ARCADIA, Calif. – Steve Willard, a former jockey who later exercised such notable runners as Gate Dancer, Gentleman, and the famous mare Zenyatta, died Tuesday, according to trainer John Shirreffs.

Willard was 71. He died at a local hospital. Willard had been treated for pancreatic cancer in recent years, Shirreffs said on Friday.

Willard was closely associated with Zenyatta through her racing career from 2007-10. Willard said he planned to retire when Zenyatta left the track at the end of 2010, but he stayed with Shirreffs into 2011.

NEW ORLEANS – It’s unfortunate that Fair Grounds has no real stakes program for older female dirt-route horses because there are several really good ones stabled on the track’s backstretch this winter.

The most accomplished of the bunch, Untapable, had her strongest work since she resumed training following a late-fall, early-winter break, going five furlongs in 1:01.80 on Thursday.

“It was beautiful,” said Scott Blasi, Fair Grounds assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen. “I love her energy since she’s come back.”

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Mohaymen had his final work for next Saturday’s Grade 2 Fountain of Youth when breezing an easy half-mile in 49.60 seconds Friday at Palm Meadows with regular exercise rider Miguel Jaime aboard.

“We don’t need 47s every week,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said, referring to Mohaymen’s bullet 47.75-second half-mile drill one week earlier. “He went great. He started out a little slow, going 13 and 3 the first eighth, and finished in 35 and 4, then kept going after it. All is well. We’re ready for next week.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – Hard Aces, the winner of the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita last June who was later sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland in October, is a candidate for the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap on March 12, trainer John Sadler said on Friday.

Hard Aces will be a longshot in the Big Cap, which is run at 1 1/4 miles. A 6-year-old, Hard Aces has started twice at the current winter-spring meeting, finishing fourth behind California Chrome in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes on Jan. 9 and fifth behind Hoppertunity in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes on Feb. 6.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Sunday’s $65,000 Margate Handicap didn’t seem to hold much significance when the 2015-16 stakes schedule came out, as it is positioned just six days before the Grade 2 Davona Dale, one of the most significant races for 3-year-old fillies on the East Coast this winter.

But the Margate suddenly took on added importance when the entries closed Thursday, with the connections of Tap to It and Off the Tracks choosing the 6 1/2-furlong dash as the starting point to what they hope will be a big season for their lightly raced fillies.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Craig Evans grew up in Australia and has called the races in Singapore for nearly a decade. When he takes the microphone at Santa Anita on Saturday for a two-day audition to fill the vacancy of full-time announcer, the 48-year-old Evans will achieve a lifelong dream.

Evans, who grew up in Western Australia, said in an e-mail this week that he has had a fascination with American sports since childhood and has been an avid follower of American racing, particularly the Breeders’ Cup and Triple Crown.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Ziconic has been famous since he was foaled in April 2013. Such is life for the second foal out of Zenyatta, the 2010 Horse of the Year.

Ziconic will make his career debut in a maiden special weight race for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs in Saturday’s third race at Santa Anita, a start widely anticipated by Zenyatta’s legion of fans. The colt has shown promise in recent weeks, according to trainer John Shirreffs, who said there is a high level of anticipation surrounding Saturday’s race.

Heza Dasha Fire, the 2015 World Champion Running Quarter Horse, will be sidelined until late summer after being diagnosed with bone chips in both of his knees, according to a statement released Wednesday by Los Alamitos.

Heza Dasha Fire is winless in two starts this year, finishing second to Moonist in a division of the Los Alamitos Winter Championship trials on Jan. 24 and again in the final last Sunday.

Forevamo was a 3-1 chance in a 10-horse field when he debuted last summer at Saratoga, so it’s fair to say there were hopes for this Uncle Mo colt, purchased at a sale of 2-year-olds in training by the Brittlyn Stables for $320,000. Forevamo finished third that day, was second at 6-5 in a Churchill maiden race, and even in his most recent start could only finish second as the favorite in a first-level allowance race here.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, the saying goes. So, yeah, okay, no one really is calling horses like Same As and Salengo trash, but both horses were culled from the holdings of prominent owners and breeders Alain and Gerard Wertheimer and trainer Todd Pletcher. Same As, a 5-year-old by Smart Strike, made one start for Pletcher and Wertheimer et Frere in July 2014; Salengo posted timed workouts at Saratoga and Palm Beach Downs but never made the races for Pletcher.