Vic Stauffer will return to calling races at Hollywood Park on Thursday after suffering a mini stroke last weekend.

Stauffer was hospitalized Saturday night and missed Sundays program. The 50-year-old, whos been announcing at the track since 2001, has been cleared by doctors to return to work.

Stauffer is also the agent for Joel Rosario, who leads the jockeys standings with four days remaining in the spring-summer meeting that ends Sunday.

Preakness-winning filly Rachel Alexandra put in another solid workout at Saratoga Race Course, although its still not clear when shell next race.

Rachel Alexandra worked five furlongs in 1:01.38 on Monday.

Trainer Steve Asmussen said three races are under consideration: the Delaware Handicap for fillies and mares on Sunday; the Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont for 3-year-old fillies on July 25; and the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 2 against the boys, including Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird.

Its a timing thing more than anything, Asmussen said. Her being a 3-year-old filly that has success outside of her division just gives that many more options. I think the only thing that we can state is the obviousthats her and she looks good.

Rachel Alexandra has won seven races in a row. Her most recent victory was by 19 lengths against 3-year-old fillies in the Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont on June 25.

The filly owned by Stonestreet Stables Jess Jackson and Harold McCormick was the fastest of 12 horses who worked the same distance. She galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.80.

Shes tremendous; shes a beautiful animal; shes doing great, Asmussen said. She was unbelievably light on her feet today and she felt great about doing it. It was about as easy as she could do it. It was exactly what I was hoping to see.

Bobs Jawbreaker took the lead at the top of the stretch and held off Renda by a neck Sunday to win the $55,000 Runaway Marcy Stakes for 3 year old fillies at Calder.

Sweet Repent finished third, followed by Many Kisses, the odds-on favorite.

Bobs Jawbreaker, ridden by Wesley Henry Sr., ran the 1 mile, 70 yards in 1:46 3-5 and paid 24.60, 7.40 and 4.80. Renda returned 4.80 and 2.80, and Sweet Repent paid 5.80.

Making her first start in a stakes, Bobs Jawbreaker broke last and moved up to third going to the far turn before moving to the front on the inside turning for home. She opened a two-length margin at the eighth pole with Renda coming from the outside with Sweet Repent on the rail.

Renda gained ground steadily in the last 1-16 of a mile but came up a little short.

Bobs Jawbreaker, after winning only one of her first three starts has won three in a row and has earned $94,145.

In Summation edged two rivals in a photo finish to win the $60,000 John McSorley Stakes by a nose at Monmouth Park on Sunday.

The 6-year-old colt was third as the field entered the stretch, but jockey Joe Bravo moved him outside and in the closing strides they overtook the pacesetter Duffys Tavern, who held on for second by a nose over Atticus Kitty.

Trained by Christophe Clement, In Summation covered the 5 1/2 furlongs over a good turf course in 1:01 3-5 and paid $3.80, $2.80 and $2.40.

Another stretch battle occurred in the co-feature as Way With Words ran by Love That Dance to win the $60,000 Spruce Fir Handicap by three-quarters of a length.

Trained by Mary Eppler and ridden by Eddie Castro, the 5-year-old mare covered 1 mile, 70 yards over a fast main track in 1:40 3-5 and returned $14.40, $6.60 and $3.80.

Doug ONeill swept the Hollywood Juvenile Championship and Landaluce Stakes at Hollywood Park on Sunday, making him the runaway leader in trainer standings.

ONeill, a week away from winning his eighth Hollywood Park title, won the two stakes for 2-year-olds with a pair of fillies. The victories increased his margin atop the standings to 36-20 over John Sadler.

Necessary Evil, with Joel Rosario up, won the $100,000 Juvenile Championship by three lengths, covering six furlongs in 1:09.98.

Two races later, Repo took a front-running victory under Corey Nakatani in the $100,000 Landaluce.

Necessary Evil paid $4.40, $3 and $2.10. Zip Quik returned $4 and $3, while the show payoff on Classical Slew was $2.10.

Necessary Evil kept her record perfect in two starts while earning $60,000 to raise her earnings to $87,600.

In the Landaluce, Repo finished three-quarters of a length in front of Well Deserved, covering six panels in 1:10.07.

Repo paid $5.60 and $2.40, while Well Deserved returned $2.20. There was no show betting in the field to four.

Repo earned $60,000 to increase her earnings to $106,170.

Smooth Performer won the $60,100 feature race Friday night at Hollywood Park.

The 4-year-old filly won by a half-length, with Grace Anatomy and Music Magic finishing in a dead heat.

Ridden by Garrett Gomez, Smooth Performer covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.02 and paid $5.60, $2.40 and $2.80. Music Magic returned $2.20 and $2.80, while Grace Anatomy paid $2.20 and $2.60.

The winners share of $39,000 boosted Smooth Performers career earnings to $182,900.

