East Avenue Launches 4-Year-Old Season in Oaklawn Mile

East Avenue  is back in action as a 4-year-old. He is set to kick off his season in the $500,000 Oaklawn Mile Stakes (G3) March 28 at Oaklawn Park.

Coming in off a seven-month layoff, he has not raced since his off-the-board finish in the Aug. 3 West Virginia Derby (G3). A diagnosis of bone bruising after that start led him to be sidelined, and he returned to training at the end of January. The Brendan Walsh trainee was last year's Matt Winn Stakes (G3) winner at Churchill Downs and second in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland by a nose to Burnham Square . The homebred for Godolphin also competed in the Kentucky Derby (G1), where he finished eighth.

As a 2-year-old, the son of Medaglia d'Oro  broke his maiden on debut before winning the Breeders' Futurity (G1). He went into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) as the post-time favorite, but lost all chance at the start when he stumbled badly. 

His return will not be an easy task. Full Serrano , a 7-year-old son of Full Mast , comes in off a third-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) Jan. 24 at Gulfstream Park. Trained by John Sadler and owned by Hronis Racing, the 2024 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner has been slated as the 2-1 morning-line favorite. Nu What's New  is coming into the Oaklawn Mile off a second-place finish to Magnitude  in the Razorback Handicap (G3) Feb. 28. The James DiVito trainee has been made the morning-line second choice at 3-1.

Parchment Party returns after Melbourne cup

The Bill Mott trainee Parchment Party  makes his return to the States in the 1 1/2-mile, $200,000 Temperence Hill Stakes after competing in the Melbourne Cup (G1) last November.

The 5-year-old son of Constitution   is the morning-line, even-money favorite. Last year, he won the off-the-turf Belmont Gold Cup Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course, which earned him a berth to the Melbourne Cup. Owned by Pin Oak Stud, he went on to take the Birdstone Stakes, also at Saratoga, before shipping to Australia where he finished off the board.

Publisher back in stakes company

Publisher  looks to make it three wins in a row in the $135,000 American Pharoah Overnight Stakes. He was second in last year's Arkansas Derby (G1) before competing in the Kentucky Derby, where he finished 14th. The Steve Asmussen trainee began his career 0-for-12, competing in the Indiana Derby (G3) and Oklahoma Derby (G3) before breaking his maiden Feb. 15 on his 13th try. He followed that up by winning an allowance race March 7. Publisher has been made the 3-1 second choice in the 1 1/16-mile test behind the Mark Casse trainee Classic Car Wash , who is listed at 2-1.