ELMONT, N.Y. – Kiaran McLaughlin was the only trainer present at Thursday’s traditional post position draw for Saturday’s 11-race program at Belmont Park. He let out an audible “yeah” when his 4-year-old colt Trappe Shot drew post 8 in the nine-horse field entered for the Grade 1, $350,000 Vosburgh Invitational.

In a six-furlong race loaded with speed, McLaughlin wanted Trappe Shot, who has a history of breaking slow and who runs from just off the pace, outside of the front-runners.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The last five months have built toward two Saturdays this fall for Dubawi Heights.

After the 4-year-old Dubawi Heights won her first stakes in the Grade 3 Wilshire Handicap at Hollywood Park in late April, trainer Simon Callaghan had Saturday’s $250,000 Yellow Ribbon Stakes at Santa Anita as a goal, followed, he hoped, by the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4.

Next weekend’s $400,000 Alcibiades at Keeneland and $300,000 Frizette at Belmont Park, both Grade 1 stakes, are more lucrative and prestigious races for 2-year-old fillies. Nevertheless, trainer Tony Dutrow prefers to stay at home with star filly Grace Hall for the relatively minor $75,000 Blue Hen Stakes on Saturday at Delaware Park.

Unbeaten in her first two starts, including last month’s Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga, Grace Hall will stretch out beyond seven furlongs in the first time in the mile-and-70-yard Blue Hen.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Juveniles will be featured on the penultimate card of the 2011 Hastings meet on Saturday.

Headlining the 10-race card is the $75,000 Ascot Graduation for 2-year-old colts and geldings. All eight of the entrants will be stretching out to a mile and a sixteenth for the first time. The same goes for the seven 2-year-old fillies in the $75,000 Fantasy. Also on the card is the $50,000 CTHS Sales Stakes for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles, where La Belle Rose looks like the one to beat.

Assiniboia Downs wound up its 60-day meeting last Sunday with total all-sources handle of $9,065,832 on its live product, up from $8,896,330 in 2010.

The figures translate to an average live daily handle of $151,097, a 10.4 percent increase from the corresponding $136,867 figure for last year’s 65-day meeting.

The average ontrack daily handle was down slightly, to $68,242 from last year’s $69,239.

Average field size at the meet decreased from 7.93 to 7.5 horses per race.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Welcome back, traveler.

Cape Blanco seeks a third straight Grade 1 victory Saturday in the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park.

While his dominant wins in the Man o’ War at Belmont and the Arlington Million are notable accomplishments, the fact that Cape Blanco shuttled back and forth from trainer Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle training center in Ireland to the United States for each race makes the feat even more remarkable.

So much for jet lag.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Stacelita, a ground-saving winner of the Beverly D. in her second U.S. start, will be a clear favorite in the $500,000 Flower Bowl Invitational Saturday at Belmont Park despite drawing the outside in a field of eight.

The 34th running of Grade 1 Flower Bowl, scheduled for 1 1/4 miles on the inner turf, is the first of six Grade 1 or Grade 2 stakes on “Super Saturday.” The winner earns an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 4.

MIAMI – The 2011 Tropical at Calder meeting opens Saturday and as one might expect the first of the session’s 45 programs features the track’s most valued commodity, 2-year-olds, with the $100,000 Birdonthewire and Cassidy stakes highlighting the card.

Three competitive stakes highlight Saturday’s 10-race, closing-day card at Presque Isle Downs.

Check the Label will be looking for her first victory of the season for trainer Graham Motion in the $100,000 H.B.P.A. Stakes, which drew a field of 11 fillies and mares. A 4-year old, Check the Label won 4 of 8 starts last year, all graded turf stakes.

Earlier this season, Eighttofasttocatch soared to a career-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure winning the Harrison Johnson Memorial, only to regress to a 57 when he returned nine weeks later in the Grade 2 Dixie on turf.

So skeptical handicappers must be wondering what awaits Eighttofasttocatch when he comes back just three weeks after posting a 100 Beyer for his win in the Japan Racing Association as the 7-5 morning-line favorite in Saturday’s Maryland Million Classic.