The season-ending goal for Cold Cash 123, the reigning world champion Quarter Horse, is a start in the Grade 1, $750,000 Champion of Champions. He can take a major step towards that objective on Sunday, when he starts in the $250,000 Remington Park Invitational.

The Invitational, a Grade 1 at 440 yards, offers its winner a berth into the Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos on Dec. 15.

Rarely has a sixth-place finish been greeted with such enthusiasm.

There were plenty of smiles around the John Forbes/Pat McBurney barn after Get Serious checked in sixth last weekend in the Elkwood Stakes.

All things considered, they were encouraged by the comeback effort from the 8-year-old gelding.

“We thought it was a fantastic race,” McBurney said.

A little context is in order.

ELMONT, N.Y. – In Caleb’s Posse, trainer Donnie Von Hemel will likely have the favorite for Monday’s Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park.

With She’s All In, Von Hemel will have a live longshot in Monday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Ogden Phipps Handicap run about one hour earlier on the 11-race card.

Led by defending Phipps winner Awesome Maria, all five fillies and mares entered in Monday’s 44th renewal of the Phipps are coming off a stakes victory.

AUBURN, Wash. – Talk to My Laywer, hero of the Gottstein Futurity last summer, headlines a crackerjack field Sunday in the $50,000 Seattle Handicap at Emerald Downs. First post is 2 p.m. Pacific, and the season’s first stakes for 3-year-old fillies is the eighth race on a nine-race card.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – As the year unfolds and her win streak grows, so have the lofty ambitions for the top female turf sprinter in California.

Mizdirection should win her fifth straight Sunday at Hollywood Park in a little $70,000 turf sprint for fillies and mares. The Great Lady M. appears to be easy pickings, as do the two races she will target thereafter.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Compliance Officer gets a chance to complete his own personal Grand Slam of sorts when he makes his seasonal debut in Sunday’s $125,000 Kingston Stakes for New York-breds going one mile at Belmont Park.

Last year, Compliance Officer won the West Point, Ashley T. Cole, and Mohawk – three of the four traditional turf races restricted to New York-breds en route to being named champion New York-bred turf male. Perhaps the only reason he didn’t win the Kingston is because he wasn’t in it.

AUBURN, Wash. – Upon further review, Noosa Beach did not drive off a career cliff when he finished fourth last Sunday in the Governor’s Handicap at Emerald Downs. The two-time Washington horse of the year simply had a bad day, mostly through no fault of his own.

The jockey was new, the trip was poor, and the winner, the aptly named Winning Machine, was on top of his game, running 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:13.97 to earn a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 94.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – There were varying levels of comebacks in effect when the 2011 champion Acclamation worked a mile on turf at Betfair Hollywood Park on Friday morning.

Acclamation, champion older male of 2011, is nearing his first start of 2012 in the $250,000 Charles Whittingham Handicap over 1 1/4 miles on turf June 9. Acclamation was entered for the Inglewood Handicap in April, but was scratched when trainer Don Warren expressed concerned about the horse’s soundness.

Tests revealed no problems, allowing Acclamation to return to serious training earlier this month.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer David Donk wants a do-over. After being forced to miss an overnight stakes with Hessonite due to a foot bruise, Donk ran his New York-bred filly in the Grade 2 Beaugay here May 5.

It proved disastrous as she raced too close to the pace and faded to last, beaten nearly 10 lengths, in her first start in 6 1/2 months.

“If I had to do it over again, I probably wouldn’t have run there, but that was yesterday,” Donk said.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Churchill Downs will boost overnuight purses by 10 percent, effective Monday, officials at the track announced Friday.

The increase is attributable to higher-than-expected all-sources wagering on Kentucky Derby weekend, when a total of $226.9 million was bet on Kentucky Oaks and Derby Days, May 4-5. That total was up nearly 12 percent from 2011.