Graded stakes winners Teeth of the Dog and Prospective head a field of nine 3-year-olds who were entered Thursday for Monday’s $350,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx Racing.

The Grade 3 Smarty Jones, to be contested at a mile and 70 yards, is the local prep for the Grade 2, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 22. The Smarty Jones tops a Labor Day stakes tripleheader that includes the Grade 3, $350,000 Turf Monster Handicap – a Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint – and the $200,000 Turf Amazon Handicap for fillies and mares.

In the aftermath of Ochoa’s win in the All American Futurity last September, his connections made a deliberate decision. He would forgo racing the rest of the season in order to be at his best for the rich 3-year-old offerings at Ruidoso Downs.

Mission accomplished.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Potesta delivered one of the grittiest stakes wins of the Betfair Hollywood Park meeting earlier this year in the Grade 2 Hollywood Oaks on June 23. She outfinished Grade 1 winner Eden’s Moon by a nose in 1 1/16-mile race.

After the Hollywood Oaks, trainer Mike Mitchell could have sent Potesta to other circuits for stakes for 3-year-old fillies or tried older fillies and mares in Southern California. He opted to briefly rest Potesta and point to Sunday’s $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes for 3-year-old fillies over a mile at Del Mar.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The inaugural running of the $100,000 Oak Tree Juvenile Turf at Del Mar on Wednesday comes at the perfect time for owners Sam Britt and Michael House and trainer Jeff Mullins.

This year at Del Mar, they have won maiden races with the highly promising juveniles Dry Summer and Gabriel Charles. In past years, both would likely have started in Wednesday’s $300,000 Del Mar Futurity. This year, they are being split up. Dry Summer is bound for the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf, which is run over a mile.

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Monmouth Park showcases its premier 2-year-old stakes Sunday, the Grade 3 Sapling and the Sorority for fillies. Both six-furlong races, each worth $100,000, attracted interesting fields.

Todd Pletcher, blessed with a barn full of babies, will be a major player in both stakes. He has an uncoupled trio of Overanalyze, Drum Roll, and Lawn Man in the 10-horse Sapling. The Pletcher influence also extends to Coach A.J., a colt was claimed away by trainer Patricia Farro for $50,000 out of maiden win at Saratoga.

Fair Grounds in New Orleans has canceled the remainder of its Quarter Horse meet in the wake of the “trying circumstances” Hurricane Isaac has created in southeastern Louisiana, track official Eric Halstrom said. The decision was made Friday after Fair Grounds management consulted with the Louisiana Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association and the Louisiana Racing Commission. It is pending final approval from the commission.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Charlie Lopresti won last year’s Woodbine Mile with Turallure, who went on to finish the closest of seconds in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs.

And while Turralure had his troubles this year, going to the sidelines in early July, Lopresti is planning to return with an equally formidable competitor in Wise Dan.

SHAKOPEE, Minn. – Canterbury Park will showcase statebred talent on Minnesota Festival of Champions Day on Sunday. Over $400,000 in purses will be up for grabs on the 11-race card, which includes two Quarter Horse and six Thoroughbred stakes, many of which will help to determine Minnesota divisional championships.

Post time for Festival Day is 1:30 p.m. Central. Canterbury Park concludes its meet Monday with a Labor Day card.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Ralph Biamonte sends out favored Jenna’s Wabbit and longshot Run in Aruba in Sunday’s $125,000 Vice Regent Stakes at Woodbine, and the personable trainer thinks they both should acquit themselves well in the one-mile turf route for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds.

For the most part, Jenna’s Wabbit has used his breakaway speed to win six of nine outings. He is unbeaten in three starts this year, including sprint stakes scores on the Polytrack in the Achievement and Deputy Minister.

FORT ERIE, Ontario – Alamanda Drive, a 6-year-old mare who is 4 for 17 on the turf, heads a field of 12 fillies and mares for Sunday’s $30,000 Labatt Cup at Fort Erie. The 1 1/16-mile turf race is restricted to horses who have run at least three times this year at Fort Erie.

Alamanda Drive, trained by Marilyn McMullen, went gate-to-wire two starts back over one mile while competing without the price in a second-level optional $20,000 claiming race.