ELMONT, N.Y. – Flintshire will not have any pace help when he seeks his fourth consecutive victory of the year in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park.

Flintshire won the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga by 1 3/4 lengths on Aug. 27. But there was some controversy in the race when Inordinate, who was entered as a pacemaker, or rabbit, for Flintshire, came off the inside at the top of the stretch. That created an opening along the rail for Flintshire while forcing jockey Florent Geroux on Roman Approval to steady.

Songbird, who remained unbeaten with an authoritative victory in the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion at Parx on Saturday, was scheduled to be flown back to Southern California on Wednesday to begin preparing for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita on Nov. 4.

Songbird ran her record to 11 for 11 with a 5 3/4-length victory over Carina Mia in the Cotillion. The race looked like a walk in the park for last year’s champion 2-year-old filly, and according to her connections, it was just that.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In the end, the logistics involved in sending Da Big Hoss to Australia for the Nov. 1 Melbourne Cup proved too difficult, but “it sure was exciting” even thinking about participating in one of the world’s most celebrated horse races, said Harvey Diamond, a managing partner in Skychai Racing LLC, the Louisville-based group that owns Da Big Hoss.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The heavy lifting is over for Runhappy after he was sent through his final breeze Sunday at Keeneland in preparation for his eagerly awaited return to racing Saturday at Churchill Downs.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Bitzka, the undefeated winner of the Barretts Debutante at Los Alamitos on Sept. 17, is expected to be entered for Saturday’s $300,000 Chandelier Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Santa Anita.

Whether Bitzka starts depends on what kind of week she has under the direction of trainer John Sadler. With a quick return to racing after the Barretts Debutante, Sadler said he is taking a cautious approach to the filly’s participation.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer John Shirreffs rarely wins stakes with juveniles. Gormley will try to give Shirreffs his first stakes win with a 2-year-old in 13 years when he runs in Saturday’s $300,000 FrontRunner Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita.

Shirreffs, best known for his success with the older female Zenyatta from 2007-10, does not run many 2-year-olds. His last stakes win with a juvenile came when Hollywood Story won the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet in 2003.

New Jersey racing moves from Monmouth Park to the northern part of the state Wednesday evening as the Meadowlands begins a 14-day all-turf meet that runs through Oct. 19.

Racing will be held Wednesdays through Saturdays with a 7 p.m. Eastern first post. The final three cards of the meet, Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 17-19, will be daytime programs starting at 1:10.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Smart Mission’s 2-year-old half-sister, Mythical Mission, debuted with a victory over 6 1/2 furlongs on turf Friday, and that has trainer Malcolm Pierce encouraged about her future.

“She’s acting very professional and ran good,” he said. “We were all happy with the outcome. We’ve always liked her.”

Mythical Mission was set to make her debut in the Shady Well Stakes on Aug. 13, but steady rain and soft turf led her connections to scratch out of the race.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – A notable absentee from last Saturday’s Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes was the undefeated Smart Mission, who was on track to make her stakes debut in the race, won by 3-year-old filly division leader Caren.

Trainer Malcolm Pierce said Smart Mission was pulled up by her exercise rider during a routine gallop on entry day for the Ontario Colleen last Wednesday.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Lexie Lou, Canada’s Horse of the Year in 2014, has been retired and will be entered in the Keeneland November breeding stock sale, trainer Mark Casse said.

Casse said his longtime Woodbine assistant, David Adams, had noticed that Lexie Lou was not exhibiting her normal behavior after winning the Victoriana Stakes on July 30.