Horse Racing News by Marcus Hersh

Average daily handle on Fair Grounds races fell nearly 20 percent from the previous racing season during the track's 2009-2010 race meet, which ended Sunday.

Rachel Alexandra worked five furlongs in 1:03.20 on Monday morning at Fair Grounds, and was to board a horse van bound for Churchill Downs on Monday evening, trainer Steve Asmussen said.

Hawthorne Race Courses lists seven 3-year-olds as probable starters for the April 3 Illinois Derby, but don't let the compact field size put you off.

Rachel Alexandra worked a half-mile in 50.40 seconds Monday morning at Fair Grounds, her first workout since her 2010 debut, a second-place finish to Zardana in the New Orleans Ladies on March 13.

The Oracle of Delphi did not need to be called. Nor was tea-leaf reading or an analysis of the signs of the zodiac necessary.

Rachel Alexandra's connections decided on Sunday to forgo a start in the April 9 Apple Blossom Invitational at Oaklawn and a meeting with Zenyatta.

With the racing world looking forward to an April 9 matchup between Rachel Alexandra and the John Shirreffs-trained Zenyatta in the Apple Blossom, Rachel Alexandra failed to handle the Shirreffs "B" Team on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Conveyance already has won the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, and Lookin At Lucky was to go off favored in the Rebel Stakes there Saturday.

As any handicapper knows by now, Daily Racing Form keeps detailed trainer statistics. First-time starters, claimers, blinkers on, so on and so forth.

Tizaqueena made her graded stakes mark racing on turf during 2009, but this mare also gets over dirt -- Fair Grounds dirt, at least -- just fine.