ELMONT, N.Y. - When trainer Linda Rice looks over the fall stakes calendar for filly and mare sprinters, she finds opportunities few and far between. So, she is considering running her New York-bred filly La Verdad against males for her next start.

Rice said La Verdad, who won Saturday’s $150,000 Iroquois Stakes for New York-breds, could run in either the $350,000 De Francis Dash at Laurel Park on Nov. 15, or the Grade 3, $300,000 Fall Highweight Handicap at Aqueduct on Nov. 27. Both races are at six furlongs.

“I don’t see a lot around for fillies and mares,” Rice said.

ELMONT, N.Y. – While most of the high-profile horses are preparing for the Breeders’ Cup and the end of their racing seasons, one big-name horse is getting closer to restarting his career.

Honor Code, last year’s Grade 2 Remsen Stakes winner who has been away from the races since March, worked four furlongs in 50.26 seconds Monday morning over Belmont Park’s main track. It was his fourth work since resuming training, but first at a racetrack. He had been based at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – What a month it was for Jake Ballis and his longtime friend, NBA star Rashard Lewis. Partners in a small stable, they won three stakes in that relatively short time frame, capped by White Rose grinding out another victory Sunday in the $125,000 Dowager Stakes at Keeneland.

“Now we need just one more in a couple weeks,” Ballis said.

Ahem, okay. Ballis is referring to the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, in which the stable will be represented by longshot Cigar Street.

“We’ll ride this momentum as long as it’ll take us,” Ballis said.

On the morning that pre-entries were due for the Breeders’ Cup, American Pharoah gave every indication that he remains the horse to beat in the $2 million Juvenile with a five-furlong work Monday timed by Santa Anita clockers in 58.60 seconds.

Trainer Bob Baffert said he had American Pharoah alongside the horse Front Range, but the trainer said it was apparent early that Front Range would not keep up.

“He’s still full of energy and willing to work,” Baffert said of American Pharoah. “That other horse was lapped on him a little bit at the start but he could not keep up.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – The workout for Iotapa on Monday at Santa Anita was planned as a simple six-furlong drill to prepare for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. It turned out to be more demanding than intended.

Trainer John Sadler gave Iotapa a target in the six-furlong workout soon before 8 a.m. Pacific. Sadler instructed exercise rider Jelani Grant to break off Iotapa three lengths behind stablemate Rocked Twice, and then motor clear late.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Rajiv Maragh, who suffered a broken arm in a spill during the running of the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont on Sept. 27, confirmed Monday that he would not make it back in time to ride the Breeders’ Cup.

Maragh had been told by doctors that there was a possibility he could make it back to ride as early as next weekend, but Maragh said Monday that would be too soon.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – After running second in the Grade 3 Knickerbocker Stakes on Oct. 11 at Belmont Park, Up With the Birds will head to Japan for his next start to run in the Group 1 Japan Cup at Tokyo Racecourse on Nov. 30.

“It’s a big honor just to be invited,” trainer Malcolm Pierce said.

Pierce said officials from the Japan Racing Association formally invited Up With the Birds to the Japan Cup in mid-September. Owner Sam-Son Farm made a final decision earlier this week after the horse returned to Woodbine from New York.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Pohdi Pohdi followed up an impressive debut effort on Aug. 23 with another impressive five-length victory in the Victorian Queen Stakes for Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies on Oct. 11 at Woodbine. She could be back quickly for her next start, the Fanfreluche Stakes for Ontario-bred 2-year-old fillies on Sunday.

Trainer Bob Baffert woke up Monday morning with one Breeders’ Cup Sprint starter. But by mid-morning, he may have added a second after watching his undefeated 3-year-old Indianapolis work alongside defending Sprint winner Secret Circle from the gate at Santa Anita.

Secret Circle, who will likely go postward as the favorite for a second straight year in the Sprint, and Indianapolis both worked six furlongs from the gate in 1:10.40 over the fast Santa Anita surface. The work had Baffert gushing with enthusiasm about both horses a short while later.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Hillstar made a three-wide move at the top of the stretch under Ryan Moore and continued on strongly to the wire to win the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine on Sunday.

The dynamics of the race changed dramatically minutes before the start, however, when Brown Panther was scratched after bolting from the post parade as the horses were on their way to the gate, unseating jockey Richard Kingscote.