ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Trainer Todd Pletcher won last year’s $250,000 Summer Stakes with the brilliant Pluck, who went on to capture the Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. He has another potential rocket for Saturday’s renewal of the Grade 3 event at Woodbine, Finale, who captured his two turf races by a combined 16 lengths.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Sassou was on a roll last winter, winning three straight races on grass in Southern California before he ran into a couple of tough ones in Burj Dubai and Noosa Beach in his next two starts on dirt. He will try to get back on the winning track when he runs in a $25,000 claiming race that serves as Saturday’s feature at Hastings. The 6 1/2-furlong sprint drew seven horses and Sassou is clearly the one to beat despite a lengthy layoff.

Tannat, sharp winner of a classified allowance race for Manitoba-breds last time out, will be well-backed to repeat in Saturday’s J.W. Sifton at Assiniboia Downs.

The J.W. Sifton, a 1 1/8-mile race for Manitoba-bred 3-year-olds, offers a purse of $50,000 and attracted a field of seven.

Tannat will be stretching back out off that win at 7 1/2 furlongs but should have no difficulty with the distance.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario —Trainer Mark Casse will run four nice prospects – Northern Passion, Sky Dreamer, Spirited Miss, and Quality Lass – in Saturday’s $200,000 Natalma, a one-mile turf stakes at Woodbine. The Grade 3 event for 2-year-old fillies is a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In race, with the winner gaining inclusion and a paid trip to the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4.

Teton Classic, an impressive winner in his career debut in late July, will attempt to outdo his older brother when he steps up to face stakes company in the $100,000 Charles Town Juvenile, the richest of five supporting stakes on the Race for the Ribbon card featuring the Charles Town Oaks.

Post time for the 11-race program begins an hour earlier than usual at 6 p.m. Eastern. The Juvenile goes as race 7 and begins an all-stakes pick four that culminates with the $400,000 Charles Town Oaks.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Churchill Downs hosted a media conference Thursday morning in the stable area to commemorate the reconstruction of the barns that were damaged in the June 22 tornado that tore through parts of Louisville, citing the efforts of numerous individuals and agencies in a rebuilding process that took less than three months and may wind up costing as much as $1.5 million.

Churchill will begin its fall meet Oct. 30, with the Breeders’ Cup set for Nov. 4-5.

POMONA, Calif. – It was an evening of firsts Wednesday at Fairplex Park, where pick six bettors on Thursday can chase the remains. A large pick six pool will be up for grabs after a series of middle-price winners caused a two-day carryover of $143,230.

Wednesday’s firsts included the initial twilight card at the Los Angeles County Fair, the maiden Runstevierun ($27.60) scoring his first career win in a stakes, and jockey Jose Valdivia winning for the first time since returning to Southern California.

Gio Ponti worked five furlongs in 1:03.57 on Wednesday morning over Belmont Park’s inner turf course. Gio Ponti worked in company with the 3-year-old colt Cannon Hill. Gio Ponti began the move a length behind his workmate and finished a head in front. He got his last quarter in 23.57 seconds under exercise rider Jerry Fogarty.

Retama Park near San Antonio is seeking to make changes to its Thoroughbred meet that would ultimately extend the current season to Nov. 5. The track has asked to drop four Thursdays beginning Sept. 22, but add six dates – all Fridays or Saturdays – beyond the original closing date of Oct. 15. The request will be heard at a Texas Racing Commission meeting Sept. 21.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Jimmy Toner doesn’t minimize the importance of Saturday’s $250,000 Garden City Stakes for his 3-year-old filly Winter Memories.

Not only is the Garden City at Belmont Park the first Grade 1 opportunity for Winter Memories, it is her first race back after a disappointing fourth-place finish as the 2-5 favorite in last month’s Grade 2 Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga. Granted, Winter Memories had a terrible trip in the Lake Placid and the ground may have been softer than she prefers, but it still was the worst race of her career.