Giuseppe the Great, who was graded stakes placed in several major 3-year-old events this year, finally dropped into the allowance ranks to post his second career victory as an overwhelming 1-5 favorite Sunday.

Afterward, trainer Nick Zito did not rule out the possibility of entertaining an offer from one of the stakeholders to bring him back in the Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 27.

Giuseppe the Great had to work hard through the stretch before finally turning back a stubborn Red Crescent for his first win since a maiden victory at Keeneland in April.

CYPRESS, Calif. - There are still a few things trainer Bob Baffert has yet to accomplish.

On Saturday at Los Alamitos, Baffert became the first trainer to sweep the track’s two Grade 1 races for 2-year-olds in the same year: the Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity and the Starlet Stakes for 2-year-old fillies.

No trainer had won both races in the same year since the Starlet was first run at Hollywood Park in 1981. The races were moved to Los Alamitos in 2014 after Hollywood Park closed the previous year.

Indiana Grand’s 2018 racing schedule was approved by the Indiana Racing Commission in a meeting this past week.

As in 2017, Indiana Grand will have a 120-day season beginning in April and running through November. Opening day is April 19, closing day November 7, with four-day race weeks – Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday – the standard. Weekday cards are run in the afternoon, while Saturdays are evening cards. Six Saturday cards are entirely devoted to Quarter Horses, and there are Quarter Horse races on almost every card during the season.

Francisco “Cisco” Torres said Saturday he’s retiring from a long and successful but frequently troubled career as a jockey.

By Friday evening, trainer Phil D’Amato had a complete checklist.

D’Amato had more than 40 horses in his care at San Luis Rey Downs in Bonsall, Calif. when the training center was hit by a devastating wildfire on Thursday. It took more than a day, but all the survivors were located.

D’Amato’s stable lost two horses – the unraced 2-year-old Oddsmaker and the 4-year-old filly Riri, a three-time winner in seven starts. Both were owned by the Little Red Feather Racing partnership, one of D’Amato’s leading clients.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Susan and Jim Hill’s up-and-coming 3-year-old sprinter Eight Town passed a major class test when turning back the older and vastly more experienced Abounding Legacy to capture Thursday’s main event for his third consecutive victory. Eight Town completed seven furlongs in 1:22.03 and earned a career-best 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There will be five Grade 3 stakes on next Saturday’s card, but the one that figures to get the most attention is the 1 1/16-mile Harlan’s Holiday, which is expected to serve as Gunnevera’s final prep for the $16 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 27.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Nick Zito will be the first to admit that he’s not shy about taking on the underdog role in major 3-year-old races, as he did this past season with Giuseppe the Great, who finished third as a 47-1 outsider in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby and second at 14-1 and 30-1 in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy and Grade 2 Woody Stephens.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Woodbine announced that the 159th running of the $1 million Queen’s Plate will be Saturday, June 30.

The last time the Queen’s Plate was contested on a Saturday was in 1981. It was run on a Sunday this season. Woodbine also moved the Woodbine Mile to a Saturday two years ago.

“There are both historic and business reasons we moved the Queen’s Plate to Saturday,” said Jim Lawson, chief executive officer of Woodbine Entertainment Group.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mark Casse has won the Woodbine training title in each of the past 10 seasons, but holds just a two-win lead over Norm McKnight heading into the season’s final weekend.

Casse has 93 wins heading into Friday’s card and will run one horse Friday, plus five horses entered across three races Saturday. McKnight has 91 victories and has five horses entered in four races Friday and three horses entered in two races Saturday.

It all could come down to Sunday, when Casse has horses entered in three races and McKnight has horses entered in six races.