ELMONT, N.Y. - Haynesfield was the class of the Empire Classic field on paper and he proved to be exactly that on the racetrack, coming back from a five-month layoff to win Saturday’s $200,000 Empire Classic by a length over Green Monster on New York Showcase Day at Belmont Park.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Saturday was not Ladies’ Day, per se, at Keeneland. But after Chantal Sutherland and Great Hot narrowly defeated Groupie Doll, ridden by Greta Kuntzweiler, in a thrilling 13th running of the $250,000 Raven Run Stakes, it was difficult to avoid the womanly theme the Grade 2 race had assumed.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Juan Manuel Marquez, who will take on world welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in a title fight in Las Vegas on Nov. 12, will have a sparring exhibition at Santa Anita on Nov. 5, which is the second of the two Breeders’ Cup cards this year.

Top Rank, operated by noted boxing promoter Bob Arum, will hold a drawing for two tickets to the fight and will give away 10,000 fight posters, all at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Favored Pender Harbour rebounded from a disappointing try in the Pennsylvania Derby with a sharp score over older Ontario-sired stock at Woodbine on Saturday in the $126,200 Bunty Lawless Stakes.

Luis Contreras rode Pender Harbour  ($6.50), who dueled with Peter’s Charisma for the lead on the backstretch of the one-mile route, before taking control on the turn. He drew away in the stretch to prevail by 4 1/4  lengths, in 1:38.66 over the soft turf.

FAR HILLS, N.J. – Owner Irv Naylor and trainer J.W. Delozier capped a banner day Saturday at the Far Hills Races when recent import Black Jack Blues made off with the $250,000 Grand National, the richest steeplechase in North America.

It was the third win on the day for the owner-trainer team, all but locking up the National Steeplechase Association owners’ championship for Naylor and providing Delozier with his best day as a trainer. Stablemates Imperial Gin and Lake Placid opened the day with victories, but Black Jack Blues came through in the big one.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Ismene took the track leaving the gate with an aggressive ride from jockey Patrick Valenzuela, and she was able to stave off a late run from heavily favored Sister Moon to capture the $88,400 Anoakia Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on Saturday at Santa Anita.

The return of a stakes fixture in Maryland was taken by a returning member of the first family of Maryland trainers as Candyman E stormed home to take the $150,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Saturday at Laurel Park.

Ridden by Joe Bravo for trainer Tony Dutrow, Candyman E weaved his way through stretch traffic to beat Immortal Eyes by a half-length and land his fourth straight victory and first stakes win.

Willie Martinez never seems to lose at Suffolk Downs. Four years after winning a Massachusetts Handicap, he returned Saturday to win the $100,000 Robert O’Malley Sprint Stakes aboard 11-1 It’s Me Mom by a nose over favored Nicole H before 10,103.

ELMONT, N.Y. - As well as General Maximus ran in the Hudson Stakes last year, trainer John Terranova felt his horse had “never been better” entering Saturday’s renewal of the sprint stakes for New York-breds.

Terranova’s assessment was borne out as General Maximus, under Corey Nakatani, ran down a stubborn pacesetting Dr Disco to win the $125,000 Hudson Stakes by one length. Dr Disco, who made the pace under Mike Luzzi, finished second by 1 1/4 lengths over Mineswept.

Rapid Redux will try to stretch his winning streak to a North American record-tying 19 races when he takes on six others in a $7,500 starter allowance at seven furlongs Thursday at Laurel Park.

Claimed for $6,250 last fall by trainer David Wells and owner Robert Cole, the 5-year-old gelding has won 18 straight in the starter allowance ranks at seven tracks across the Mid-Atlantic. A victory Thursday would match the record streaks of 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta and the New Mexico-bred mare Peppers Pride.