ELMONT, N.Y. – Firenze Fire looks to rebound from his savage incident in the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga when he heads a five-horse field in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Vosburgh Stakes going six furlongs at Belmont Park.

At stake for Firenze Fire – as well as his four opponents – is a fees-paid berth to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 6. Firenze Fire has competed in the last four Breeders’ Cups, starting with the 2017 Juvenile when the event was also held at Del Mar.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The handicapping puzzle that is the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile still has a few missing pieces – and the Breeders’ Futurity might well be holding onto them.

Time for everybody to show their hands, right? Thirteen 2-year-olds will clash Saturday at Keeneland in the Grade 1, $500,000 Breeders’ Futurity, a 1 1/16-mile race that surely will produce at least a starter or two as a Win and You’re In qualifier for the Nov. 5 BC Juvenile at Del Mar.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Run that by us again.

Order of Australia paid a whopping $148.40 in winning the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland last fall in the type of result that turns horseplayers into skeptics – although, given his solid performances versus elite European milers in recent months, it would be a stretch to label his BC upset a fluke in hindsight.

It appears the 3-year-olds are the dominant members of the sprint division, with Jackie’s Warrior sitting atop the list of contenders for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Dr. Schivel and Baby Yoda among the other leading candidates for the race. The final two major preps for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint are Friday’s Grade 2 Phoenix at Keeneland and Saturday’s Grade 2 Vosburgh at Belmont Park, both Win and You’re in races.

Garrett O’Rourke, general manager of Juddmonte’s U.S. operation, pretty well summed up the status of the field for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Asked about the possibility of running Pocket Square in the $2 million race, he said, “It’s in the discussion phase.”

It may be up to the 6-year-old gelding United and 4-year-old colt Astronaut to represent the home squad in the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

United won the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita on Saturday for his third stakes win in five starts this year.

This much seems certain: There’s little separating the California contingent likely for the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Saturday at Santa Anita, Mo Forza won the City of Hope Mile, the SoCal BC Mile prep, by a half-length over Smooth Like Strait, with Hit the Road a neck farther back in third. Smooth Like Straight got caught up in a hot pace, while Hit the Road had a really tough trip as the second- and third-place finishers ran at least as well as the victor.

Corniche validated his fast debut victory by winning last Saturday’s Grade 1 American Pharoah at Santa Anita. Jack Christopher did the same winning the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont Park. What say you, Classic Causeway?

Classic Causeway, a blowout 6 1/2-length debut winner at Saratoga, will seek his Grade 1 victory and a ticket to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile when he heads a bulky field in Saturday’s $500,000 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland.

Almost by accident, Cairo Memories will take an undefeated record into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 5.

Cairo Memories has won twice in one-mile turf races – a maiden special weight race by 4 1/2 lengths at Del Mar on Sept. 5 and her stakes debut in the Surfer Girl Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths at Santa Anita on Sunday.

The maiden race win was a delightful surprise to trainer Bob Hess Jr., who said Cairo Memories was not completely prepared for her debut on the final weekend of the Del Mar summer meeting.

Is it possible to buy a Breeders’ Cup Classic runner for less than $500,000 less than four months before the event? Yes, yes it is.

That horse is Stilleto Boy, who might not have even been a blip on the Classic radar when purchased for $420,000 on July 12 at the Fasig-Tipton horses of racing age sale. But Stilleto Boy has run himself into the race with good efforts in his last two starts, most recently a second-place finish to Medina Spirit in the Grade 1 Awesome Again last Saturday at Santa Anita.