years, trainer Marcus Vitali said he would like to give Valid - winner of Saturday’s Grade 3 Skip Away Stakes at Gulfstream Park - a vacation.

“I’ve been trying to get him a break for the last couple of years. I never had the opportunity,” Vitali said Sunday morning at Palm Meadows. “I think I got to talk to the boss and come up with a game plan and give the horse a vacation like we all need once in a while.”

Vitali said a 60-to-90 day break “wouldn’t hurt my feelings; wouldn’t hurt his feelings either.”

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Dale Romans believes Go Maggie Go has a bright future, but it remains to be seen whether that future includes making her third career start in the Kentucky Oaks against the likes of unbeaten stalwarts Songbird and Cathryn Sophia.

“It may be a bad year to have a good 3-year-old filly,” Romans said Sunday.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Tara’s Tango, winner of the $500,000 Santa Margarita Stakes on March 19, worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 at Santa Anita on Sunday in advance of a scheduled start in the $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park on April 15.

Owned by Stonestreet Stable and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Tara’s Tango has won 4 of 10 starts and earned $618,004. The Grade 1 Santa Margarita Stakes is the 4-year-old filly’s most prestigious win.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The first weekend of April will be remembered by trainer Doug O’Neill for Nyquist’s win in the $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park. The upcoming second weekend of April may be known as the time O’Neill clinched his fourth training title at a Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Led by Nyquist, the top four finishers from Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby are all pointing to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 7.

Nyquist, last year’s 2-year-old champion, remained undefeated and likely earned the favorite’s role for the Kentucky Derby by virtue of his dominant 3 1/4-length victory in the Florida Derby over a wet Gulfstream Park track labeled “good.” It was his seventh victory from as many starts, his fourth in a Grade 1.