Ian Black's barn also was in action in suburban Philadelphia last weekend, and Stormy Lord, who was saddled by assistant trainer Jeff Bowen, was a 9-1 upsetter under Justin Stein in the $250,000 PTHA President’s Cup at 1 1/8 miles on the turf.

“I was delighted,” said Black. “He was able to sit off them. I was surprised he could do that, off that slow pace.”

Rahystrada, fresh from a dominating score in the Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Turf, could make his next start in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Canadian International at Woodbine on Oct. 16, trainer Scooter Hughes said Tuesday.

“I know it’s reaching pretty high, but he’s doing awfully well right now,” said Hughes. “We’ll be keeping tabs on the race in Canada, and if we end up not going, we might just run in the [Oct. 20] Sycamore at Keeneland.”

Arthur’s Tale was hardly on the Triple Crown trail long enough to have fallen off of it.

After a winter disappointing in stakes races run over Aqueduct’s inner track, Arthur’s Tale broke through with a solid second-place finish in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in April.

The result put Arthur’s Tale on the bubble as far as graded stakes earnings went to get into the Kentucky Derby. But any Derby dreams were shattered a few days after the Wood, when Arthur’s Tale was diagnosed with a stress fracture in the cannon bone of his left foreleg.

Willcox Inn, who won two of the three legs of the Mid-America Triple for 3-year-olds at Arlington Park, heads a lineup of 13 3-year-olds entered Tuesday for Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park.

The Chicago-based Willcox Inn, trained by Mike Stidham, registered daylight victories in the Arlington Classic and Grade 2 American Derby before finishing fourth last time out in the Grade 1 Secretariat. The 3-1 choice on the track’s morning line, he brings along regular rider Robby Albarado and will break from the far outside in post 13.

Shotgun Gulch has put herself under consideration for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint following her fast-closing, third-place finish in the Grade 2 Masters at Presque Isle Downs. She is now back home in Oklahoma following the Pennsylvania race run Sept 10 and has been getting a few days of freshening at the farm of her breeder, owner, and trainer, C.R. Trout.

“We’re looking at the Breeders’ Cup,” Trout said. “It would be the same kind of mares she’s run against other places.

ELMONT, N.Y. – A pair of six-furlong sprints for New York-bred fillies highlight Thursday’s card, one scheduled for turf and the other for the main track. Trainer John Morrison has contenders in both races: Lady On the Run breaks from the far outside in post 11 and will be among the favorites in race 8, a $44,000 optional claimer with second-level conditions on dirt; and Queens Or Better, a maiden graduate at Saratoga two starts back, shoots for her first-level allowance condition against 10 other turf-meant runners in race 2, a $42,000 dash scheduled for the inner course.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Rashnaa, who earned black type in two recent stakes, will get some class relief in Thursday’s third race at Woodbine, a third-level allowance with an $80,000 claiming option.

Rashnaa, a nicely bred Tapit mare trained by Bob Tiller, was a productive upper claimer in 2010, but she has taken her game to another level this year at age 5. The stretch-runner won her season opener with a $62,500 tag over seven furlongs, the distance of Thursday’s feature.

Kentucky Downs reported a sharp downturn in all-sources handle during the four-day meet that ended Monday while also posting a minor increase in ontrack handle.

The turf-only track near Franklin, Ky., reported gross all-sources handle of $3,361,839, down more than 19 percent from the comparable four dates last year. Track president Corey Johnsen termed the results “disappointing” while also noting that California outlets did not take the Kentucky Downs signal as they have in previous years.

POMONA, Calif. – Fairplex Park is excessively kind to favorites. The past five years, favorites won 40 percent of Thoroughbred races on the five-eighth mile track that hosts the Los Angeles County Fair race meet.

The trend is splendid for bettors that enjoy cashing tickets regardless of odds. Value-oriented bettors, meanwhile, become frustrated when favorites win as often as week two (Sept. 14-18) of the meet. Thoroughbred favorites won at a 45 percent clip, lifting the overall rate for the meet to 36 percent. The national average is about 34 percent.

Bill and Connie Apostelos must think this is an easy game. The first horse bought by the neophyte owners was in a partnership on a $35,000 claim more than two years ago. That horse is Baryshnikov, who has developed into a remarkably consistent performer at age 5 and will be one of the favorites Saturday when Turfway Park brings back its fall showcase as the WinStar Kentucky Cup.