LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Few Kentucky Derby stories have been more compelling in recent years than the one involving General Quarters, but the sequels haven’t been bad, either. Owned and trained by retired high school principal Tom McCarthy, the 5-year-old horse stands a chance to tack on another remarkable tale Sunday when going postward as the 119-pound highweight in the Grade 2, $175,000 Firecracker Handicap, the closing-day feature of the 39-day spring meet at Churchill Downs.

SHAKOPEE, Minn. – With several racing cards at Canterbury Park already lost to the Minnesota state shutdown, Monday’s program was in danger of being canceled as of Saturday afternoon. Canterbury management on Saturday was awaiting a Ramsey County court ruling on a motion presented before Judge Kathleen Gearin on Friday morning that the Minnesota Racing Commission be allowed to remain reopen for business and that racing should be allowed to resume.

The Buckland Stakes nine days ago at Colonial Downs went all wrong for Bopolene. Steadied 3 1/2 furlongs from the finish, Bopolene had to check at the quarter pole. She still lost by only about two lengths to the very decent Supreme and has a chance to beat the boys dropping into Virginia-bred stakes competition in the $50,000 Punch Line on Monday at Colonial.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Harmonious was the top 3-year-old filly on turf in Southern California last year. After winning the Grade 1 American Oaks and finishing second in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks, she took that form to Kentucky, winning the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland.

Outside of her age group, racing was tougher. She finished a troubled 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Churchill Downs last November.

Trainer Rick Violette two options for the $200,000 Dr. James Penny Memorial Handicap for fillies and mares on the turf on Monday.

One is definite. Gitchee Goomie, winner of the Mt. Vernon Stakes for New York-breds at Belmont Park most recently, will run in the holiday feature at Parx Racing.

She is part of an entry with Trix in the City, who was cross-entered in a race at Presque Isle Downs on Tuesday.

Violette is still going back and forth on where Trix in the City will land.

“I honestly don’t know,” Violette said.

Embur’s Song looks to have found a perfect distance on her favorite type of surface when she faces 11 other older fillies and mares in the $100,000 Windward over the Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs on Tuesday evening.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The five-time stakes winner Twirling Candy worked seven furlongs in 1:25.20 at Hollywood Park on Saturday, his final workout before he starts as the favorite in the $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup on July 9.

MIAMI – The $75,000 Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint has traditionally been a part of the Summit of Speed undercard, as the five-furlong dash fits the theme of Calder’s marquee event just perfectly. But track management opted to break the race out on its own this year to anchor Monday’s special July 4th program, with the weather likely becoming a key component when it comes to both the final makeup and outcome of the race.

Deal Breaker, a 6-year-old whose 11 career wins have come on either synthetic surfaces or turf, will make his first start on dirt Monday in the $40,000 Front Range at Arapahoe Park.

The seven-furlong race is for 3-year-olds and up and it drew a field of eight runners.

OCEANPORT, N.J. – The margin kept widening, and the Beyer Speed Figure soared like a thermometer in the desert.

By the time he was done, Sean Avery had won the Longfellow Stakes last month by 11 3/4 lengths, earning a staggering 112 Beyer that eclipsed his previous best by 16 points.

“He wowed us all,” said trainer Allen Iwinski. “We knew he was doing very well, and we expected him to run well. No one expected him to do it the way that he did. He was doing that all on his own.”