Regarding the fastest horse on the grounds, Flightline’s next start is unannounced. Santa Anita executives have met with Sadler to discuss how to ensure the undefeated colt stays home. Discussions are preliminary. Referring to Sadler, one official said, “The ball is in his court.”

Next-start options for Flightline include the Grade 2, $200,000 San Carlos at seven furlongs on March 5 at Santa Anita or the $500,000 Essex Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on March 19 at Oaklawn Park. Flightline’s main objective is the Grade 1 Met Mile, typically run on the Belmont Stakes card.

ARCADIA, Calif. – They say a good horse can come from anywhere. If so, then an unheralded gray who began her career on an obscure half-mile Canadian bullring could turn out to be something special this winter at Santa Anita.

Gracelund Gray charged out of her stall Monday morning like she wanted to run again, less than 24 hours after her dramatic California debut in an allowance turf sprint.

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who through Monday was second in the jockey standings at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, has launched an appeal of a recent three-day suspension for careless riding, according to his agent Ron Anderson.

Velazquez was cited for “failing to maintain a straight course through the stretch” on Con On the Run in the first race on Jan. 14, according to a ruling published on Saturday by track stewards Luis Jauregui, Will Meyers, and Kim Sawyer.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Brian Lynch is eyeing the Feb. 5 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park for his Kentucky Derby hopeful Classic Causeway, who breezed five furlongs in 1:01.60 early Wednesday at the Palm Meadows training center. It was the third work for the Giant’s Causeway colt since he was second as the 7-5 favorite behind Smile Happy in the Nov. 27 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs.

“There are other races we could go for, but right now the Holy Bull is on the radar for him,” said Lynch. “This latest work was really good and has us where we want to be.”

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Todd Pletcher trains five of the 23 separately listed wagering interests in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which runs this Friday to Sunday. It’s a familiar position for a Hall of Fame trainer, whose 59 Derby starters is a record.

Mo Donegal, a last-out winner of the Dec. 4 Remsen, will be Pletcher’s only starter in the first major Derby prep of the year at Gulfstream Park, the Feb. 5 Holy Bull. The Uncle Mo colt has breezed every weekend at Pletcher’s winter base at Palm Beach Downs since Dec. 24.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Manny Franco has ended his working relationship with agent Angel Cordero Jr. and has hired Jon Panagot to represent him.

Franco and Cordero had worked together since the summer of 2015. Panagot will start working for Franco after the current condition book ends Feb. 6.

Franco, 27, led all riders in wins on the New York Racing Association circuit in 2019 and 2020 and was third, just two wins behind Irad Ortiz Jr., in 2021. Franco ranked third in purse money on the NYRA circuit in 2021 with $13.859 million.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. is still a few months away from sending a string back to New York, but he will be represented in Saturday’s $100,000 Jazil Stakes at Aqueduct with Twelve Volt Man.

The chance to run Twelve Volt Man again at 1 1/8 miles around two turns is what made the Jazil attractive to Joseph, who is atop the trainer standings at Gulfstream Park through the first six weeks of that meet. Twelve Volt Man got Joseph’s Gulfstream meet off to a good start when he won the Claiming Crown Jewel last month. It was his first start going two turns on dirt.

The lone horse being shipped from Florida for the 3-year-old stakes races Saturday is Sweet as Pie, and she’ll stand a strong chance of winning a modest renewal of the $150,000 Silverbulletday for 3-year-old fillies.

Cyberknife has made mistakes in all three of his starts, which, theoretically, gives him plenty of room to improve jumping from a Dec. 26 Fair Grounds dirt-route maiden win into the Grade 3, $200,000 Lecomte Stakes on Saturday.

On the other side of the same coin, Cyberknife has made mistakes in all three of his starts and, not theoretically but actually, he can’t afford to make more of them in the Lecomte.

ARCADIA, Calif. – In slightly more than 24 hours last Friday and Saturday, Craig Lewis experienced several emotions that accompany the job of Thoroughbred trainer.

Friday, Margot’s Boy was found to have a minor injury, a day before a scheduled start in the $196,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic for older California-breds at Santa Anita.