LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It might seem unreasonable for a trainer to repeatedly slap his program and get all excited about his 1-5 shot drawing off as a clear winner, but Tom Proctor is extremely wary about what can happen in short fields.

Horse-for-the-course El Churruca, making just his third start since October 2009, withstood a furious late rally by Maryland shipper Ben’s Cat to register the biggest win of his 30-race career in Saturday’s $200,000 Parx Dash Handicap at Parx Racing.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Banner Bill rallied five wide to win the $156,000 Victoria Stakes going away at Woodbine on Saturday.

Banner Bill ($13.30) survived a claim of foul to take the five-furlong dash for 2-year-olds by 5 3/4 lengths, in a time of 58.60 seconds. Safraction, another local runner, finished second, and the front-running Firefall faded to third. Stark Ravin Mad, the favored shipper from Arlington, was a distant sixth in the seven-horse field.

Marquis Downs was forced to cancel its Friday and Saturday programs after heavy rains made the racetrack unusable.

The 3-year-old filly It’s Me Mom proved she can beat her elders in an allowance race earlier this month and she will try to do it again in the $100,000 Satin and Lace at Presque Isle Downs Tuesday evening.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – After dismal performances in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, Santa Anita Derby winner Midnight Interlude revived his season with a hard-fought win in the $72,050 Tsunami Slew Stakes at Hollywood Park on Friday night.

The stakes was a far cry from the lucrative races in which Midnight Interlude ran earlier this year, but it showed he could handle turf in his debut on the surface.

Trainer Graham Motion and jockey Kendrick Carmouche are well-positioned to pull off a sweep of the all-turf late daily double consisting of a pair of first-level allowances at Parx Racing on Monday.

Ruidoso Downs will again offer the All American Future Wager on Quarter Horse racing's most prestigious offering for 2-year-olds, the All American Futurity, the New Mexico track announced on Friday. The wager will be available from July 15-23, with the $2.4 million All American to be run on Sept. 5.

There will be 23 individual betting interests, as well as an additional interest serving as a field bet. The wager was modeled after the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, and is meant to increase exposure for the All American, which this year will have a record purse.

The $276,609 Mountain Top Futurity for New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses is the feature Sunday at Ruidoso Downs. Sammy James is the fastest qualifier, having won his 350-yard trial in 17.55 seconds on June 3. Ricky Ramirez has the mount for trainer Blane Wood.
 

Acorn, who won the Grade 1 Challenge Championship Quarter Horse Derby last November at Fair Grounds, will return to the 400-yard distance of that race Sunday for the Grade 3, $50,000 Miss Polly Classic at Delta Downs.

The field also includes Wrs Special Shoe, an earner of more than $800,000, and Charal Kid, who took the Grade 3 Develop a Plan Stakes at Delta in his last start May 23.