Winter Memories turned in the best race of her career to capture the Grade 1 Diana here Saturday. It also was a performance that may have helped trainer James Toner shape the course he’ll take with his star filly the remainder of the year.

Winter Memories rallied from off the pace and overcame a little lapse in focus near midstretch to register a 1 1/2-length decision over the European invader Dream Peace in the 1 1/8-mile Diana. Winter Memories received a 100 Beyer Speed Figure, the first time she’s cracked triple digits in her 12-race career.

As much as he has dominated the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, trainer Bob Baffert has had mixed results with a smaller sample size in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

Baffert won his third straight Haskell – and sixth overall – on Sunday with Paynter, the Belmont Stakes runner-up who came from just off the pace to dominate the $1 million race by 3 3/4 lengths. Now, Baffert will be in search of his second Travers victory when he sends Paynter as well as Jim Dandy third-place finisher Liaison to the $1 million Mid-Summer Derby on Aug. 25.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Although well-traveled 2-year-old Law Dog has not broken any rules, he and the family that owns him are bending tradition.

First of all, Law Dog was not expected to mature so soon.

“The Unusual Heats, you don’t see many of them that are precocious and get started real early,” trainer Tevis McCauley said.

And yet here is Law Dog, three starts into his career and already one of the favorites in a Del Mar stakes Wednesday – the $100,000 Graduation Stakes for California-bred or -sired 2-year-olds.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The clock struck midnight on Saginaw’s rags-to-riches story when he finished last in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park on May 28.

Wednesday, the former claimer gets back to reality when he squares off against seven New York-breds in the $100,000 John Morrissey Stakes at Saratoga.

The Morrissey, run at 6 1/2 furlongs, is the co-feature on a 10-race card that also includes the $100,000 Fleet Indian Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares at seven furlongs.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Two of the nine likely starters for Saturday’s Grade 1 Whitney, Fort Larned and Endorsement, got in their final work for the race over a fast main track here Monday. One went a little too fast, one went a little too slow, but in the end both camps were pleased with what they saw and looking forward to a big performance from their horse this weekend.

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My Miss Aurelia, last year’s champion 2-year-old filly, worked a sharp six furlongs in 1:13.03 on Sunday morning over the Oklahoma training track as she gets closer to her 3-year-old debut.

Under exercise rider Carlos Rosas, My Miss Aurelia went her first quarter in 25.20 seconds, the half-mile in 49.65, and she galloped out seven-eighths in 1:27.32.

“Her last three moves have been consistently better,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “We thought she needed a good breeze like she got this morning. I’m extremely pleased with how she did it and how she came back.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Shackleford has run 16 times at seven different distances, but has never run at six furlongs.

That will change Sunday, when the dual Grade 1-winning Shackleford will run in the Grade 1, $400,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga at six furlongs.

Shackleford, not an original nominee to the Vanderbilt, had to be supplemented to the race by Monday for $8,000. Weights for the race were scheduled to be released later Monday afternoon.

DEL MAR, Calif. - You might not be able to wipe the smile off trainer Ron Ellis’s face for quite awhile, such was the emotionally uplifting and satisfying victory by Rail Trip on Saturday in the San Diego Handicap.

“He looked great,” on Sunday morning, Ellis said.

Ellis said Rail Trip “really needed to win, he needed to have that swagger.”

“It’s going to be interesting to see how he acts coming out of this,” Ellis said.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The plan that Bill Spawr mapped out with Amazombie late last year resulted in a Breeders’ Cup Sprint win and a subsequent Eclipse Award, so there’s absolutely no reason for Spawr to do anything differently this year. As in 2011, Amazombie, who won the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes here at Del Mar on Sunday, will not race again until Santa Anita’s fall meet, and have just one prep for the BC Sprint.

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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The news that Queen’s Plate winner Strait of Dover is out for the year with a suspensory injury and will miss Sunday’s $500,000 Breeders’ Stakes was still making the rounds here Monday morning. It also had reached Saratoga, where trainer Mark Casse was looking in on his outfit and was preparing to ship Prince of Wales Stakes winner Dixie Strike back to Woodbine for the Breeders’.