ELMONT, N.Y. – The feature race on Friday’s card at Belmont Park comes early – sort of– when seven turf-meant 3-year-olds kick off the first of three “Party at the Park” Fridays in the London Company overnight stakes.

The $90,000 London Company, scheduled for the inner turf at 1 1/8 miles, begins a nine-race card. First post is 3 p.m. Eastern, as it will be on the two remaining Fridays at the meet.

Easy Crossing, a $4,000 bargain basement colt by English Channel, looms the probable favorite for Christophe Clement, who also sends out Malibu Way.

ALTOONA, Iowa – The well-travelled Rothko headlines the featured $125,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap on Friday night as the Padua Stables homebred seeks to build another win streak under the care of trainer Steve Asmussen.

Rothko returned to form on June 2 with a convincing rally to seize the $100,000 Grade 3 Aristides at Churchill Downs by 2 1/2 lengths. The lightly-raced Arch 4-year-old is 3 for 3 at the Iowa Sprint Handicap distance of six furlongs and 4 for 8 overall.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Jockey Kent Desormeaux and trainer Dale Romans can be forgiven if they forgo the obligatory paddock handshake after going through those motions a couple times Friday at Churchill Downs. After all, they’re scheduled to team up in eight of the 11 races on a twilight card, and all that faux formality would get a little tedious.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – For one of the few occasions over the last four decades, jockey David Clark was not in the jockeys’ room when the ran the Queen’s Plate here last Sunday.

There was a good reason, as Clark, at age 58, hung up his tack early this month.

But, in the quiet manner which has defined his career, there were no grand pronouncements of retirement, no parting shots, and his absence just gradually dawned on the racetrack community here.

ALTOONA, Iowa --The Iowa Festival of Racing, comprised of six stakes races collectively worth more than $1 million, gets underway on Friday evening at Prairie Meadows in its traditional manner with the $100,000 Saylorville Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares.

The 10-race card also includes the $125,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap and the $100,000 Iowa Distaff.

Trainer Twylla Bensmiller isn’t sure which of her horses she likes better, Donegal County or Rum Ruckus, in a first-level allowance race that drew five horses at Northlands Park Friday. The six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up goes as the second race on an eight-race card that begins at 6 p.m. Mountain.

Donegal County has been installed as the 7-5 favorite, but Bensmiller isn’t sure the 5-year-old gelding really wants to sprint.

“I would like to stretch him out but there hasn’t been a race for him,” she said.

Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M., will conduct one of the year’s final derbies and one of the nation’s richest card of statebred stakes during its 54-date mixed meet for Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses that opens Sept. 8. The season runs through Dec. 4.

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Sandy Key Gal employed an element of surprise in her front-running victory earlier this month at Monmouth Park. She won’t have that edge on Friday when she steps up in the $44,000 feature, a second-level $32,000 claimer for fillies and mares going five furlongs on the turf.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Dr. Harkness made quite a splash in his season opener, and will be back on the grass Friday at Woodbine in the seventh race, a nonwinners-of-two allowance for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds.

Dr. Harkness competed twice at 2 for Kingview Farm trainer Catherine Day Phillips. A tardy start led to a distant fifth-place finish when he debuted Nov. 6, but he rallied for second in another six-furlong maiden special for Ontario-sired runners a month later.

OPELOUSAS, La. – Louisiana’s best are set to gather Saturday night at Evangeline Downs with the eighth edition of Louisiana Legends Night. Eight stakes will settle bragging rights in each division, at least until Louisiana Downs holds a similar program, Louisiana Cup Day, in August. Each of the stakes Saturday is worth $100,000, except for the Louisiana Legends Starter, which is worth $75,000.