DEL MAR, Calif. – The best older horse in California who is still eligible to the first allowance condition might be a standout in a Grade 3 on Friday at Del Mar.

Setsuko, runner-up by a nose in the Santa Anita Handicap, runner-up in the Californian, and a close fourth recently in the Hollywood Gold Cup, will survey his opponents in the Cougar II Handicap and possibly wonder – where are my friends?

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Eurico Rosa da Silva, who topped the Woodbine standings for the first time and won the Sovereign Award as Canada’s champion jockey of 2010, has ended his working relationship with agent Don Parente and is now represented by Tom Patton.

“It’s nothing personal; it was just a business decision,” said the 36-year-old Da Silva, who began riding here in 2004 and has been allied with Parente for the past six seasons.

“Things just weren’t working out that well. I appreciate everything Don did for me, but it was time for a change.”

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Add Never Retreat’s name to the list of likely starters in the $750,000 Beverly D., trainer Chris Block said Tuesday.

“We plan on running her there,” said Block, who passed the July 9 Modesty Handicap at Arlington in favor of a start the next day in the Dance Smartly at Woodbine.

Never Retreat won the Grade 2 Dance Smartly by 1 1/4 lengths, her third graded stakes victory in an excellent 2011 campaign. Earlier in the year, she won the Honey Fox at Gulfstream Park and the Jenny Wiley at Keeneland, beating Modesty winner Fantasia in the Jenny Wiley.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – The 3-year-old colt Top Surprize has been finishing his Arlington turf races like a wild horse this summer, which makes sense, because Top Surprize is a wild horse.

Trainer Larry Rivelli and owner Richard Ravin claimed Top Surprize out of a $35,000 maiden-claiming loss at Gulfstream Park on April 8, with Rivelli having some inkling that Top Surprize would take some extra work.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – While Preakness winner Shackleford and Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice battle for divisional supremacy in Sunday’s $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, seven lesser accomplished but not necessarily inferior 3-year-olds will clash in Saturday’s $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga.

The goal for runners in both races is the $1 million Travers Stakes here on Aug. 27. Seven of the last 12 Travers winners have prepped in the Jim Dandy, run at 1 1/8 miles.

The New Jersey-based Out Post missed by a neck to the Linda Rice-trained Canadian Ballet in last year’s Jenny Wade Handicap at Penn National Race Course. Friday night, Out Post is back to try again against another well-accomplished female turf sprinter from Rice’s New York barn, Ahvee’s Destiny.

Stakes experience is a little hard to come by in Friday night’s filly division of the $60,000 John Franks Memorial Sales Stakes at Evangeline Downs. So rare, in fact, that Gone Kitty’s fifth-place performance in the $100,000 Texas Stallion Stakes at Lone Star Park earlier this month represents the entire sum total of the 11 2-year-old fillies entered in the 5 1/2-furlong headliner.

Claresmiezie is a complete standout in the $50,000 Princess Margaret for 2-year-old fillies at Northlands Park on Friday night. The real question is by how many, rather than who is going to win the six-furlong sprint that drew eight horses.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The promising 3-year-old Lucky Lotto will tackle older opposition over seven furlongs Friday at Woodbine in a second-level optional $62,500 claiming race.

Lucky Lotto had an inauspicious debut in maiden special company May 22, during which he failed to threaten while racing wide. A month later traveling seven furlongs, he blew away a field of $50,000 maidens with the addition of Lasix, scoring by five lengths in a time of 1:23.23, which translated into a solid 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A stewards’ hearing into a medication violation that could result in a 3-year-old gelding named Stealing Copper being disqualified from a victory in a $10,000 maiden-claiming race last month at Churchill Downs is scheduled to be held Friday at Ellis Park in western Kentucky.