SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - In a word, brilliant.

Close Hatches, showing a terrific early turn of foot to make the lead entering the first turn, sloshed her way through the muddy mess that was Saratoga’s main track Friday, and rolled to a front-running, five-length victory in the Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga.

In the process, Close Hatches kept her perfect record in 2014 intact at 4 for 4, maintained her stranglehold on the older filly and mare division, and earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff to be run on Oct. 31 at Santa Anita.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The connections of My Miss Aurelia have waited a long time to get their champion filly back to Grade 1 company. The wait ends Saturday, when My Miss Aurelia, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2011, starts in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga.

The Ballerina, run at seven furlongs, is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, to be run at Santa Anita this fall.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill – The Pizza Man came out of his win in the $400,000 American St. Leger Stakes last Saturday in good shape and is likely to make his next start in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, according to Rich Papiese, who bred and owns The Pizza Man with his wife, Karen.

Papiese and trainer Roger Brueggemann could have a second Breeders’ Cup starter as well, with Work All Week being pointed to the BC Sprint, Papiese said.

The Group 1 Juddmonte International on Wednesday at York in England is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Turf, offering the winner an automatic berth in the big race this November while waiving entry fees and covering travel expenses. And unlike some of the international races in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series, the Juddmonte International really could have BC Turf implications.

The brilliance of Kingman extends to major races run on soft turf.

Sunday, Kingman emphasized his status as Europe’s leading miler with a comprehensive win in the $810,000 Prix Jacques le Marois, the top mile race of the summer meeting at Deauville, France. The Jacques le Marois was the fourth consecutive Group 1 win for Kingman, who was not a definite runner until hours before the race.

There was concern about the soft turf at Deauville following rain in recent days, but owner Khalid Abdullah gave his approval to run Kingman.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. -- What, after his stirring win in the Arlington Million, could Hardest Core possibly do for an encore?

The rest of the summer and the autumn will tell that tale, though the story of Hardest Core already reached an extremely satisfying denouement Saturday at Arlington.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Making history as the first winning 3-year-old in the Beverly D., Euro Charline stormed to victory Saturday when getting a terrific ride from Ryan Moore in the 25th running of the Grade 1, $750,000 race at Arlington Park.

The Beverly D. is a Win and You're In event for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – They called 1985, the year Arlington ran the Arlington Million weeks after a fire destroyed the grandstand, the Miracle Million. This was a Miracle Million, too.

CYPRESS, Calif. – With a time slower than expected, California Chrome continued preparations for an autumn comeback with a half-mile workout in 50.40 seconds at Los Alamitos on Friday.

The workout was the second this month for California Chrome since he lost a bid for the Triple Crown with a fourth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes on June 7. Similar to his three-furlong workout in 37.60 seconds on Aug. 8, California Chrome was not urged by exercise rider Anna Wells on Friday.

Kingman, who has emerged as Europe’s dominant 3-year-old miler this summer, will be a heavy favorite to win his fourth consecutive Group 1 race in Sunday’s Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville, France.

The Prix Jacques le Marois is part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program, offering a fees-paid berth for the winner to the BC Mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 1.

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