There is life after the Triple Crown, and the second season for 3-year-olds wastes no time getting started – right back where the Triple Crown series began five weeks ago, and with some familiar faces.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Leadership in the 3-year-old sprint division will likely be up for grabs when an outstanding and evenly matched field of 10 goes postward in Saturday’s $500,000 Woody Stephens at Saratoga. The race lost one of its key players when the connections of Colloquial, whose 106 Beyer Speed Figure earlier in the year is among the fastest posted by any 3-year-old this season, announced their horse would be scratched from the Grade 1 event due to lameness in his right front leg.

Howie Gibson seems to never know what to expect. Lately, that’s worked to his advantage.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” the Emerald Downs-based Gibson told Daily Racing Form in late April when reminiscing on his first winter at Turf Paradise as a trainer, where he went a very respectable 15 for 65.

Gibson is tied with Tim McCanna for the most wins (eight) among trainers at the current Emerald meet.

“I wasn’t quite expecting that,” he said Monday when asked if he was surprised by his fast start.

It has been more than 20 years since as many as 19 horses contested the Derby at Epsom, but Saturday’s renewal of a race that dates to 1780 is no exercise in mere quantity. The Derby, contested over 1 1/2 miles around twists and turns, rises and dips, has attracted an unusual number of promising colts.

Not unusual: Aidan O’Brien stands a strong chance of training the winner. O’Brien has won the Derby a record 10 times and seeks his third straight.

Trainer Patrick Biancone knew that he was ambitious to bring 3-year-old colt Classic of Course to Churchill Downs last time out for the Grade 1 American Turf. That race got away from the horse and trainer alike, but the Florida-bred will return home as a classy contender in the $75,000 Not Surprising Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

“We’re back home at his home field, and I think he should look really good in that race,” Biancone said. “He wants some firm ground.”

Arrest Me Red is a creature of habit and will be following his regular routine Saturday when he takes a short trip to Churchill Downs for the $225,000 Mighty Beau.

The five-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up highlights an 11-race card that begins at 12:45 p.m. Eastern. It has drawn a field of 10, including stakes winners Run Carson, Doncho, Epic Ride, Joe Shiesty, and Charcoal.

Arrest Me Red, who is based at nearby Keeneland, is the class of the field as a Grade 2 winner of more than $1.3 million. He has won three of his last four starts and overall is 10 for 25.

Distorted Pro will attempt to nail down his first stakes victory Saturday, when he takes on three past winners of the 10,000 Lakes in this year’s renewal of the $50,000 stakes staple at Canterbury Park.

The six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up shares a card with the $50,000 Lady Slipper for fillies and mares at the same distance. Both races are restricted to horses bred in Minnesota. First post for the card is an early 4 p.m. Central.

The 10,000 Lakes field of five includes defending winner Sir Sterling, 2023 winner Doctor Oscar, and 2022 winner Thealligatorhunter.

ARCADIA, Calif. – In a peculiar twist, most of the 3-year-old fillies entered in a Grade 3 dirt route Saturday at Santa Anita are sprinters and turf specialists. Did they enter the wrong race?

But the main challenge was articulated by Dean Pederson, who trains sprinter Our Moonlight. “At the end of the day, the question is how good are you? You find that out Saturday afternoon.”

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mark Casse sends out the imposing D. J. Stable-owned duo of Shifty and Winterberry in Saturday’s $125,000 Fury Stakes at Woodbine.

A seven-furlong sprint for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies, the Fury is an important prep for the July 20 Woodbine Oaks. Casse has won the Fury a record eight times, including in each of the last two years.