LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The $1 super high five with a big carryover pool was easily taken down Thursday at Churchill Downs when a 3-1 shot, Laope, dominated the ninth and final race, and none of the four horses following him were higher than 8-1 in the 10-horse field.

Yellow Chumarine should rule a solid favorite when she heads a field of six 3-year-old fillies in the $15,000 Princess Stakes at six furlongs in the feature at Lincoln Race Course on Saturday afternoon.

Yellow Chumarine remained in Nebraska following her solid stakes efforts at Fonner Park this spring. Formerly trained by Jack McCartney for owner Tom Dougherty, she has been under the care of Kim Veerhusen while preparing for this spot.

Silver Spur, who launched his career in Australia and last raced at Santa Anita, should start as a strong favorite Saturday in the fourth race at Louisiana Downs. The first-level allowance at a mile on turf is one of two high-end offerings on the card. The eighth race is an allowance turf route for Louisiana-breds that is designed to produce starters for the $50,000 John Franks Memorial on June 2.

Slim Shadey, second in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs last Saturday, has returned to California and may start in a Grade 1 race at Hollywood Park or Belmont Park on June 9.

Trainer Simon Callaghan said that Slim Shadey is a candidate for the $250,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap at Hollywood Park or the $500,000 Manhattan Handicap at Belmont Park. Both races are run over 1 1/4 miles.

“I think, more than likely, we’ll stay at home,” Callaghan said.

ELMONT, N.Y. – While Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes could serve as a potential stepping-stone to the Belmont Stakes, the $85,000 You and I Stakes run earlier on the card could produce a starter or two for the Woody Stephens Stakes on the Belmont undercard.

Only five horses entered in the You and I, including Hardened Wildcat winner of the Fred “Cappy” Capossela Stakes in March, and Currency Swap, winner of last year’s Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga.

AUBURN, Wash. -- A trio of horses for the course will tackle a pair of talented newcomers Saturday in an intriguing feature race at Emerald Downs. A $10,000 claimer for older horses at six furlongs, it’s the eighth event on a nine-race program that begins at 2 p.m. Pacific.

Olympic Lights, Buddy Dave, and Polish Dollar have the home-court advantage, if such a thing exists in horse racing. All three have a special affinity for Emerald’s sandy surface – in 76 combined starts at their home track, they have piled up 27 victories and 51 in-the-money finishes.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Larry Jones is not looking back. If he had any regrets about keeping Mark Valeski out of last week’s Kentucky Derby, he certainly didn’t reveal it Thursday morning.

Instead, Jones seemed quite content with his decision as he held the shank on Mark Valeski while the stout 3-year-old munched away on some grass outside barn 26 at Belmont Park, where Saturday Mark Valeski will run in the Grade 2, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes.

Mario Gutierrez threw out the first pitch at the Dodgers game in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, and trainer Doug O’Neill will do the same thing at an Orioles game on Tuesday in Baltimore. Paul Reddam was scheduled to be on CNBC on Friday, too, from New York. The celebrity that comes with winning the Kentucky Derby has been instantaneous and, at times, overwhelming for the connections of I’ll Have Another, but by the time the 137th Preakness Stakes rolls around on May 19 at Pimlico, all say the focus will be squarely where it should be, on the racetrack.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – A familiar name has rejoined Bob Baffert’s roster of older horses for the second half of the year.

Richard’s Kid, the winner of the 2010 Pacific Classic at Del Mar, is in training with Baffert at Santa Anita, having spent the last 18 months racing without notable success in Dubai. Wednesday, Richard’s Kid worked a half-mile at Santa Anita in 46.80 seconds, the fastest of 21 recorded works at the distance.

The workout was Richard’s Kid’s first since returning to Baffert’s stable in April.

Suffolk Downs locked in its planned 2012 schedule Thursday by announcing an agreement with New England horsemen and is now set to open racing June 2, two weeks later than recent years in a move designed to allow more trainers to filter north from their winter circuits.

The opening of the expected-to-be 80-day season will feature an appearance by Larry Collmus, race caller for NBC Sports and former Suffolk track announcer from 1992-2008.