Ocean Goddess took charge on the turn Friday, beating Sneaky Girl by 1 1/2 lengths in the $47,000 allowance feature for fillies and mares at Belmont Park.

Eibar Coa was aboard for trainer Billy Turner as the 4-year-old ran the six furlongs in 1:10.69.

Ocean Goddess, now 3 for 10, paid $4.70, $3 and $2.60 as the 6-5 favorite. Sneaky Girl returned $4.20 and $3.20. Blitzenfoxyvixsin paid $3.50 to show.

Hangingbyathread beat Kutais by 1 3/4 lengths Wednesday in the $67,200 Do It Fast Stakes for New York breds on the turf at Belmont Park.

Stuck in traffic at the top of the stretch, Hangingbyathread escaped the jam to find room on the extreme outside. The 5-year-old gelding charged home to earn his sixth win in 19 starts. The time was 1:48.44 for the 1 1-8 miles on the firm turf.

Jose Lezcano was aboard for trainer Carlos Martin as Hangingbyathread paid $6.40, $3.50 and $2.80. Kutais returned $6.30 and $4.20. Pennington paid $4.40 to show.

The Kentucky Derby will continue to thrive at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. Its the rest of the year thats a problem for racing venues in the self-proclaimed horse capital of the world.

Coming off a Derby featuring an upset for the ages by Mine That Bird and the highest TV ratings in 17 years, Churchill Downs Inc. president and CEO Bob Evans said Wednesday the shine is still on the first jewel of the Triple Crown.

However, Evans and other industry leaders continue to be worried about the future of racing in Kentucky if the state doesnt find a way to approve expanded gaming.

The playing field is no longer level, Evans said. Were not even close to it.

A dozen states, including Indiana, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, already have expanded gaming at their tracks. The games give those states another revenue stream to fatten purses and lure horsemen away from non-gaming states like Kentucky.

The Derby, however, appears to be safe, even if one state lawmaker said recently theres a chance another race could replace the Run for the Roses as the first stop in the Triple Crown.

House Speaker Greg Stumbo speculated last month that a track at a state with the ability to supplement purses with gaming revenue could offer a more lucrative alternative for the owners and trainers of the sports top 3-year-old horses.

The Derby offered a $2 million purse this spring. Stumbo said if another track could find a way to offer purses in excess of $5 million with money from expanded gaming, the Kentucky Derby could be in trouble.

You cant rule anything out, Evans said. Maybe somebody wants to comes along with something else to do the first Saturday in May. Bring it on, well take it on, but Im not worried about it.

Evans remains hopeful state lawmakers will find a way to pass legislation to legalize expanded gaming, but its unlikely a measure would gain any footing in the near future.

The House approved a bill during a special session of the General Assembly last month, but the bill never made it to the floor of the Senate. Senate president David Williams said after the session the bill has no chance of getting approved next year.

While Evans doesnt see alternative gaming as a cure-all, he does believe its the most practical way to put the Kentucky horse industrywhich generates $4 billion in economic impact and employs nearly 100,000 peopleon a level playing field with states that already have expanded gaming.

Slots arent going to save racing, but they are going to determine who in racing survives, Evans said. (Williams) and his supporters have put Kentucky racing on the Do Not Resuscitate list.

Ellis Park owner Ron Geary has already sliced the number of racing dates for this summers meet in half, and said hell likely close the historic western Kentucky track for good if an alternative gaming bill isnt passed.

The math is remarkably simple, according to Evans and Geary. Expanded gaming leads to bigger purses, which mean bigger fields and more wagering. Owners and trainers will go where the money is. Right now, the money is moving out of Kentucky, and the states problems are symptomatic of most racing states that do not have expanded gaming.

These are desperate times, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association representative Andrew Schweigardt said.

The bleak financial outlook put a damper on one of the most successful spring meets in recent memory at Churchill Downs. In addition to the underdog story of 50-1 longshot Mine That Bird, the track generated some much-needed buzz during the final weeks of the meet by hosting three night racing events.

Nearly 90,000 peoplemost of them young, many of them visiting for the first timeturned Downs After Dark into a roaring success.

The format will likely return next year, though an official announcement wont come until the fall. The overwhelming success of the event showed the track could handle night racing.

Still, Evans said the prospect of turning the Kentucky Derby into a prime-time event is still a long way off.

Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan is expected to miss the next four to six weeks of action after suffering a compressed fracture of a vertebra and a concussion in a spill during training hours Monday morning at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
Bridgmohan, 30, was thrown when his mount, a 2-year-old trained by Steve Asmussen, suffered a catastrophic injury just after passing the wire in a workout. The horse had to be euthanized.

Bridgmohan was scheduled to ride at the Saratoga meet that begins July 29 but will be forced to miss the opening part of that meet. He rode 41 winners at the Churchill spring meet that ended Sunday, good for fifth place in the jockey standings.