ETOBICOKE, Ontario – After wintering in Florida, Casson returns to the scene of his Victoria Stakes triumph in Sunday’s $100,000 King Corrie Stakes at Woodbine. The Ontario-bred is one of three King’s Plate nominees in the seven-furlong test for 3-year-olds, along with Fire and Wine and Reload Raleigh.

When the 4-year-old colt Baeza, among the handful of best 3-year-old dirt-route horses during his 2025 campaign, was moved into Bill Mott’s stable early this year, Mott figured the day would come when Baeza would square off with his stable’s star, Sovereignty, the very best 3-year-old dirt route horse of 2025.

That day will come sooner rather than later with Baeza, Mott confirmed Thursday, a likely runner in the Stephen Foster Stakes on June 27 at Churchill Downs.

Trainer Bill Mott has a major player in the featured eighth race Sunday at Churchill Downs, where Beauty Reigns faces nine older fillies and mares in a second-level allowance race carded for seven furlongs and open to $80,000 claimers.

The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale is already unique in the U.S. as the only major-market sale offering an under-tack show on a dirt racetrack. The show looks even more unique this year, as Fasig-Tipton made a change by moving to officially untimed works.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Before the turf program for California 3-year-olds undergoes revision this summer at Del Mar, an unwelcome tradition continues Sunday at Santa Anita, where another small field of 3-year-olds race a mile on turf in the $100,000 Cinema Stakes.

For the sixth time in eight years, the Cinema will be contested by just five runners. Charlie’s Curlin and Bust Out, one-two in a fast allowance race, face Later Than Planned, a sprint stakes winner expected to set the pace. Stakes-placed Iriseach and maiden Go Ralph also are entered.

“I can’t talk bad about Portland Meadows,” the novelist Willy Vlautin once told Willamette Week. “It’s one of the only friends I got left.”

Visit any small track and know there’s one smaller. Emerald Downs is a relatively dinky diamond, but for trainer Kendra Lyons and her husband, Bill, it’s the big time.

The Lyonses raced horses at Portland Meadows before it closed, a departure that Bill said was “kind of devastating.”

“That was Kendra and my main thing, was to go to Portland, get a motel room, and stay for several days,” reminisced Bill.

Without Cause will get a rare opportunity to race over six furlongs on turf Sunday at Aqueduct in a conditioned allowance over the outer turf course for fillies and mares.

“This is her distance,” said Mark Casse, who trains Without Cause. “Going three-quarters is her game.”

LAUREL, Md. – For all the talk about who isn’t in the field and where the race isn’t being run, the 151st Preakness Stakes will actually be held Saturday in its typical place on the calendar.

LAUREL, Md. – Cruise the Nile has passed every test so far for trainer Graham Motion and will take a much deserved step up in the Grade 3, $250,000 Dinner Party on Saturday at Laurel Park. Unbeaten since switching to turf in December, the 4-year-old gelding will surge into his graded stakes debut with momentum to spare.

LAUREL, Md. – Last year, trainer Elizabeth Merryman and jockey Flavien Prat met in the winner’s circle at Pimlico after the deep closer Witty rocketed from the back to win the $125,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint. If the trainer and jockey run it back in the same race on Saturday at Laurel Park, they will likely do it with a vastly different trip from Jean Valjean.

“Complete opposite running style,” Merryman said, laughing. “But I don’t think that’s a problem at all” for Prat.