Strong Tide can become the highest-earning Indiana-bred ever if he validates his favoritism Wednesday in the $100,000 Bucchero Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Strong Tide comes into the 1 1/16-mile turf race for Indiana-breds with earnings of $910,639, and only one Indiana-bred – Bucchero himself – has taken home more purse money. Bucchero, now a rising stallion standing in New York, was retired with earnings of $947,936.

They are lining up in droves to face City of Troy in the International Stakes on Wednesday at York Racecourse in England. A dozen entered to oppose the Epsom Derby-winning 3-year-old trained in Ireland by Aidan O’Brien.

City of Troy as of Monday was priced at just over even-money by British bookmakers, a heavy favorite considering 12 others were declared for this Group 1, about 1 5/16-mile fixture.

The Grey Wizard and English Conqueror could employ different tactics Wednesday when the marathon specialists meet in the $200,000 Cape Henlopen at Delaware Park.

The Grey Wizard should go favored as he defeated two of his five rivals – Limited Liability and Really Good – last out when he won the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup at Saratoga. And last year, he won an allowance over Woodbine-based shipper English Conqueror.

The horses are all capable in the Cape Henlopen, which is a 1 1/2-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and up.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Hector Berrios will replace Mike Smith on Express Train in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles on Aug. 31 at Del Mar, trainer John Shirreffs said Sunday.

Berrios, who through Sunday was fourth in the jockey standings with 15 wins, will ride Express Train in a race for the first time. Berrios, 37, has been aboard Express Train for his last two workouts, Shirreffs said, the most recent of which was six furlongs in 1:13 last Friday at Del Mar.

Berrios has had 19 mounts for Shirreffs in his career through Sunday, winning three times.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Based on a recent partial sale, the unbeaten 3-year-old filly Iscreamuscream was worth $990,000 on Saturday morning. By Saturday evening, the figure had soared considerably.

Already a stakes winner at Del Mar in July, Iscreamuscream extended her streak to four races with a comprehensive win in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks at 1 1/8 miles on turf on Saturday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Illuminare, the 3-year-old son of City of Light who won his first two starts, missed some training time due to a foot injury and was not entered Monday for Saturday’s $200,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx Racing, trainer Todd Pletcher said.

Illuminare won a first-level allowance here July 13 by 4 3/4 lengths. He did not work again until Saturday, when he went a half-mile in 50 seconds.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Seven times in the last nine years trainer Chad Brown has started three horses in the Ballston Spa Stakes at Saratoga. In those instances, Brown has won the race six times.

Thursday, Brown will start four in the Grade 2, $300,000 Ballston Spa and with only one other horse in the field, his chances of winning an eighth Ballston Spa – he also won it in 2012 – are quite high.

Since 2015, Brown has won the race with three odds-on favorites and three horses whose odds ranged from 7-2 to 7-1.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – As trainer Chad Brown runs four of his stakes-caliber older turf fillies and mares in Thursday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Ballston Spa Stakes, he is pointing two Grade 1 winners of 2024 to the Grade 1 First Lady on Oct. 5 at Keeneland.

Chili Flag, who has three stakes win this year including the Grade 1 Just a Game, has been off the work tab since Aug. 2 owing to a temperature, Brown said.

Whitebeam, who won the Grade 1 Diana for the second consecutive year in July, has worked three times since that victory.