ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Outlaw Kid is made-to-order for Sunday’s $150,000 Vice Regent Stakes at Woodbine. After all, the 6-year-old has won the five-furlong inner turf dash for Ontario-breds each of the last two years. With Lasix added, the closer has loads of speed to chase and is getting some big-time class relief after shipping in from Saratoga.

After his 2024 Vice Regent tally, trainer George Weaver sent Outlaw Kid back here for the Grade 2 Nearctic in October. After hitting the front in midstretch, he faded to fourth behind Canadian champion sprinter Patches O’Houlihan.

When Rumours Have It makes her stakes debut in the $75,000 Sheer Drama at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, trainer Kent Sweezey may feel like he’s just along for the ride following her unexpected blowout victory last time out.

When the 4-year-old filly entered Sweezey’s barn after two starts for Todd Pletcher, she immediately improved off a layoff to win a $43,000 maiden special weight by 3 1/2 lengths in April. She ran back to that performance to finish a distant second in a $57,000 allowance in May.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – In 2023, trainer George Weaver brought No Nay Mets back to the U.S. off a bit of a disappointing performance in the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot to win two stakes as a prelude to his fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Now Weaver is hoping a pair of 2-year-olds he sent to Ascot earlier this season, Sandal’s Song and Tough Critic, will have similar success during the second half of their juvenile campaigns, beginning Saturday at Saratoga in the $150,000 Skidmore Stakes.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – White Abarrio, fourth in the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 2, returned to the work tab Thursday morning at Saratoga, going a half-mile in 47.16 seconds under Irad Ortiz Jr. Going in company with Alexander Helios, winner of the Grade 3 Razorback at Oaklawn during the winter, White Abarrio went his first quarter-mile in 23.27 seconds and his second in 23.89 while pulling away from his workmate.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Hill Road began his career with a five-length victory on turf in Ireland. He will be headed back to that surface when he makes his next start in the Grade 3, $3.5 million Nashville Derby at Kentucky Downs on Aug. 30.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Ways and Means, who likely would have been favored in the Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 23, will be forced to miss that race after developing a fever, trainer Chad Brown said Thursday.

“Temperature, treating her, and just bad timing,” explained Brown, who was forced to miss a workout last weekend with Ways and Means.

It’s All Right and Chi Town Prince might be more versatile than some of the competition they face Saturday night and that quality could serve them well in the $100,000 Prairie Meadows Freshman.

There is no shortage of speed in the six-furlong race for 2-year-olds. And while It’s All Right and Chi Town Prince are both quick, there are reasons to believe the unbeaten runners could sit just off the pace if the fractions are hot.

First Mission looks like an absolute lead-pipe cinch in the Grade 3, $250,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park.

So did the last horse trainer Brad Cox started at Monmouth, and that didn’t end well.

Just a Touch on the Haskell Stakes undercard of July 19 went off at odds of 1-10 in the Monmouth Cup and finished second, beaten a half-length.

Interested to see how the Alabama shakes out. No interest in betting it. The Del Mar Oaks drew a dozen, and all the Woodbine stakes feel playable. Jutland in the Soaring Free and Victory Achieved in the Bold Venture just missed the cut.

E.P. Taylor

After shifting from El Cordobes to El Rezeen (an El of a bad decision) in the Sword Dancer, I don’t plan to miss on a similar Godolphin horse.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After rolling through the competition in her first seven starts, Good Cheer hit an unexpected roadblock in her march to a divisional championship when she finished fifth in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes here on June 6.