AUBURN, Wash. – A total of $115,000 in purse money will be up for grabs Sunday in a pair of stakes races for 2-year-olds on closing day at Emerald Downs, and trainer Dan Markle has a sneaky chance to get a large slice of the pie. He will send out leading contender Carson’s Start in the $50,000 Cahill Road Stakes, and follow a race later with Old Fashioned Grit in the $65,000 Gottstein Futurity.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Although The Truth Or Else had made the first three starts of his career on the turf, trainer Ken McPeek always viewed him as a dirt horse.

So it was little surprise to McPeek when The Truth Or Else galloped to a 2 1/2-length victory in a one-mile dirt race at Belmont Park on Sept. 12. The performance was good enough to have McPeek strongly considering running the son of Yes It’s True here in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne Stakes. McPeek also has him cross-nominated to the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland the same day.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – In late August, Rich Papiese, the principal of Midwest Thoroughbreds, had tentative plans to send two homebreds, The Pizza Man and Work All Week, to Breeders’ Cup races, but a trip to the Breeders’ Cup is all but out for The Pizza Man, and Work All Week will make his next start Oct. 4 in the Phoenix at Keeneland.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Little Alexis, who finished a wide-running fourth in the Grade 1 Cotillion, has returned to her South Florida base at Gulfstream Park, where she will begin preparations for her next start, which is set to come in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

Four jockeys were fortunate to escape serious injury on an eventful closing-day program Wednesday at Kentucky Downs.

Corey Lanerie and Rafael Mojica Jr. both took off later mounts after a sixth-race spill. Lanerie’s helmet broke and his pants were torn when he suffered a minor neck injury, while Mojica escaped with bruising. Greta Kuntzweiler eventually returned after taking off an unruly mount who threw her in the paddock prior to the second, while Miguel Mena incurred a minor knee injury when his mount broke through the gate prior to the seventh.

Even with far fewer chances than their competitors, owner Maggi Moss and trainer Chris Richard were among the leaders in their respective categories heading into the final three-day stretch of the 12-day September meet at Churchill Downs, which ends Sunday.

Richard was a remarkable 5 for 6 during the first nine days here, all for Moss, while Moss was 5 for 7.

Richard had one entry in each of the last three days here, all for Moss, ending with Almost English in the fifth race Sunday. Moss had a total of five entries, with Tom Amoss the trainer of the other two.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Wise Dan and Close Hatches are among the star horses expected to compete next weekend after Keeneland Race Course unveils its new dirt surface on Friday, opening day of its 17-day fall meet in Lexington, Ky.

Wise Dan, the reigning two-time Horse of the Year, will run in the richest race in track history, the $1 million Shadwell Turf Mile on Saturday, while Close Hatches, the leader of the filly and mare handicap division, will be heavily favored Sunday in the $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster.

The meet runs through Oct. 25.

ARCADIA, Calif. – For most owners and trainers, the graded stakes this weekend at Santa Anita are cause to learn whether their horses are good enough to start in a Breeders’ Cup race.

For trainer Dan Hendricks, there are more modest goals for Irish Surf, who starts in Sunday’s $200,000 John Henry Turf Championship over 1 1/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita. Hendricks said Friday he is unlikely to point Irish Surf for the $3 million BC Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, and will aim for a race the preceding day, the $200,000 Las Vegas Marathon Stakes over 1 3/4 miles on dirt.

CYPRESS, Calif. – Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome, back home at Los Alamitos, galloped on Friday for the first time since his disappointing performance in the Pennsylvania Derby, and his trainer, Art Sherman, said all systems were go for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita.

Just Call Kenny will run in the Grade 2, $500,000 Indiana Derby next Saturday, according to trainer Patrick McBurney. Paco Lopez will ride at Keeneland that day and then hustle to Indiana Downs for the evening card and his mount on Just Call Kenny.

Just Call Kenny made the lead at the quarter pole of the Grade 3 Smarty Jones in his last start before tiring to sixth.

“He dragged Paco to the lead way too soon in that race,” McBurney said. “We’ll try and make sure that doesn’t happen again.