After an online vote by racing fans, Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez was presented the Mike Venezia Memorial Award on Saturday in the Saraoga winner’s circle. The award, created in 1989, is given to jockeys who exemplify extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship. It is named in honor of Venezia, who died as the result of injuries he suffered in a spill in 1988 at Belmont Park.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Experience counts.

El Kabeir and Two Weeks Off, each of whom had a start at the meet, won split divisions of a 2-year-old maiden race on Saturday’s card at Saratoga.

El Kabeir, a son of Scat Daddy, was quite impressive, rolling to a 10 3/4-length victory over the Todd Pletcher-trained Royal Son, who also was making his second start.

El Kabeir had finished third behind Blofeld in a five-furlong maiden race going five furlongs here Aug. 14. John Terranova had heard from everybody that he was entering the horse back on rather short notice.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin was represented in Saturday’s Grade 1 Woodward Stakes by Long River. He would have preferred to have been represented by Alpha, last year’s Woodward winner.

But things didn’t break well for Alpha this summer, and instead of performing Saturday afternoon, he was out Saturday morning for a four-furlong workout in 49.63 seconds over Saratoga’s main track. He could make his next start in Friday’s $100,000 Left Bank Stakes, the opening-day feature at Belmont Park.

Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico is offering an All American Double on Sunday, a bet that links its two biggest races for Quarter Horses. But in some respects, Sarah Donaldson-Rioux has already hit it. Donaldson-Rioux, 37, is the breeder of starters in both the $1.9 million All American Derby on Sunday and the $2.6 million All American Futurity on Monday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The equine medical director for New York said Friday “a thorough investigation” will be conducted into the 10 equine fatalities that have occurred during the Saratoga meet.

Seven of the equine deaths have occurred during the races and three have occurred during training hours. Last year at Saratoga, there were five fatalities that occurred during racing and an additional three during training hours.

AUBURN, Wash. – With her mission at Emerald Downs now complete, Stopshoppingdebbie will embark on a fall campaign at Santa Anita, trainer Tom Wenzel confirmed this week. The undefeated 4-year-old Stopshoppingdebbie will make her next start in either the Grade 1, $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes on Sept. 27 or the Grade 3, $100,000 L.A. Woman Stakes on Oct. 4.

The Grade 2, $400,000 Super Derby next Saturday, Sept. 6, at Louisiana Downs could have a sizeable field. There are at least 11 horses in the mix for the 1 1/8-mile race that will anchor a program of seven stakes worth a collective $900,000. The card is the richest of the meet in Bossier City.

Vicar’s in Trouble, the winner of the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds in March, and East Hall, who captured the $300,000 Ohio Derby in his most recent out at ThistleDown, are among the horses Louisiana Downs racing secretary David Heitzmann is expecting for the Super Derby.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Sunday is not just the final day at the New York Racing Association for race-caller Tom Durkin. Charlotte Quinn, who has worked as the secretary in the communications department since 1985, also is retiring Sunday.

In her 29-plus years on the job, Quinn served under nine full-time or interim communications directors.

Quinn, who will continue to reside in Floral Park on Long Island, said Easy Goer’s victory over Sunday Silence in the Belmont Stakes was her most memorable moment at NYRA.

“I liked Easy Goer,” Quinn said. “I was rooting for him.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown has done quite well in the Breeders’ Cup races for 2-year-olds on turf and appears headed back this year with a pair of nice prospects.

Brown won Wednesday’s P.G. Johnson Stakes with the 2-year-old filly Partisan Politics and came back Thursday to win the Grade 2 With Anticipation Stakes with Startup Nation.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Following I Spent It’s victory in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special on Aug. 10, trainer Tony Dutrow’s initial inclination was to skip the Hopeful Stakes and give the colt more time ahead of the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont Park on Oct. 4.

But in the three weeks since the Saratoga Special, Dutrow has gradually changed his mind. On Friday, he sounded as though I Spent It would indeed run in Monday’s Grade 1, $350,000 Hopeful, setting up a closing-day showdown with the impressive maiden winner Competitive Edge.