ELMONT, N.Y. – Last year, John Velazquez won the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap with a horse who had won the Belmont Stakes with a different rider the previous year.

Velazquez is hoping to do the same thing this year when he rides 2014 Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist in the $1.25 million Met Mile on the undercard of the June 6 Belmont Stakes. Velazquez will ride Tonalist for the first time in the Met Mile, replacing Joel Rosario, who was aboard for victories in last year’s Belmont Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup, and Joe Bravo, aboard for a win in the Grade 3 Westchester on May 2.

Southern Honey will be making her first start since finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint last fall when facing nine others here in the Memorial Day feature, the Grade 3, $100,000 Winning Colors Stakes.

Trained by Rusty Arnold, Southern Honey shows six workouts at Keeneland toward her seasonal debut as defending champion in the Winning Colors. The daughter of Colonel John won the Winning Colors last spring as a 3-year-old.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ride On Curlin, runner-up in the 2014 Preakness, is on another break after coming out of his last start “a little banged up,” according to trainer Billy Gowan.

Ride On Curlin finished last of nine, beaten 22 lengths, in the Grade 2 Alysheba on the May 1 Kentucky Oaks program.

“He’s just got some wear and tear,” said Gowan. “We’re giving him 60 days on the farm and will evaluate him from there.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – Eight stakes winners from two states as well as Brazil and France are among the projected field of 10 fillies and mares for Monday’s $300,000 Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita.

The Grade 1 Gamely, run at 1 1/8 miles on turf, will have two shippers from the East Coast in Danza Cavallo and Hard Not to Like.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Liam’s Map, unraced since winning the Harlan’s Holiday last December, worked a solid half-mile in 48.63 seconds over the Belmont Park training track Friday in company with the graded stakes winner Blofeld.

It was the second work at Belmont for Liam’s Map, who had worked four previous times at Jimmy Crupi’s farm in Ocala, Fla.

“He’s pretty far along,” Pletcher said. “Jim put a couple of good works into him. We’re seeing the results of that here. He seems to be pretty fit from his couple of works.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – A Smart Strike filly purchased for $1.25 million at Monday’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale of 2-year-olds in training in Timonium, Md., will be trained in Southern California by Simon Callaghan.

Callaghan said on Thursday that the filly is scheduled to arrive at his Santa Anita stable June 2. She will be owned by a partnership Callaghan declined to disclose.

The filly was purchased Monday by Ben McElroy as agent and was sent to a farm in Kentucky, Callaghan said.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Who in the Chicago racing scene before this past winter had heard of Vicente Gudiel, the apprentice rider who arrived at Hawthorne in December and won the riding title there at the winter-spring meet? No one, basically, and now it is happening again – another obscure rider landing on the Chicago circuit and quickly making his mark.

Belmont Park on Friday
Weather: Clear
Track: Fast
Temperature: 57

ELMONT, N.Y. – Only six of the 11 potential Belmont Stakes starters are currently stabled at Belmont Park. Four of those six worked for the June 6 race on Friday: trainer Todd Pletcher’s trio of Materiality, Carpe Diem, and Madefromlucky and Kiaran McLaughlin’s Frosted, the sneaky-good fourth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – There has been a huge boost of positive energy coming out of the racing office at Hastings since Nichelle Milner finally arrived and took over as racing secretary two weeks ago.

Milner, who was the assistant racing secretary at Portland Meadows, was given the job a few months ago, but it took a while for her to obtain the necessary work permits to start her new position.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Norm McKnight has gotten off to a hot start through the first six weeks of the Woodbine meet, with 10 wins from 28 starters. McKnight entered Friday’s card one win behind Mark Casse for the lead in Woodbine’s trainer standings.

McKnight, 59, said he has been surprised by his quick start to the season and credited his staff, including son and assistant trainer Brad McKnight, for the stable’s success.