Trainer Neil Pessin is anxious to see what kind of pace develops for Ioya Bigtime in Saturday night’s Grade 3, $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston. The horse has used his strong kick to win 4 of 9 career starts and will be looking for his first stakes win in the Connally. The 1 1/8-mile turf race for 4-year-olds and up is the richest race of the meet at Sam Houston.

A busy 2-year-old season caught up with Long Gone last November. He won a division of the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity trials but did not run quick enough to qualify for the final.

For the last two months, new trainer Felipe Quintero has taken a quieter approach to Long Gone’s training, preparing the horse with an exercise schedule that has included swimming on a ranch in Romoland, Calif.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Little Mike has lost only one race over Gulfstream Park’s turf course and just once in his last six starts dating back to December 2010. The bad news is the horse that beat him, Teaks North, is also entered in Saturday’s $150,000 Florida Sunshine Millions Turf at Gulfstream Park.

Little Mike and Teaks North head an 11-horse field entered to run 1 1/8 miles in the Sunshine Millions Turf.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – When the California breeders opted out of the traditional Sunshine Millions program this winter, it was feared the overall quality of the event might suffer. Instead, the newly formatted Florida Sunshine Millions at Gulfstream Park – restricted solely to Florida-breds for the first time in the 10 years it has been run – has arguably come up the strongest ever, with two Eclipse Award champions and 17 graded stakes winners among the 48 horses entered in the six races on Saturday’s card.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Unzip Me is expected to skip Saturday’s $100,000 Valentine Dancer Stakes at Santa Anita in favor of Sunday’s $75,000 Wishing Well Stakes on the hillside turf course, trainer Marty Jones said on Thursday.

A nine-time stakes winner in turf sprints, Unzip Me would have been favored in the Valentine Dancer, which is run over a mile on turf for California-bred fillies and mares. Her absence makes the race easier for the remaining nine runners, and arguably a better wagering race.

The Todd Pletcher-trained Heart Butte was sidelined for nearly a year after a front-end win through slow fractions in last year’s Evening Attire. He is back at Aqueduct to defend his title in Saturday's $75,000 Evening Attire, a race redrawn after it was snowed out last Saturday.

Heart Butte returned from his long layoff with a hard-fought nose win in the Auld Lang Syne at Parx on Dec. 31 – his fourth win on dirt without a loss in blinkers.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The numbers tell the story about the rapid development of Teddy’s Promise.

Four months ago, Teddy’s Promise ended a five-race losing streak with a win in an optional claimer at the Santa Anita Autumn meeting. When Teddy’s Promise starts as the favorite in Saturday’s $300,000 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita, the 4-year-old filly can win her fourth consecutive race, and second straight Grade 1.

“It’s been great,” trainer Ron Ellis said. “It’s unusual to see things going so well.”

It may not be Affirmed and Alydar, but Sourdough Sam and Shudacudawudya have a nice rivalry going, and they renew it Saturday in the $50,000 Albany Stakes over the Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields.

The two 5-year-olds have met three times and have run one-two in each race, including in the Oakland Stakes last October.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Caracortado was scheduled to be withdrawn from Saturday’s $100,000 Sensational Star Stakes at Santa Anita because of a tender foot, trainer Mike Machowsky said on Friday.

Caracortado’s absence would leave the turf sprint for California-breds with just five expected starters.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – What a difference a year makes.

Musical Romance went to post in almost total anonymity, at odds of 62-1, in the 2011 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Sprint. On Saturday, Musical Romance enters the same race not only as the likely favorite but also the reigning Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint champion and newly elected Eclipse Award champion.