LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For more than 20 years, Pat Day was the perennial leading rider at Kentucky racetracks. When Day retired in 2005, Rafael Bejarano inherited his role, but he soon left for California, after which Julien Leparoux took a turn.

Jockey Heriberto Figueroa has been suspended three days and top jockey Flavien Prat was fined $300 for violations of new whip rules put in place earlier this month in California that limit jockeys to six under-handed strikes during a race.

Figueroa was cited for his ride on Savvy Gal, the winner of the seventh race on Oct. 18. Figueroa was penalized for using the whip more than six times and not in an under-handed position on Savvy Gal, who won a $32,000 claimer at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at 12-1.

Santa Anita has scheduled eight stakes, including six graded races, for the opening weekend of the winter-spring meeting on Dec. 26-27.

The full stakes schedule will be released in November, racing officials said Sunday.

The Dec. 26 card will have six stakes, including three Grade 1 races for 3-year-olds worth $300,000 each – the Malibu Stakes at seven furlongs, the La Brea Stakes for fillies at seven furlongs, and the American Oaks at 1 1/4 miles on turf for fillies.

The recent Woodbine stakes winners Say the Word and Count Again have joined trainer Phil D’Amato’s stable and are likely to race at Del Mar next month.

D’Amato said Sunday that Mark Martinez’s Agave Racing has purchased an ownership share in Say the Word and Count Again, 5-year-old geldings who were first and fourth in the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf at Woodbine on Oct. 18. Those horses raced for Sam-Son Farm, who retains a portion of ownership, D’Amato said.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - It’s hard to win any Triple Crown, especially the Canadian Triple Crown, which is contested on three different surfaces. Everything has to go perfectly, which wasn’t the case in Mighty Heart’s bid for the sweep in Saturday’s $401,200 Breeders’ Stakes.

Led by the sprinter C Z Rocket, California trainer Peter Miller plans to have four runners in three Breeders’ Cup races at Keeneland on Nov. 6-7.

C Z Rocket will be pre-entered in the BC Sprint and BC Dirt Mile, both on Nov. 7, with the BC Sprint as the 6-year-old gelding’s first preference, Miller said Sunday.

C Z Rocket won the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 29 to earn a fees-paid berth in the Dirt Mile, and won the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship at six furlongs on Sept. 27 to earn a fees-paid berth in the BC Sprint.

ARCADIA, Calif. – As the Breeders’ Cup draws near and prospects are put through drills designed to have them ready for the championship event, some thrive and go forward, while others show they’re not quite ready for prime time. On Sunday, the day before pre-entries were due for this year’s event, both Improbable and Maximum Security showed they are progressing ideally toward a rematch in the BC Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 7, while others based at Santa Anita bowed out.

ARCADIA, Calif. - At one point in Saturday’s 10th race at Santa Anita, a maiden special weight race for 2-year-olds, the first-time starter Classier led by as many as six lengths.

The advantage proved to be insurmountable for his rivals as Classier cruised to a four-length win, finishing 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.94.

Trained by Bob Baffert for a partnership that includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, and Golconda Stables, Classier was purchased for $775,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. A colt, Classier is by Empire Maker.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Flagstaff, the winner of two stakes for sprinters in the last year, will miss the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland on Nov. 7 after a recent training setback, trainer John Sadler said Sunday.

“He’s not going to go,” Sadler said. “It’s nothing serious.”

Sadler said Flagstaff will be pointed to stakes at the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, which begins Dec. 26.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Civil Union, the Grade 1 Flower Bowl winner, worked a solid five furlongs in 1:00.86 over the Belmont turf course Sunday morning in advance of a start in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

Civil Union was inside of Hungry Kitten and, despite going a sharp opening quarter in 23.75 seconds, she maintained a quick, steady pace while appearing to go easily through the stretch.

“She’s been training unbelievable since the race and today I thought she went great,” trainer Shug McGaughey said.