Grand Slam Smile has a rare “home game” when she starts in Saturday’s $75,000 Livermore Valley Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares at Pleasanton.

Though based in Northern California, Grand Slam Smile has made all five of her starts this year at Del Mar or Santa Anita, winning three stakes. The Livermore Valley Stakes, run at six furlongs, will be Grand Slam Smile’s first career start at Pleasanton and first start in Northern California since she finished second at 2-5 in the Golden Gate Debutante at Golden Gate Fields last November.

Acquitted, Sea Runner, Supa Speed, and Tigerish, maiden race winners on turf in the summer and fall in California and Indiana, were all pre-entered for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar earlier this fall.

None of them ran. Acquitted, Supa Speed, and Tigerish were stuck on the also-eligible list. Sea Runner was not entered.

The consolation is Saturday’s Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes at a mile on turf for 2-year-old fillies at Del Mar.

Love Me Tender tries for his first stakes victory when he faces a salty group of 3-year-old sprinters Saturday in Laurel Park’s $100,000 City of Laurel at seven furlongs.

The Uncle Lino colt won his first two starts at Colonial Downs, then finished fifth in the Grade 3 Perryville on Oct. 19 at Keeneland.

“It was a very deep group of horses,” trainer Michael Trombetta said. “The discussion was that that would be a great prep race to get to this because we knew this would be his last shot at straight 3-year-olds. That race showed he certainly belongs and he’s legitimate.”

The 2-year-old Into Mischief filly Eclatant has started her career with two wins, both in sprint races, each sharp and easy enough to envision Eclatant turning into a truly nice horse. Her trainer, Brad Cox, feels confident Eclatant’s talent will carry around a second turn Saturday at Churchill Downs in the Grade 2, $400,000 Golden Rod Stakes.

“She’s very, very good,” said Cox, who trains Eclatant for her breeder, Stonestreet Stables. “I think she’ll stretch.”

California stakes races attract fewer shippers these days, but there are exceptions, including a pair of autumn Grade 1s that anchor the Turf Festival at Del Mar – the Matriarch for fillies and mares on Sunday and the Hollywood Derby on Saturday.

Eight of the 12 Matriarch entrants raced outside California last out, including likely favorite Gina Romantica; two top contenders for the Hollywood Derby also arrived this week from New York – Carson’s Run and Donegal Momentum.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – In recent years, the Remington Park Oaks has served as a coming-out party for some fillies who would go on to achieve greater success. Winners such as She’s a Julie, Envoutante, and Honor D Lady went on to win one or more graded stakes after their Remington success.

The connections of Alpine Princess hope something similar lay ahead for the daughter of Classic Empire, who starts as the likely favorite in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Comely Stakes at Aqueduct.

Action on Saturday’s Stars of Tomorrow card at Churchill Downs includes a pair of rich sprint stakes for juveniles, plus maiden and allowance races featuring promising runners on the card.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Ashley’s Archer will try to establish himself as a King’s Plate horse for next year in the Coronation Futurity, one of two $250,000 stakes for Canadian-breds on Saturday at Woodbine, along with the Princess Elizabeth for fillies.

Put up an age-restricted race with a $300,000 purse this late in the year and the entries will come flooding in, as they did for the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere Stakes on Friday at Churchill Downs.

The Mrs. Revere, for fillies over 1 1/16 miles on grass, drew an overflow field of 15. A dozen can run, and at least one of the also-eligibles will get her chance since Neon Icon starts Thursday in the Falls City Stakes.

Brad Cox stands a strong chance of winning the Clark Stakes on Friday at Churchill Downs – but with which horse?

Cox entered the duo of Hit Show, favored at 3-1 on the track’s morning line, and Most Wanted, second choice at 7-2 on the line.

Four-year-old Hit Show comes to the Grade 2, $600,000 Clark, contested over 1 1/8 miles on dirt, a known quantity, victorious in half his 14 starts. The three-stakes winning streak he carries into Friday’s contest includes a course-and-distance score about two months ago in the Lukas Classic.