Prisoner is the horse to beat at Emerald Downs in Sunday’s featured eighth race for $25,000 claimers over 5 1/2 furlongs. The 6-year-old son of Violence recently raised his career record to 10 wins from 20 lifetime starts with a victory over allowance company going 6 1/2 furlongs at Turf Paradise.

A Justin Evans trainee, Prisoner drew the outside post in the field of eight and boasts the highest last-out Beyer Speed Figure of the group at 78.

One week after the Derby, a Belmont Stakes prep in New York that will lose it’s morning-line favorite to the Preakness. First leg of the Triple Crown in the books. Triple Crown season still in full swing.

Peter Pan

Tuscan Gold, who probably would have won, will be scratched from this in favor of the Preakness (which he also might win). Lonesome Boy also is coming out (more on him shortly), still leaving a pretty tasty field of six pending further scratches.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown’s recent dominance of the Beaugay Stakes should continue Saturday at Aqueduct when he sends out Whitebeam and Aspray in the Grade 3, $175,000 turf stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles.

The Beaugay was originally scheduled for last weekend, but failed to draw enough entries to be carded. As it is, only five were entered this time, including Quarrel who was entered in a Friday allowance race. The Beaugay is scheduled as race 2 on an 11-race card that begins at 12:35 p.m.

Nice as Pie rides a four-race win streak, the last two of those in stakes competition, into the $225,000 Mamzelle on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Her running style, waiting well behind the leaders and coming with one big run, theoretically suits a full field with several pace players. Yet one yawning question arises: Will Nice as Pie be as nice going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf as she’s been sprinting over a synthetic surface?

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – For the second year in a row, the U.S. road to Royal Ascot passes through Gulfstream Park. The winners of Saturday’s $120,000 Royal Palm Juvenile and its filly counterpart, the $120,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, will receive $25,000 travel stipends and automatic berths into one of the six juvenile stakes to be decided from June 18-22 at the Royal Ascot meeting.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – At one point, New York Racing Association officials expected a large field, perhaps one bordering on capacity, for Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes at Aqueduct.

It now appears the race will run with six starters.

ARCADIA, Calif. – On her terms, the 5-year-old mare Musical Rhapsody can be a dangerous closer, a style trainer Phil D’Amato and jockey Mike Smith hope to utilize in Saturday’s $100,000 Santa Barbara Stakes at Santa Anita.

Run at 1 1/2 miles on turf for fillies and mares, the Santa Barbara is a stamina test at a distance Musical Rhapsody seems to prefer. She closed from fourth of seven to finish second to the well-regarded Linda’s Gift in the Astra Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf in February, and won an allowance race at 1 1/4 miles on turf April 4 in her latest start.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Charlie Appleby has a rare losing streak in North America.

Appleby, among Europe’s premier trainers, went a combined 0 for 4 in stakes at Churchill and Aqueduct last weekend, finishing a painfully close second with Naval Power in the Grade 1 Old Forester Turf Classic at Churchill Downs.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Straight No Chaser appeared on his way to becoming a significant player in the male sprint division last spring when an injury forced his connections to stop on him. Nearly one year later, Straight No Chaser returns to the races in Saturday’s Grade 3, $175,000 Runhappy Stakes going six furlongs at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet.

Monmouth Park isn’t what it used to be, but after years of decline, the flagship New Jersey track is at least mildly rising again.

Year-over-year average daily handle rose more than 11 percent during 2023, the third straight season the track posted a handle increase, while field size rose to 7.71 starters per race, up considerably from the 7.10 in 2018, the track’s low-water mark.