Magical Twist will have several key factors working in his favor Saturday when he tries two turns for the first time in the $30,000 Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Derby at Arapahoe Park. He is one of 11 horses in the 1 1/16-mile race restricted to 3-year-olds bred in Colorado.

Magical Twist enters the CTBA Derby off a maiden special weight win over statebreds June 1. He won the 5 1/2-furlong race at Arapahoe on the front end, one start after finishing second in his career debut at Prairie Meadows in May.

The top three finishers, separated by a head, from the Fonner Park Special Stakes on April 28 meet again Saturday as a short field of five 3-year-old Nebraska-bred fillies will go six furlongs in the $20,000 Breeders’ Special at Lincoln Race Course.

Bumper’s Shadow, a nose short of winning her maiden in the Fonner Special, has since rattled off a pair of convincing victories, but will be facing the strong 1-2 punch of Jim Cranwell’s duo of Precious Affair and Classy Affair who both ship down from Canterbury Park in Minnesota for this race.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Mark Casse sends out the unbeaten Uncaptured and unraced Calgary Cat on Saturday at Woodbine in the $150,000 Clarendon Stakes, a five and a half-furlong dash for Ontario-bred 2-year-olds.

Uncaptured debuted May 13 under Patrick Husbands, in a four and a half-furlong maiden special, which he won by a nose over Ray’s Away, who came back to post an upset in the Victoria Stakes. His time of :51.96 translated into a 58 Beyer Figure.

The connections of millionaire West Viriginia-bred Russell Road are hoping the third time’s the charm when he faces open company in the $100,000 Wild and Wonderful, the richest of five undercard stakes on Saturday night’s Sprint Festival program at Charles Town that is topped by the $400,000 Red Legend for 3-year-olds.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Mr. Commons and Little Mike are set in their ways.

Mr. Commons is a closer, reliant on a quick pace to help his chances in the stretch of one-mile turf races. Little Mike races from the front and is dangerous with that style.

They will play their customary roles when they meet for the first time in Saturday’s $300,000 Shoemaker Mile on turf at Betfair Hollywood Park. Mr. Commons, the expected favorite, will be seeking his first stakes win since the Grade 2 Arcadia Stakes at Santa Anita in February.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The conclusion was quick and to the point.

The sixth-place finish by The Factor in the $2 million Golden Shaheen Sprint in Dubai is best forgotten, trainer Bob Baffert said.

“The Dubai race is a throw-out,” Baffert said. “He was dull and flat.”

A repeat of that performance in Saturday’s $250,000 Triple Bend Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park is not expected.

“He’s doing well,” Baffert said.

OPELOUSAS, La. – Star Guitar is likely to be his usual odds-on self as he goes after his fourth Louisiana Legends Classic title at Evangeline Downs on Saturday night. The Classic is one of eight stakes races on the Legends program devoted exclusively to those horses bred in Louisiana.

[bc_video_id:255777:]LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Bashford Manor Stakes looks like a pretty cool race this year, although not in the literal sense. Seven of the eight 2-year-olds in the Saturday night feature at Churchill Downs were maiden winners in their last starts, while the other starter is a maiden trained by D. Wayne Lukas, a record five-time winner of the Bashford Manor.

[bc_video_id:255773:]OCEANPORT, N.J. – The Grade 3, $100,000 Eatontown Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park is a carbon copy of the Violet Stakes run here on Memorial Day.

It’s the same 1 1/16 miles on the turf for fillies and mares. The stakes grading and purse are identical.

Not surprisingly, the top three Violet finishers—Ruthenia, Pinch Pie, and Unbridled Humor—return for a rematch.

The major change from the Violet is the supporting cast, which sports several interesting new faces, topped by Heavenly Landing.

ALTOONA, Iowa – Successful Dan, who is ranked as the fifth-best older horse in the country by Daily Racing Form’s Mike Watchmaker. comes to Iowa from Kentucky for the Grade 3, $300,000 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap on Saturday night. The 1 1/8-mile Cornhusker has a field of six.