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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – My Miss Aurelia, impressive both visually and speed-figure-wise here on opening day, seeks to validate her debut victory when she heads a field of six entered in Sunday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Adirondack Stakes for juvenile fillies at Saratoga.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The annual fair at the Pacific National Exhibition starts next weekend and with it comes a few changes to the atmosphere at Hastings.

First off, there will be around a million people going through the site during the fair and a lot of them will drop by to watch live racing.

ETOBICOKE,Ontario – The Woodbine Entertainment Group reported strong gains in handle on live Thoroughbred racing heading into Friday’s card, the beginning of the second half of the meeting.

All-sources betting on the live Woodbine races for the first 83 days of the meeting scheduled for 166 days (after one cancellation) stood at $212,747,660 for a daily average of $2,563,225, an increase of 12.5 percent.

Last year’s total for the first 83 days of a 167-day meeting was $189,035,785 for a daily average of 2,277,540.

Stachys, the beaten favorite in last month’s $100,000 Prairie Meadows Handicap on dirt, will make a rare appearance on turf in Sunday’s $50,000 John Bullit Stakes at Canterbury Park.

The 1 1/16-mile John Bullit will be the only the second time the 4-year-old Stachys has raced on grass in a career in which he has won 6 of 17 starts. He won his grass debut going a mile in last summer’s Dean Kutz at Canterbury.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – For jockey Ryan Pacheco, life without the “bug” is about to begin.

Pacheco, a 28-year-old native of Toronto, was scheduled to ride without his apprentice allowance for the first time in Friday’s ninth race and his agent, Trapper Barroby, had lined up three mounts for Saturday and four for Sunday.

“It just feels like I’ve graduated from university,” said Pacheco on the backstretch here Friday morning.

“Now I can say I’m a man.”

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – One expects overseas ship-ins to get at least a little warm during their first day of training at an American racetrack, and in this, Cape Blanco and Treasure Beach, the respective morning-line favorites for the Arlington Million and Secretariat Stakes, did not disappoint.

Will a nightmare trip to Del Mar haunt Sherman Bartlebort in Sunday’s closing day $50,000-added Cavonnier Juvenile at the Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa?

A 2-year-old Tannersmyman gelding, Sherman Bartlebort won the Everett Nevin Alameda County Futurity at Pleasanton to increase his record to two wins and a second in three starts. But nothing went right when he went to Del Mar and was the even-money favorite in the $100,000 Graduation Stakes on Aug. 3.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Even though Impossible Time’s fruitful career appears to be winding down, she should be favored in her bid to capture the $125,000 Victoriana Stakes for the second year in a row at Woodbine Sunday.

Impossible Time, 6, garnered the Sovereign Award for champion older female in Canada last year, winning 5 of 9 starts, including three stakes. She came from well off a fast pace to win the 2010 Victoriana by 4 3/4 lengths, with a Beyer Speed Figure of 90.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Commander and Northern Causeway figure to attract a lot of attention when they make their first start at Hastings this Sunday in the $50,000 Richmond Derby Trial. The 1 1/16-mile feature drew eight horses but it really boils down to a battle between Jump Up and Kissme and the newcomers.

As its name implies, the Derby Trial is the final prep for the Grade 3, $200,000 British Columbia Derby Sept. 11. The derby closed with 24 nominations Aug. 6.

Jason Teague, racing secretary at Northlands Park, is expecting a field of nine or possibly 10 horses to run in next Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Canadian Derby. The 1 3/8-mile feature closed on Wednesday with 13 horses nominated.

“It looks like the most evenly matched field we have had here in years,” said Teague.

There are no standouts among the likely starters and it is hard to predict which horse will end up being the favorite.