Midnight Rising could be poised to make a quick ascent through the 3-year-old ranks. He beat older horses earlier this month at Turfway in his debut and makes his second start in the $250,000 Rushaway Stakes there on Saturday.

The Rushaway, at 1 1/16 miles over Tapeta, has drawn 14 entrants, with 12 permitted to start. It is one of three stakes for 3-year-olds on the undercard for the Grade 3, $700,000 Jeff Ruby. Fillies get a chance at Kentucky Oaks points in the $300,000 Bourbonette Oaks, while sprinters get a run in the $250,000 Animal Kingdom Stakes.

A perennial participant at Fair Grounds for the previous 12 years, trainer Mike Maker has been conspicuous by his absence in New Orleans this winter, having started only one horse at the meet that concludes Sunday.

Maker said the uncertainty regarding the Fair Grounds turf course at the beginning of the meet and the plethora of dirt opportunities at Gulfstream Park, Oaklawn Park, and Aqueduct – where he has large stables – led him to skip the meet.

You could bet on Instant Coffee to win the Louisiana Derby. He won his career debut at Saratoga, finished a decent fourth facing strong competition in the Breeders’ Futurity, overcame a slow pace to capture the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, and rallied steadily into stronger splits winning his most recent start, the Jan. 21 Lecomte at Fair Grounds, by 2 1/2 lengths.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Among the 27 Japan-based horses that have descended upon Dubai to race here Saturday on the World Cup card at Meydan Racecourse, none has looked any better than the 4-year-old colt Equinox. The sleek, near-black bay with white snaking down his forehead galloped with verve on dirt before breezing like Pegasus on turf Wednesday morning.

Art Collector’s dominant victory in the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28 not only earned him another year of racing, but he showed a new dimension that makes him an even bigger threat each time he runs.

Saturday, Art Collector makes his first start since the Pegasus when he heads an eight-horse field entered in the Grade 2, $500,000 New Orleans Classic going 1 1/8 miles at Fair Grounds.

Trainer Chris Hartman has shown discipline in mapping out races for Klassy Bridgette this meet at Oaklawn Park.

He could have moved the 3-year-old filly to two turns for a local stakes following a six-length allowance win in January. Instead, he awaited the Dixie Belle.

Klassy Bridgette won the six-furlong race to improve her record at the meet to 3 for 3. On Saturday she will seek to win her fourth straight race in the $150,000 Purple Martin.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – He has nothing like the charisma and following of California Chrome, who won the 2016 Dubai World Cup. Victory here Saturday night in the World Cup hardly seems foreordained, as when Curlin won by 7 3/4 lengths in 2008. And he lacks the brilliance and power of Arrogate, who flubbed the start and still flew past a future champion, Gun Runner, winning memorably in 2017.

Pretty Mischievous avenged her lone career defeat when she upset Hoosier Philly in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds last month. Hoosier Philly will get a chance to avenge her only career defeat when she meets Pretty Mischievous again in Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks.

Add to the field the stakes-winning The Alys Look; Southlawn, a sharp allowance winner last out; and Christian d’Oro, a Sunland Park stakes winner making her first start for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen; and the Fair Grounds Oaks is not your pedestrian five-horse field.

Major Dude and Two Phil’s, the top two choices on the morning line for Saturday’s Grade 3, $700,000 Jeff Ruby at Turfway Park, make a surface switch to Tapeta as they collide with local prep winners Funtastic Again and Congruent.

Kavod, part of a strong contingent of sprinters trainer Chris Hartman has this meet at Oaklawn Park, will see action at the Hot Springs, Ark., track on Friday.

Kavod’s appearance in the eighth race comes on the heels of Hartman trainees Tejano Twist and Edge to Edge running a respective first and third in the Grade 3, $200,000 Whitmore last Saturday. Kavod, who is a stakes winner at Oaklawn, could go favored in Friday’s allowance for 4-year-olds and up who have not won a race since Sept. 24, 2022. The six-furlong sprint carries a claiming option of $40,000.