OLDSMAR, Fla. – Trainer Efren Loza Jr. had the promising 2-year-old colt Ishaq sitting on ready for his career debut Nov. 28 at Tampa Bay Downs, and the son of Harlan’s Holiday won the way a 9-10 favorite should, leading most of the way under Pedro Cotto Jr. to score by 10 1/4 lengths under only brief, mild urging.

Albin Jimenez, the perennial top jockey at Turfway, got away to a fast start at the holiday meet that began Thursday night, racking up nine wins from 24 mounts, including the Holiday Inaugural on Spanish Pipedream.

Jimenez considered heading to Tampa Bay Downs for the winter, “but the way business is going here, I think we’ve changed that plan,” said agent Jimmy McNerney.

Wesley Ward seems to be everywhere at once. The well-traveled trainer was headed overseas this week to run one of his stable stars, Green Mask, in the Hong Kong Sprint, temporarily leaving behind not only his big stable in south Florida but also some 30 horses at Keeneland.

Let’s Meet in Rio, a 2-year-old colt trained by Bob Baffert, made a successful transition to racing around two turns with a win in a one-mile maiden race at Los Alamitos on Saturday.

Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, Let’s Meet in Rio caught stretch leader Laoban in the final sixteenth to win by 1 1/2 lengths over that rival. Let’s Meet in Rio was fifth and sixth in his first two starts, which came in sprints.

“We thought he wanted to go long,” Baffert said. “It’s a good move forward.”

Jockey Flavien Prat, who has not ridden since September after suffering a back injury in a spill at Los Alamitos, resumed working horses at Santa Anita over the weekend and could ride on the Dec. 26 opening day of that track’s winter-spring meeting.

Prat said he worked horses on Saturday and Sunday and plans to intensify his workload in coming weeks.

“I breezed one this morning,” Prat said on Sunday. “I don’t want to go too fast. I feel good. I can ride.”

Multiple Grade 2 winner Pretty N Cool will start in Saturday’s $300,000 Starlet Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Los Alamitos, while Coppa, an impressive maiden race winner at Del Mar last month, will be pointed for a stakes at Santa Anita next month.

As of Sunday, a field of seven fillies was likely for the Grade 1 Starlet at 1 1/16 miles. Pretty N Cool is one of five stakes winners among the probable starters, along with Pacific Heat, Patriotic Diamond, Stays in Vegas, and Surfside Tiara. Stakes-placed fillies Street Fancy and Treasuring are the other candidates.

Let’s Meet in Rio, a 2-year-old colt trained by Bob Baffert, made a successful transition to racing around two turns with a win in a one-mile maiden race at Los Alamitos on Saturday.

Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, Let’s Meet in Rio caught stretch leader Laoban in the final sixteenth to win by 1 1/2 lengths over that rival. Let’s Meet in Rio was fifth and sixth in his first two starts in sprints.

“We thought he wanted to go long,” Baffert said. “It’s a good move forward.”

Jockey Flavien Prat, who has not ridden since September after sustaining a back injury in a spill at Los Alamitos, resumed working horses at Santa Anita over the weekend and could ride on the Dec. 26 opening day of that track’s winter-spring meeting.

Prat said he worked horses on Saturday and Sunday and plans to intensify his workload in coming weeks.

“I breezed one this morning,” Prat said on Sunday. “I don’t want to go too fast. I feel good. I can ride.”

The graded stakes winner Pretty N Cool will start in Saturday’s $300,000 Starlet Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Los Alamitos, while Coppa, an impressive maiden race winner at Del Mar last month, will be pointed for a stakes at Santa Anita next month.

As of Sunday, a field of seven fillies was likely for the Grade 1 Starlet at 1 1/16 miles. Pretty N Cool is one five stakes winners among the probable starters, along with Pacific Heat, Patriotic Diamond, Stays In Vegas, and Surfside Tiara. The stakes-placed fillies Street Fancy and Treasuring are other candidates.

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Trainer Efren Loza Jr. had the promising 2-year-old colt Ishaq sitting on ready for his career debut Nov. 28 at Tampa Bay Downs, and the son of Harlan’s Holiday won the way a 9-10 favorite should, leading most of the way under Pedro Cotto Jr. to score by 10 1/4 lengths under only brief, mild urging.