ARCADIA, Calif. – Papacoolpapacool extended his winning streak to three races in Saturday’s $79,750 La Puente Stakes, a victory that will lead to a start in the $500,000 Penn Mile for 3-year-olds on turf at Penn National on May 30.

“We’re progressing toward that race,” trainer Phil D’Amato said Sunday. “I don’t see any reason not to go there. His confidence is through the roof.”

Papacoolpapacool ran a career-best performance in the La Puente Stakes at 1 1/8 miles, closing from fourth in a field of eight to win by 4 1/4 lengths as the 1-2 favorite under jockey Gary Stevens.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Queen of the Sand, who won the Grade 3 Santa Barbara Handicap on Saturday, will run next in the Grade 1, $300,000 Gamely Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf for fillies and mares May 25.

“It looks like that works because of the timing,” trainer Paddy Gallagher said.

STICKNEY, Ill. – That the Illinois Derby no longer is a true prep for any Triple Crown race, much less the Kentucky Derby, was emphasized this weekend by the fact that neither the winner of Saturday’s race, Whiskey Ticket, nor the horse he nosed out in victory, Conquest Curlinate, is nominated to the Triple Crown.

The first fallout from the injury to One Lucky Dane occurred Sunday, when Keith Brackpool, a co-owner of Bolo, announced via Twitter that Rafael Bejarano would ride Bolo in the Kentucky Derby on May 2, the first of several jockey assignments that are expected to be made in the next 48 hours.

Bejarano would have ridden One Lucky Dane in the Derby, but One Lucky Dane suffered a condylar fracture to his left front ankle during a workout Saturday at Santa Anita and is off the Derby trail.

Churchill Downs
Weather: Raining; temperature  65 
Track: Fast early/Sloppy after break

LOUISVILLE, Ky . -  In the past, no trainer would dare run a horse in the Kentucky Derby without at least one work over the Churchill Downs racing strip. But Funny Cide’s victory in 2003 changed all that. This year is a prime case in point, with not even half the field  on the grounds yet and at least a half a dozen, and possibly more,  members of the prospective starting lineup not expected to have a breeze over the track prior to Derby Day.

ELMONT, N.Y. - If the busy four-race campaign and harsh New York winter were supposed to take their toll on El Kabeir, well, they haven’t.

The multiple Grade 3 stakes-winning El Kabeir demonstrated his fitness and energy levels were very strong during a five-furlong work timed in 1:00.15 Sunday morning over Belmont Park’s main track.

Charles Wait, who has been a member of the New York Racing Association’s Board of Directors for the better part of three decades, has resigned from the board effective immediately, NYRA officials confirmed Saturday.

No reason was given for Wait’s resignation and no replacement has been named. Wait did not return phone calls seeking comment last week. The NYRA Reorganization Board is scheduled to holds its first meeting of 2015 on Wednesday in Manhattan.

ARCADIA, Calif. -- The California-bred stakes-winning sprinters Big Macher and Harlington’s Rose progressed toward springtime comebacks at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Big Macher, who was fifth in the $2 million Golden Shaheen Stakes for sprinters at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on March 28, galloped for the first time this month on Saturday. Big Macher had jogged in recent days after resuming training following the Dubai trip.

ARCADIA, Calif. -- Texas Red, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November, will resume full training on May 1 after an interrupted campaign earlier this year caused of persistent foot problems.

In recent weeks, Texas Red has trained several times a week with Keith Desormeaux at Santa Anita. Desormeaux said that Texas Red is no longer plagued by foot issues, and will have a more active training schedule in a few weeks.

 “We’ll pick up his schedule on May 1,” Desormeaux said. “I’m ready to go now.”

One Lucky Dane is off the Kentucky Derby trail after suffering an injury to his left front leg during a workout on Saturday at Santa Anita, trainer Bob Baffert said.

One Lucky Dane had just completed a five-furlong work in 59.20 seconds and was galloping out around the clubhouse turn when he was brought to a halt by jockey Rafael Bejarano. One Lucky Dane got a ride back in a horse ambulance to Baffert's barn. He was missing his left front shoe. He also began to favor his left front as he cooled out.