Churchill Downs on Thursday announced a new points system to determine eligibility for the Kentucky Derby starting in 2013, replacing the system of graded stakes earnings that had been in place since 1986.

Danzip has never been beaten against Colorado-breds, and will return to those ranks Saturday for the $30,000 Aspen at Arapahoe Park. He should start as a strong favorite in the six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up which also drew local stakes winners Northern Twist, Wally Van, and E F Five.

Danzip went 3 for 4 when last at Arapahoe in 2010, with two of those wins, the Aspen and Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Derby, coming against statebreds. He also won the Inaugural against open company and was second in the Colorado Derby.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Contention runs deep in Saturday’s $90,000 Mohegan Sky Stakes, in which trainers Christophe Clement and John Terranova each have two fillies capable of winning the 1 1/16-mile overnight stakes.

Clement sends out Federation and Check the Label – the fourth- and fifth-place finishers, respectively in the Grade 2 Beaugay, in the Mohegan Sky.

Federation had run three solid races before that, winning two allowance races at Tampa before finishing second to Zagora in the Grade 3 Hillsborough.

AUBURN, Wash. – Italian Boy and Include the Baby are the horses to beat Saturday in the co-feature races at Emerald Downs. Italian Boy headlines the ninth race, a first-level allowance for 3-year-olds with a $25,000 claiming option, while Include the Baby tops the eighth race, a first-level allowance for fillies and mares.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – If it’s Prairie State Festival, the stable of trainer Chris Block must be humming.

Block, always active and often successful in Prairie State races, is launching an especially full-scale assault on this year’s Festival, with nine horses entered in four of the six $125,000 stakes for Illinois-breds carded Saturday at Arlington.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Howe Great was no match for Silver Max when he faced that rival in the Grade 2 American Turf last out at Churchill Downs. But then again, no horse has been a match for Silver Max who is 6 for 6 on turf this year.

That’s why it’s so good that Howe Great doesn’t have to face Silver Max when he runs in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Hill Prince Stakes at Belmont Park.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – When the 2-year-old gelding Amarish won his debut in a maiden race by 7 3/4 lengths at Betfair Hollywood Park on May 26, the victory confirmed the high regard that trainer Jeff Bonde formed back in March.

“I never gave $200,00 for a gelding in my life,” Bonde said.

Owned by Jerry Durant, Amarish makes his stakes debut in Saturday’s $100,000 Willard Proctor Memorial Stakes over 5 1/2 furlongs. Later on the program, the $100,000 Cinderella Stakes provides the first stakes opportunity of the year for 2-year-old fillies.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Alex Maese, who rode in California from 1952 to 1981, died Thursday morning after complications of a recent surgery, Hollywood Park announced in a statement.

Maese was 83, and resided in Southern California.

Maese won 1,981 races, riding throughout the state. He rode his first winner at Fairplex Park and his last at Golden Gate Fields.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – If he breaks sharply, Dat Red Cat is talented enough to win his maiden in the $100,000 Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity at Lone Star Park on Saturday.

“It will be very important for him to get the break,” said Randy Mayfield, who trains Dat Red Cat.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Last Saturday in New York, trainer Michael Matz and jockey Julien Leparoux were on opposing sides, after Leparoux was replaced as the regular jockey of Union Rags in the Belmont in favor of John Velazquez.

Leparoux still rode the race, aboard longshot Atigun, and did his best to steal the show, riding his mount to a surprising close third-place finish, falling just short of victorious Union Rags and runner-up Paynter.