Since 1953, some turf races at Santa Anita have been run on the track’s unique downhill course. Beginning as early as the fall of 2024, a chute will be added to the turf course that will include an uphill feature and allow for one-turn races at a mile.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – First-start geldings Dream Jereem and Boston Tea Party are among a field of eight in Thursday’s Woodbine headliner, a six-furlong turf sprint on the main course which combines nonwinners-of-two allowance types with $50,000 claiming sophomores.

Trained by Kevin Attard for owner Derek Chin, Dream Jereem looked promising when notching his debut at 2 last October, but it’s been all downhill since. He had a troubled trip when seventh in his only other 2-year-old outing in the Coronation Futurity, a nine-furlong stakes for Canadian-breds.

DEL MAR, Calif. – An unraced 2-year-old maiden and an experienced 3-year-old allowance filly will employ the same attribute in separate turf sprints Thursday at Del Mar – speed.

First-time starter Eisenhower is believed to be fast, and will need his speed to win the maiden turf sprint for 2-year-olds. There is no guesswork about Itzel. An established front-runner, if she wins the allowance while facing older for the first time, she will do it her way, by setting the pace.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Maple Leaf Mel, the undefeated two-time graded stakes-winning New York-bred, completed preparations for next Saturday’s Grade 1 Test by working a half-mile in 49.22 seconds on Friday morning over the Oklahoma training track.

It was her second work – and almost a carbon copy of her previous move – since she won the Grade 3 Victory Ride on July 8 at Belmont Park.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – General Jim, a two-time graded stakes winner on dirt this year, will return to the turf in next Friday’s Grade 2, $500,000 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes.

General Jim, a son of Into Mischief, won the Grade 3, Swale at Gulfstream Park in March and the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs in May. Most recently, however, he finished sixth, beaten 16 3/4 lengths, in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Belmont Park.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Rebel’s Romance can probably be forgiven for a disappointing performance in the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic four months ago at Meydan.

First of all, it was his first loss from six starts on turf, three of his victories coming in Group or Grade 1 races including last November’s Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland. The Sheema Classic was Rebel’s Romance’s first start since the Breeders’ Cup. Lastly, the Sheema Classic, won by superstar Equinox, has produced the winners of four subsequent Group 1 races.

George Weaver didn’t set out to dominate the 2-year-old turf sprint division in 2023.

“It just so happened that way. With my barn, most years we might not even have run a 2-year-old yet,” Weaver said.

This year has not been like most years. As of July 28, Weaver had sent out nine different 2-year-old turf sprinters. Remarkably, six of them have won, and a seventh turf sprint victory this summer was especially memorable, the filly Crimson Advocate capturing the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Combined, Balnikhov, Count Again, Gold Phoenix, and Masteroffoxhounds give trainer Phil D’Amato a remarkably deep team of contenders in Sunday’s Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar.

They are all multiple graded stakes winners capable of winning the $250,000 Read, but they all lost their last starts, or have not raced in more than a year. The Read, run at 1 1/8 miles on turf, is not a public scrimmage for Team D’Amato. There are five other runners in the race, several capable of winning.

Company’s Dream will return to the allowance ranks in Sunday’s featured race over six furlongs for non-winners of two or non-winners of three Washington-breds at Emerald Downs. The son of Jersey Town, trained by Vince Gibson, is blessed with good early speed and has found a race without much other pace expected.

The 3-year-old gelding last raced in the Auburn Stakes on June 18, forcing a fast pace behind Clovisconnection and Lloyds Logic before finishing third, 10 lengths behind that pair. The top two returned to finish in the same order in the Irish Day Stakes on July 16.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Patches O’Houlihan has a long way to go to match the accomplishments of trainer Robert Tiller’s remarkable champion sprinter Pink Lloyd, but there’s no telling how good the speedy son of Reload could be.

“He’s been a pleasant surprise, because he’s not a big work horse,” Tiller said. “We knew he was much better this spring. He got injured in his last start last year and was operated on right after the race.”