ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Mark Casse was tops in races won, money won and stakes won here last year en route to his Sovereign Award as Canada’s outstanding trainer. On Sunday, Casse will be looking to return to the infield winner’s circle here, with Roxy Gap ready to roll in the six-furlong Whimsical.

The Whimsical, which offers Grade 3 status and a purse of $150,000, attracted a field of 10 headed by Atlantic Hurricane, who was Canada’s champion sprinting female of 2011 and will be making her first start since Nov. 20.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Trainer Phil Hall is hoping his strong numbers with horses going from turf to dirt hold up when he runs The Gov in a $50,000 optional race for 3-year-olds at Hastings Saturday. The six-furlong dash drew seven horses and headlines an eight-race card that begins at 1:50 p.m. Pacific.

Since 2010 Hall has won with six of the 14 starters he has moved from turf to dirt. The median payoff has been $13.10 and the return on investment is an excellent $4.70.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The road to the June 24 Queen’s Plate begins in earnest Saturday at Woodbine in the $100,000 Wando, and the promising Perfect Tay will make his stakes debut in the 1 1/16-mile Polytrack route for 3-year-olds.

Perfect Tay has made both of his starts over 1 1/16 miles on the grass at Gulfstream. He was based at the Payson Park training center with trainer Roger Attfield prior to his debut for a $75,000 tag on Feb. 18, in which he rallied strongly for second.

Six months ago, Baltimore Belle, Dream Louise, and In the Rough ran one-two-three going 1 1/16 miles over yielding turf in the Lady Baltimore. The trio of 5-year-old mares could face similar conditions when they renew their rivalry in Saturday’s $75,000 Dahlia Stakes at Pimlico.

The advance forecast for Baltimore calls for scattered thunderstorms, which could create non-firm turf conditions or, as was the case a year ago when Baltimore Belle won this race, the Dahlia may get moved to the main track. The Dahlia has been shortened from 1 1/16 miles to one mile this year.

MIAMI – Monument Hill has never run a bad race throughout his injury-plagued career. He’s also never won a stakes, a blemish on the r é sum é the consistent gelding can rectify with another typically big performance in Saturday’s Grade 3, $125,000 Miami Mile Handicap at Calder.

OLDSMAR Fla. – Jr’s Exchange, who set the track record for five furlongs on the turf in his last start, goes after his 10th win and fifth local turf tally on Saturday as he tops a strong field of optional allowance sprinters in the five furlong turf feature.

Jr’s Exchange was making his second start since July last time out and came up with a dazzling performance. He set a blistering pace that included a quarter of 21.21 and half of 43.31, then pulled away to be more than two lengths clear of Conech and Tudor King while covering the five furlongs in 54.92.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – In Lingerie, an easy six-length winner of the Bourbonette Oaks in her latest race, will make her next start in the May 4 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, it was announced this week by Aron Wellman, who heads the Eclipse Thoroughbred Partnership that co-owns the filly with Gary Barber.

Average daily all-sources handle for the 56-day Oaklawn Park meet in Hot Springs, Ark., declined 10.2 percent compared to the 49-day meet last year, according to figures provided by the track, though total handle rose 2.5 percent.

The average figure this year was $2,777,371, compared to $3,094,711 last year, when Oaklawn cancelled eight of its first 18 cards because of adverse weather. The track did not cancel any cards this year. Total handle this year for 56 days was $155.5 million, compared to total handle of $151.6 million last year over 49 days.

OPELOUSAS, La. - Hurricane Bluff set a blistering pace in Wednesday night’s $50,000 Inaugural Stakes at Evangeline Downs before finding more in the late going to prevail in the opening-day feature for 3-year-olds.

Jockey Tyler Baze, who has not ridden since August because of a suspension for failing to take a Breathalyzer test, postponed a hearing with Los Alamitos stewards last weekend that could have led to his reinstatement.

A new hearing could be held as early as this weekend, according to Bob Fletcher of the Winners Foundation. The Winners Foundation works with people in Southern California racing.

According to Darrell Haire, the Jockeys’ Guild western region manager, Baze asked that the hearing be “put off a little bit.”