ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Between Jan. 1 and May 1, trainer Wayne Catalano sent out 145 starters. Most of those runners came at Fair Grounds, Gulfstream, and Keeneland, and 18 of them won, a modest 12 percent strike rate.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Though the emphasis of Monday’s workouts at Belmont Park was on those pointing to the Belmont Stakes, trainer Todd Pletcher had two other noteworthy 3-year-olds put in drills on the day.

Verrazano, who suffered his first loss when he was 14th in the Kentucky Derby, worked four furlongs in 47.82 seconds over the Belmont training track. Verrazano, winner of the Grade 1 Wood Memorial, is pointing to the Grade 3, $150,000 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 16.

On the Key begins what his connections hope is a march to the Grade 3, $200,000 Canadian Derby on Aug. 17 when he makes his Northlands Park debut in a first-level allowance race for 3-year-olds Wednesday. The six-furlong sprint drew 10 horses, and if On the Key can stay within striking distance of the early leaders he should be able to mow them down in the stretch.

Post time for the first mid-week card of the year is 6 p.m. Mountain.

Juan Vazquez was the leading trainer at Delaware Park in 2010 and 2011, then finished second behind runaway leader Jamie Ness last year. Although he has about 60 horses on the grounds, Vazquez didn’t send out a starter in the first four days of the meet.

Vazquez could begin to make some noise on Wednesday when he saddles the much-improved Dreaming of Jazz as a contender in the $50,000 Bud Delp Memorial Stakes for 3-year-olds going a mile and 70 yards on the main track.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Todd Pletcher’s prospective list of Belmont Stakes starters went from six to five Monday, but he certainly couldn’t have been more enthusiastic about the way at least two of them worked on a glorious spring morning at Belmont Park.

Palace Malice put in a strong five-furlong workout in 1:00.24 with a sensational gallop-out that not only upgraded his Belmont chances but ended the Belmont plans of Micromanage, who couldn’t keep up with Palace Malice and was withdrawn from consideration by owner Mike Repole.

AUBURN, Wash. – Trainer Tom Wenzel dominated the Seattle Handicap for 3-year-old fillies Sunday at Emerald Downs, saddling the first three finishers, all homebreds for Jerre Paxton’s Northwest Farms, and taking home $45,000 of the $50,000 purse.

Stopshoppingdebbie, by Curlin from the stakes-winning mare Taste the Passion, got a patient ride from Rocco Bowen to prevail by 1 1/2 lengths over the previously undefeated Goin to the Window, with Blueberry Smoothie another 2 1/2 lengths back in third. The winner covered the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.41 to equal the stakes record.

Trainer Justin Evans won the 1,000th Thoroughbred race of his career Sunday at Lone Star Park near Dallas when Celestic Night ($14.20) was up for a neck win in the fifth race. The horse was one of two winners Evans had Sunday, his other coming in the first race at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico.

Evans saddled his first career winner July 27, 1999. He has had 4,701 Thoroughbred starters, and those horses have earned $9,578,773.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Schiaparelli cruised to an easy win from the front in Sunday’s $73,710 Great Lady M. Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park, giving jockey Joe Talamo his fifth consecutive stakes win.

Talamo has won every stakes at Hollywood Park since May 18. Before the Great Lady M., Talamo won the Grade 2 Marjorie Everett Handicap on Open Water and the Fran’s Valentine Stakes on Unusual Hottie on May 18, the Railbird Stakes on Iotapa on May 19, and Saturday’s Grade 2 American Handicap on Obviously.

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Zucchini Flower and Ruthenia won the $75,000 distaff stakes Sunday before a crowd of 23,317 at Monmouth Park.

Zucchini Flower pulled away to a 3 3/4-length victory in the Monmouth Beach Stakes for fillies and mares on the main track. The 4-year-old filly, trained by Graham Motion, had a golden trip, sitting third as Daydreamin Gracie and Winiliscious dueled for the lead.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Something Extra won the Grade 2 Connaught Cup for the second year in a row, giving jockey Eurico Da Silva a sweep of Sunday’s two stakes at Woodbine.

Something Extra ($4.20) went straight to the lead and set quick fractions of 22.64 seconds and 45.09 in the seven-furlong turf sprint. Several rivals took a run at him in the stretch, but he held on to prevail by three-quarters of a length over Riding the River, last year’s Canadian champion male turf horse.