There was racing at Laurel Park and Charles Town on Wednesday, while Penn National canceled because of a “morning-long ice and freezing rain storm,” according to the track.  Meanwhile, in Maryland, temperatures rose into the 50s…

Young Nik Juarez, a 10-pound apprentice, won the opener aboard favored Lady at Heart for trainer Hugh McMahon.  He zipped to the early lead and led the field throughout for a 1 1/2 length victory in the maiden claiming event.  It was the third win of the rider’s career…

The Juarez victory was one of two on the day for McMahon.  He also struck in the nightcap, with Trevor McCarthy (one of rider McCarthy’s two wins) piloting Splittin’ Wood to an easy win in a nickel claimer…

Trainer Juan Vazquez also won a pair of races on the day.  His Ephyra won the day’s allowance feature, snapping an eight race losing streak with an eye-catching seven-length victory under Alex Cintron.  He also won a nickel claimer earlier on the card…

At Charles Town, rider Victor Rodriguez came within a neck of posting a four-win day.  The jock, who entered the evening with two wins on the season, won the opener after Isabella’s Boy made what the chart called “repeated contact” with his mount, Sweetasgin, in the lane and was disqualified from first to second, putting Rodriguez’s horse up to first.  He then scored with longshots Pure Serenity in the second and Hidetheblackgold in the third.  In the ninth, aboard 17-1 outsider Dillonbegon, he lost by a neck after a long duel with winner Matter of Haste…

Dimples, a West Virginia-bred daughter of Bob and John-Parade Charade, by Dixieland Band, won just two of her first 16 starts.  She’s found the range of late,  however, and after a second place finish on West Virginia Breeders Classics night back in October, the four year-old has posted three straight wins.  Wednesday evening she rallied smartly to beat allowance foes by a length at odds of 1.10-1 under Jevian Toledo.  She’s trained by Pedro Rodriguez…

Meanwhile, the state of New Jersey has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its sports betting case.  The state has sought to legalize sports betting, which is prohibited by federal law except in certain states, at racetracks and casinos.  New Jersey has lost at the District and Appellate levels and has thus sought to have the Supreme Court uphold the state law.  Experts suggest that that is not likely…

Virginia-bred Bond Holder, a three year-old who ran fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, will not, after all, race in Saturday’s Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds.  Trainer Doug O’Neill posted on Facebook that he had scratched the horse “due to the effects of his having a tough flight going to Louisiana.”  Bond Holder owns just a single win from seven career starts — but that came in the Grade 1 FrontRunner at Santa Anita…