SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. − Two hours before the Alabama is run at Saratoga, a progeny of 2004 Alabama winner Society Selection makes his debut in Saturday’s sixth, a seven-furlong race for juvenile colts and geldings.

Rightfully So is by A.P. Indy out of Society Selection, who won the Test and the Alabama over this track for Allen Jerkens. Rightfully So, a ridgling, shows a series of solid workouts both downstate and at Saratoga for Jerkens, who does not have a great record with first-time starters.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. − Handicappers have rarely had to make assessments on horses running off a 1,050-day layoff, but such is the case in Saturday’s first race at Saratoga, in which Cribnote, the runner-up in the 2008 Hopeful Stakes, makes his first start in nearly three years in a first-level allowance race for New York-breds.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. − West Virginia Derby winner Prayer for Relief is unlikely to run in the Travers Stakes after a mediocre workout Thursday morning at Saratoga.

Prayer for Relief went five furlongs in 1:02.34 under jockey Shaun Bridgmohan, who needed to encourage the horse with his whip in the stretch to finish up. Bridgmohan indicated that Prayer for Relief was the type of horse who probably needs company in the morning.

“I had to get after him,” Bridgmohan said, noting that he thought Prayer for Relief handled the track fine but was a little lackadaisical.

AUBURN, Wash. -- Feeling Fancy, with 5 wins in 8 local starts, headlines the feature race Saturday at Emerald Downs. A $21,000, non-conditions allowance for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs, it’s the seventh race on an eight-race program beginning at 2 p.m. Pacific.

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OCEANPORT, N.J. − For Chirac, the Grade 3, $250,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes on Saturday is an opportunity to recapture past glory. For his seven rivals, it is an opportunity to make a statement in the older horse ranks.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Mighty Caroline, winner of the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Del Mar on Aug. 5, recently had a strained suspensory diagnosed and may be retired, trainer Melody Conlon said on Thursday.

Mighty Caroline was a candidate for the $250,000 Del Mar Debutante on Sept. 4 when the injury was detected. Owned by breeder John Liviakis, Mighty Caroline has won 2 of 3 starts and $140,000, with the loss a second-place finish in the Landaluce Stakes at Hollywood Park last month.

Ravalo will face a strong field of nine older horses in Saturday night’s $200,000 Remington Park Sprint Cup, but the race should go a little slower than the one he exits. He was third to Force Freeze in the Teddy Drone last month at Monmouth Park, with the winner zipping six furlongs in 1:07.60.

MIAMI – Logic would suggest that trainers Juan Arias and Leo Azpurua Jr. entered their top 3-year-olds Decisive Moment and Manicero for Saturday’s $75,000 Naked Greed Stakes with the hope the race will be taken off the turf. But such is not the case, as both said they are looking forward to trying their multiple stakes winners on the grass for the first time in the 7 1/2-furlong event that shares top billing on the marathon 13-race program along with its filly counterpart, the $75,000 Crystal Rail.

Jockey Tammi Piermarini enters Saturday’s card at Suffolk Downs just four wins away from 2,000 career victories and the 44-year-old leading rider says the significance of the accomplishment is just starting to sink in.

“At first it didn’t really hit me because I never really followed the numbers,” Piermarini said. “The more people talk about it, the biggest thing that occurs to me is that I’m doing this while having three kids through it all. That’s huge.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – St. John’s River may not have the résumé that It’s Tricky and Plum Pretty do, but she has the talent, late kick, and pedigree to suggest she could upset those two in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga.

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