AUBURN, Wash. – The field for the Aug. 19 Longacres Mile came into clearer focus this week at Emerald Downs. According to their respective trainers, defending champion Awesome Gem is a definite, and Jersey Town, the Mile runner-up in 2010, is a definite maybe for the Northwest’s richest race.

Trainer Michelle Nihei had penciled in a five-furlong work over the Oklahoma turf course on Friday morning for her Grade 3 winner Upgrade in what was to be his final prep prior to the Grade 2 Fourstardave. But with light rain falling when she arrived at the track early Friday and the prospect for more as the morning progressed, Nihei got out her eraser and switched Upgrade’s work to dirt. A wise choice, as things turned out, after turf workouts were subsequently canceled due to the wet conditions.

Trainer Rusty Arnold began the week winning a turf stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga. He hopes to end the weekend in the same fashion.

Arnold, who won Wednesday’s Grade 2 Lake George with Centre Court, will send out Grade 1 Ashland winner Karlovy Vary in Sunday’s $100,000 Nani Rose Stakes, scheduled for one mile on the inner turf.

Karlovy Vary, who won the Ashland over Keeneland’s synthetic surface, is 3 for 4 on turf, including a third-level allowance win at Churchill in her last start.

Paynter and Gemologist are the marquee names going into Sunday’s Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. Nonios could be the name people are talking about coming out of the race.

If he can successfully transfer his synthetic form from California to the dirt of the Jersey Shore, Nonios could be poised to pull off an upset in the Haskell, the major event of the Monmouth Park meeting.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Currency Swap returns to the scene of his finest hour, coming back to Saratoga for Sunday’s $200,000 Amsterdam. The Grade 2, 6 1/2-furlong Amsterdam serves as a prep for the meet’s lone Grade 1 race for 3-year-old male sprinters, the seven-furlong King’s Bishop on Aug. 25.

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The multiple graded stakes winner Successful Dan has developed filling in the pastern of his left foreleg and will be forced to skip next Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga, trainer Charles Lopresti said Friday afternoon.

Successful Dan was scheduled to be vanned to Lexington, Ky., on Saturday and will be further evaluated by Dr. Larry Bramlage at the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital on Wednesday.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Coil, the winner of the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in 2011, may start in a major stakes around one turn next month after a successful return to racing at Del Mar on Thursday.

Making his first start since October, Coil closed from fourth in a field of eight to win an optional claimer over seven furlongs by a length with minimal urging from jockey Rafael Bejarano. Trained by Bob Baffert for Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Coil ($3.80) was timed in 1:22.39.

Kool Atlantic once again looks like the one to beat in a $10,000 claiming race for 3-year-olds and up that will serve as Sunday’s feature at Northlands Park. The six-furlong sprint drew nine horses and goes as race 9 on the 10-race card, which begins at 1 p.m. Mountain.

Eight of the horses entered were scheduled to run in a similar race last Wednesday but didn’t get to go when the races were canceled due to unsafe track conditions. The repairs to the track have been completed and Kool Atlantic will get his chance to win his third race in a row.

The last time trainer Jerry Hollendorfer entered three runners in a stakes, Halo Dolly, Cathy’s Crunches, and Anniversary Girl ran one-two-three in the Alameda County Fillies and Mares at Pleasanton.

On Sunday, Hollendorfer sends out multiple stakes winner Cathy’s Crunches, Anniversary Girl, and the recently re-claimed Going for a Spin in hopes of another sweep in the $50,000 Luther Burbank Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the turf at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa.

Here's my race-by-race rundown of Sunday's pick four at Monmouth Park on July 29, 2012. I'm building my wager with TicketMaker, found exclusively on DRF.com.