Havre de Grace, who beat males in the Grade 1 Woodward at Saratoga, went five furlongs in 1:01.80 Monday morning at Delaware Park in preparation for a start in the Grade 1, $350,000 Beldame Invitational at Belmont on Oct. 1.

“We just threw an anchor out behind her,” trainer Larry Jones joked when asked how he was able to get Havre de Grace to go that slow. “Everything’s good – she went good. We ain’t got to do much with her really, all we got to do is dilly-dally.”

Havre de Grace will have one more breeze next week before the Beldame.

Julien Leparoux also was in the winner’s circle following Sunday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Canadian as he guided Never Retreat to her second straight win over 1 1/8 miles on he Woodbine turf course.

Never Retreat, based in Chicago with trainer Chris Block but saddled on Sunday by assistant trainer Drew Coontz, had won the Grade 2 Dance Smartly on July 10 but then finished seventh in Arlington’s Grade 1 Beverly D. over 1 3/16 miles of yielding going on Aug. 18.

Wigmore Hall, the Northern Dancer winner, was scheduled to return to England on Tuesday evening and currently is scheduled to make his next start there Oct. 15 in Ascot’s Group 1 Champion Stakes, a 1 1/4-mile turf race worth more than $2 million.

While Wigmore Hall had never raced beyond 1 3/16 miles, the 4-year-old colt came with solid International credentials and rallied up the inside to score under jockey Jamie Spencer.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The presence of Uncle Mo and Jackson Bend will dominate the discussion of the Grade 2, $200,000 Kelso Stakes at Belmont on Oct. 1, but lurking in the weeds will be Jersey Town, who upset last year’s Grade 1 Cigar Mile at 34-1.

Monday, Jersey Town continued preparations for his Kelso start by working five furlongs in 1:00.67 over the Belmont main track. Jersey Town did go his first quarter in 23.80 seconds, and finished in 36.87 while being shut down immediately after the wire by jockey Cornelio Velasquez.

Courageous Cat, sent off at even money for the Woodbine Mile, couldn’t withstand Turallure’s charge but held on to finish second in a wild finish.

“It looked like a pretty good race,” said trainer Bill Mott. “It might have been better if there was a little more pace in front of him. He wound up on the lead for a long time.”

Courageous Cat was on his way back to Saratoga on Monday, along with stablemate Al Khali, and the Breeders’ Cup Mile is still on his agenda.

A good summer for jockey Kayla Stra comes with perks. The 26-year-old rider won her fourth race of the Los Angeles County Fair meet Sunday, and she leaves for Peru on Thursday to participate in an international female jockey competition.

“I’ve ridden female invitational races in Australia; this will be fun,” she said.

Stra began her riding career in Australia, and began riding in the U.S. in 2007. She was invited to a similar event held in Jamaica this summer, but turned it down when her business at Del Mar began to pick up. Stra won four races at Del Mar.

Mizdirection, another Puype-trained 3-year-old filly, is tentatively aiming to the Grade 2 Raven Run on Oct. 22 at Keeneland. Mizdirection won the $90,000 Sandy Blue Handicap at Del Mar, at which time the plan was to challenge Unzip Me on Sept. 30 at Santa Anita in the Grade 3 Sen. Ken Maddy. Puype rerouted the campaign for Mizdirection after considering the conditions of the Maddy.

“I can’t run her against Unzip Me at equal weights,” he said.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Even though Gantry was fast enough to set a Belmont Park inner turf course record for six furlongs, his connections felt he was a horse who should be successful going a route of ground.

Given how wide a trip Gantry had when he finished eighth in a one-mile race at Saratoga last month, trainer Mike Hushion will not use that effort as a true barometer of his chances to get a distance.

POMONA, Calif. – Trainer Doug O’Neill and jockey Martin Pedroza are in familiar positions at Fairplex Park – atop the standings Wednesday as the final week of racing begins with a twilight card at the Los Angeles County Fair. First post is 4 p.m.

O’Neill won or shared the meet title seven of the last nine years. Pedroza led the jockey standings 12 consecutive years. O’Neill (12 wins) and Pedroza (21) are likely to increase their advantages during closing week, though perhaps not in the feature race Wednesday.

POMONA, Calif. – David Flores was suspended three days, Oct. 6-8, for his ride on Majestic City in the Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 7. Majestic City was disqualified from second and placed behind Creative Cause, after drifting out through the lane under left-handed whipping.

Flores is tentatively scheduled to ride Awesome Gem on Oct. 8 at Hawthorne in the Grade 2, $500,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup. If he rides Awesome Gem in that race, Flores will serve the final day of his suspension the following Saturday, Oct. 15.