ETOBICOKE, Ontario – It’s crunch time for Queen’s Plate nominees in Sunday’s $150,000 Plate Trial Stakes at Woodbine, and Classic Bryce drops in class in the nine-furlong route for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds.

Classic Bryce met open stakes company traveling 1 1/16 miles in both of his outings at the meet. Following a winter vacation, he rallied for second in the April 21 Wando, in which victorious Incredicat had everything his own way on the lead.

Three weeks later in the Marine, Classic Bryce came wide from midpack to finish a distant second to upstart Strait of Dover.

Doe, who was claimed for $40,000 by trainer Wayne Cole on behalf of owner Carmen Muccio Jr. on March 10, scored a front-running two-length victory in Thursday’s $50,000 Beautiful Day Stakes at Delaware Park.

Ridden by Malcolm Franklin, the 3-year-old Doe ($9.80) ran six furlongs in 1:10.48 over a fast track as the second choice in a field of five.

Mikey Likes It, the 1-2 favorite, finished second, 2 3/4 lengths in front of Defy Gravity.

Doe, now 5 for 16 lifetime, ran second against males as a 2-year-old in the Dover at Delaware and the Charles Town Juvenile.

AUBURN, Wash. – It will be a Mile Day of sorts Saturday at Emerald Downs, with five of the nine races to be contested over eight furlongs. A couple of the leading contenders in the feature race – a second-level $32,000 optional claimer – could have designs on an even bigger mile – the Grade 3 Longacres Mile in August.

Santa Anita is conducting a contest to name one of the stakes races for its upcoming autumn meeting.

Last year, the first in which Santa Anita operated a fall meeting, the track purchased the naming rights of stakes that had been run in past years when the Oak Tree Racing Association conducted the meeting.

No such financial arrangement has been reached for this year’s meeting, which will lead to new names for “a number” of stakes during the meeting which runs from Sept. 28 to Nov. 4, according to a statement released by the track.

MIAMI – Officials at Calder Racecourse announced Thursday that they will begin charging a fee of $5 per day per room (double occupancy) to residents currently residing in dormitory or cottage rooms located within the track’s barn area. The fee will go into effect as of June 14.

Calder also informed dorm residents and local horsemen Thursday that the rooms located above Barns 75 and 79 as well as the stalls within those barns have been deemed no longer suitable for occupancy and as a result must be vacated as of July 15 for “future demolition.”

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. believes Redeemed is probably a cut below the best in the handicap division.

In seeking spots for the multiple stakes winner, Dutrow has landed on next Friday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Brooklyn Handicap at 1 1/2 miles at Belmont Park.

Redeemed, a son of Include, has won three stakes at 1 1/8 miles, including last year’s Grade 3 Discovery at Aqueduct and the off-the-turf Milesius Stakes by 9 3/4 lengths here May 3.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Ravi’s Song seems deserving of a little luck coming into Saturday night's Grade 3, $100,000 Mine Julep Handicap at Churchill Downs. After winning a pair of stakes last year at Fair Grounds, she has gone nearly 15 months without a victory, while experiencing a number of close second-place finishes.

Two such losses came on the same Churchill Downs turf course over which she will race Saturday, first in last June’s Mint Julep, when she fell a neck short of My Baby Baby, and later when she was a half-length behind Deluxe in Grade 3 Cardinal last November.

Diamond Joe should rule a heavy favorite in a field of Nebraska-bred 3-year-olds in the colts and geldings division of the $20,000 Lincoln Breeders’ Special going six furlongs on Saturday at Lincoln Race Course.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The Belmont Stakes lost one starter on Thursday morning. Then it nearly lost its star.

Alpha, one of four graded stakes winners in the prospective field for the Belmont Stakes was withdrawn from consideration because of a fever, according to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

Meanwhile, the race could have lost its marquee player - Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another - when the 3-year-old filly Isleta, trained by Carl Domino, dumped her rider and got loose shortly after I'll Have Another came on the track for training around 8:45 a.m.

Sweet Dixie Van will have recency on her chief rivals, Illusive Crystals and Vanasee, on Saturday when she makes her third start of the year in the $30,000 Ingrid Knotts at Arapahoe Park. The six-furlong race is for fillies and mares bred in Colorado.

Sweet Dixie Van has been racing at Will Rogers Downs this spring, while the Ingrid Knotts will be the first start since last year’s Arapahoe meet for both Illusive Crystals and Vanasee. Vanasee is coupled with Sweet Dixie Vann.