NEW ORLEANS – Trainer Wayne Catalano was all smiles after watching the undefeated 2-year-old filly West Coast Belle work a half-mile Wednesday morning at Fair Grounds.

“She went 48 and 2 like nothing,” Catalano said.

A petite gray daughter of Tapit, West Coast Belle was working for the first time since coming to New Orleans from Churchill Downs, where she won the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes on Nov. 27 in her third start.

A specific racing schedule hasn’t been made, Catalano said. Getting her to the Kentucky Oaks in as good a shape as possible is his general plan.

Strathnaver, the winner of two stakes including the Grade 3 Bewitch Stakes at Keeneland in 2013, has been retired and will be bred in 2015, trainer Graham Motion said.

Earlier this week, the 5-year-old Strathnaver was sent from Motion’s California stable to Kentucky. The mare ended her career with a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 30. She was second in the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes at Santa Anita on Nov. 2.

Owned by Andrew Stone, Strathnaver won 5 of 23 starts and earned $463,070.

Trainer Peter Miller has the likely favorite in Saturday’s fifth race at Los Alamitos in El Nino Terrible, a 3-year-old colt who won an optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles Nov. 23 at Del Mar. The race Saturday is for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles.

The field of six includes the sparingly raced Setsuko, who was second in the Santa Anita Handicap in 2011 and 2012 but has made just three starts in the last two years, and Big Kick, the winner of the San Juan Capistrano Handicap over about 1 3/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita in June.

Shared Belief, who was beaten for the first time in his eight-race career when he finished a troubled fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 1, will be favored in the $300,000 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita Dec. 26. He is not the only 3-year-old on that card who will try to get back to the winner’s circle after having a long win streak that ended recently.

Red Outlaw, who lost for the first time in his seventh start when fourth in the Cary Grant Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 23, is likely to start that day in the $200,000 Mathis Brothers Mile for 3-year-olds on turf.

Eagle, who finished a close, closing third in the Nov. 29 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill, had his first work since shipping to New Orleans when he went an easy half-mile last Friday. Trainer Neil Howard said he is pointing Eagle to the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes here at Fair Grounds on Jan. 17.

“He’s been on a little bit of a busman’s holiday, because once we get rolling in January there won’t be much time for rest,” Howard said. “Right now we’re pointing for the Lecomte. That should give us some direction about how to proceed.”

Delaunay, who brilliantly won the Thanksgiving Handicap in his most recent start, could switch from dirt to turf for his next start, trainer Tom Amoss said this week.

American Pharoah, the favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile before being sidelined with an injury, is tack walking and will not return to the track to begin training until Jan. 1, his trainer, Bob Baffert, said Wednesday morning.

Baffert said American Pharoah would begin jogging Jan. 1. He said under the current schedule, American Pharoah “won’t run until March.”

Shared Belief, who will be favored Dec. 26 in the $300,000 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita, worked six furlongs in 1:15 Tuesday at Golden Gate Fields.

Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Shared Belief, the champion 2-year-old male of 2013, was beaten for the first time in his career when he finished a troubled fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 1.

There certainly was no shortage of interest in Saturday’s two stakes, the Tropical Park Derby and its filly counterpart the Tropical Park Oaks. Both $75,000 races are carded at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

A total of 15 3-year-olds passed the box for the derby, while 23 3-year-old fillies were entered for the Oaks. Conspicuous by her absence from laundry list of Oaks entries was Daring Kathy, a four-time stakes winner who is coming off a wire-to-wire victory against older rivals in the Grade 3 My Charmer Handicap at Gulfstream Park West.

Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan will be based at Oaklawn Park for the first time in his career when the Hot Springs, Ark., track opens on Jan. 9. The season runs through April 11.

Jay Fedor, the rider’s agent, said there were a couple of reasons to come to Oaklawn.

“A lot of our key clients are coming here, and the purses are so good,” said Fedor.

Bridgmohan is expected to ride for a host of different trainers with local divisions, including Steve Asmussen, Scott Becker, Mark Casse, Wayne Catalano, Brad Cox, Kellyn Gorder, and Steve Hobby.