Kentucky Derby winner Orb returned to the Belmont Park main track Thursday morning for the first time since his fourth-place finish in the Preakness, galloping a mile and leaving Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey happy with what he saw."I was pleased," McGaughey said of Orb's 6 a.m. (EDT) outing under regular exercise rider Jennifer Patterson."We're taking it as it comes and not looking too far...

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was still in high spirits at his barn at Churchill Downs on Thursday, five days after Oxbow's 1 3/4-length victory in the Preakness at 15-1 odds."It's always fun to win one of those and it's what we all get up for and try to achieve," said Lukas, who will turn 78 on September 2. "It validated my belief in the horse, too. I always thought he had an unfortunate...

The New York State Gaming Commission and The New York Racing Association (NYRA) on Tuesday announced enhanced security measures for horses competing in the June 8 Belmont Stakes.Horses competing in the $1 million purse race will be subject to out-of-competition blood testing for banned substances, be required to be on Belmont Park's grounds by June 5 and be subject to 24-hour monitoring at their...

Dogwood Stable President Cot Campbell confirmed Monday afternoon that Mike Smith will retain the mount aboard Palace Malice in the June 8 Belmont Stakes.The Hall of Famer first rode the colt in the May 4 Kentucky Derby, where the Todd Pletcher trainee overreacted to first-time blinkers, set a frenetic pace, and faded to 12th on the sloppy track. Palace Malice will keep his rider, but lose the...

Back in the 1980s and '90s when trainer D. Wayne Lukas was winning Triple Crown races with astonishing regularity, the catch-phrase "D. Wayne off the plane" followed him from track to track as he made his hit-and-run assaults on racetracks across America with a lineup of assistants that included Todd Pletcher, Mark Hennig, Kiaran McLaughlin and Dallas Stewart.The glory days of Lukas had seemingly...

Kentucky Derby hero Orb boarded a van at Pimlico bound for New York at 7 a.m. (EDT) Sunday morning, showing no ill effects from Saturday's disappointing fourth-place finish in Preakness 138."He came out of it fine. He's sound. Physically, everything is fine," trainer Shug McGaughey said. "We'll get him up the road and evaluate the situation to see where we'll go."McGaughey didn't have a concrete...

After bypassing the Preakness, trainer Todd Pletcher has a deep group of contenders for the June 8 Belmont Stakes."We have a few candidates, but we haven't firmed up the line-up just yet," Pletcher said.Two of his Derby also-rans, Overanalyze and Palace Malice, breezed at Belmont Park Sunday, as did the filly Unlimited Budget.Palace Malice sped a half-mile on the good training track in :47.49,...

Trilogy Stable and Laurie Plesa's Itsmyluckyday looked bright Sunday morning, earning high marks from trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. for the manner in which he exited his second-place finish behind Oxbow in Saturday's Preakness Stakes."On a 1-to-10 scale, 10-plus," Plesa said.Itsmyluckyday, who had finished 15th over the sloppy Churchill Downs track in the Kentucky Derby, rebounded with a strong showing...