DEL MAR, Calif. – There will a good old-fashioned shootout at Del Mar on Sunday afternoon, when the speedy The Factor takes on defending sprint champion Amazombie in the Grade 1, $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes at six furlongs.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – St. John’s River is taking a step back in hopes of being able to move forward later in the year.

After competing in six consecutive graded stakes – finishing in the top three in five of them – St. John’s River heads a nine-horse field entered in a $90,000 second-level allowance that goes as race 2 on Thursday’s 10-race program at Saratoga. The race is scheduled for 1 1/8 miles over the main track.

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DEL MAR, Calif. – At Del Mar racetrack the past week or so, a chestnut colored colt has caught the eye every morning during training hours. Even people who haven’t been around horses couldn’t help but notice and then wonder, “Who’s that?”

On Thursday, they’ll get to see him in action.

The striking Coil, last year’s Haskell Invitational winner, makes his first start of the year in an optional-claiming race at seven furlongs, the seventh race on the eight-race card.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A pair of Kentucky invaders, Full and Manly, have come to New York for the summer where they will square off as the likely favorites in Thursday’s $100,000 Quick Call Stakes at Saratoga. In addition to the Quick Call, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds, the 10-race program will also feature the first hurdle race of the meet, the $75,000 Jonathan Kiser Novice Stakes.

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Jockey Tammi Piermarini moved into third on the list of all-time winningest female riders Monday with a three-win day at Suffolk Downs.

By bringing her career win total to 2,139, she passed Patti Cooksey and now sits behind Hall of Famer Julie Krone (3,704) and still-active Rosemary Homeister (2,527).

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s Safety and Integrity Alliance has re-accredited Monmouth Park in New Jersey, the NTRA announced on Tuesday. The re-accreditation is good for two years. Monmouth is the 16th racetrack to be re-accredited by the alliance, which requires tracks to comply with a list of standards developed by the organization in a range of areas related to safety practices.

Gulfstream Park will offer the biggest and richest stakes schedule in the track’s storied history during the 2012-2013 Sseason which opens on Dec. 1 and continues through April 8, 2013, track officials announced on Tuesday.

Gulfstream will offer 61 stakes, 33 of which are graded, valued at more than $10.1 million. The schedule will be highlighted by the $1 million, Grade 1 Florida Derby, a key Kentucky Derby prep, to be run on March 30 as the main event on a stellar program that will include five other graded stakes.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Blessed by tremendous weather and, for the most part, large fields, Saratoga enjoyed increases in handle and attendance through the first week of the meet, compared to 2011.

Ontrack handle for the first four days was $12,731,605, up 14.2 percent from the $11,146,737 wagered last year.

All-sources handle, which includes wagers on Saratoga both ontrack and from simulcast outlets, was $63,688,669, up 12.3 percent from $56,688,557 last year.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Lunar Victory made a successful return to the races Monday at Saratoga, winning the $100,000 Evan Shipman Stakes for New York-breds by 2 1/2 lengths.

In his first start since March 3, Lunar Victory sparred with Johannesburg Smile through sharp early fractions before opening up turning for home. Though Lunar Victory began to idle late, he easily held off Sailmate, who finished second by 1 1/2 lengths over Johannesburg Smile.

DEL MAR, Calif. – He has Liaison scheduled to run at Saratoga on Saturday in the Jim Dandy and Paynter scheduled to run on Sunday in the Haskell at Monmouth Park, but trainer Bob Baffert will be remaining here at Del Mar, where he got off to a fast start with two stakes wins opening week and will be looking to add more this weekend.