Although he is winless in three starts since being claimed in July, Mensa Heat has retained his consistent form, and on Saturday at Santa Anita, he lands a terrific chance to both erase that losing streak and pocket one of the richest paydays of his career in the $100,000 Donald Valpredo California Cup Sprint.

When Pedro Alvarado was a boy growing up in Mexico City he knew he wanted to be a jockey. Following his dream, he enrolled in a jockey school when he was 13 and he began riding races at the Hipodromo de las Americas in 1981 when he was 16. A career that saw him win over 3,000 races will end on Sunday when he rides Mr Exspeedient in the last race.

MIAMI – Trainer Bill Kaplan will have bigger fish to fry when he brings Musical Romance to Santa Anita in several weeks to defend her title in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. But before heading west, Kaplan will attempt to pick up a little shipping money when he sends out favored Putyourdreamsaway along with Putitinmypocket in Saturday’s $300,000 My Dear Girl Stakes for 2-year-old fillies and outsider Uptown Anthem about an hour later in the $300,000 In Reality for 2-year-olds.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Ken Ramsey likes to talk about how he rubbed elbows with Queen Elizabeth II in her private skybox at the Royal Ascot meet in 2009. At one point during his brief visit, Ramsey said that he exclaimed: “Your Majesty, I believe you have the best seat in the house!”

There’s a good chance Ramsey will be yucking it up again after the race named in honor of the Queen is run Saturday at Keeneland, where his homebred filly Stephanie’s Kitten figures to be favored in the 29th running of the Grade 1, $400,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.

ARCADIA, Calif. – It will take all of the Santa Anita autumn meeting for John Scott to achieve the goals expected of him.

A 5-year-old gelding, John Scott will start favored in Saturday’s $175,000 California Cup Classic at Santa Anita, a race that could be a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile here on Nov. 3.

“Hopefully this won’t be a hard race,” trainer Carla Gaines said on Thursday.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Trainer Reade Baker will be represented in both Woodbine stakes on Saturday, when he runs Tu Endie Wei in the $100,000 Ruling Angel and Missy Bear in the $150,000 Fanfreluche.

Tu Endie Wei, last year’s Canadian champion 2-year-old filly, should be favored in the Ruling Angel, a 6 1/2-furlong overnight race for 3-year-old fillies.

Tu Endie Wei won two stakes this year, the six-furlong Star Shoot in April and the seven-furlong Seaway on Sept. 1. In the Grade 3 Seaway, she defeated older opposition, most notably Roxy Gap.

Adahai showed no rust three weeks ago in the African Prince Stakes, proving he is the boss of the 3-year-old Massachusetts-breds this year. He gets another chance to remain on top in Saturday’s $50,000 John Kirby Stakes at Suffolk Downs.

Eve Giselle won last year’s Endine Stakes for female sprinters at Delaware Park when it was still a Grade 3 event, matching her career best with a 99 Beyer Speed Figure. In more than 12 months since then, the now 5-year-old Eve Giselle has raced just once, fading to fourth in an optional $50,000 claimer at Laurel Park and earning a 78 Beyer that was her lowest since her 3-year-old debut in January 2010.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Imperial Monarch, a lightly raced Irish-bred 3-year-old who became a Group 1 winner in Paris in his last start, has been made the 3-1 morning-line favorite in a field of 11 for Sunday’s $1.5 million Canadian International.

Post positions for the 1 1/2-mile Canadian International, which is one of three Grade 1 turf stakes here Sunday along with the 1 1/4-mile E.P. Taylor and six-furlong Nearctic, were announced at a special ceremonial draw in the trackside tent here Thursday. All three races are Win and You’re In events for the Breeders’ Cup.

ELMONT, N.Y. – After an unsuccessful summer racing in Chicago, Boisterous is back at Belmont Park – on his favorite turf course – seeking a repeat in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Knickerbocker Stakes.

Boisterous, a 5-year-old son of Distorted Humor, is 4 for 7 over Belmont’s turf and 3 for 12 off of it. Moreover, three of those four wins have come on yielding turf, the type of ground he is likely to encounter on Saturday in the 1 1/8-mile Knickerbocker.