Gran Estreno, the $20,000 claim who keeps on giving, has run well over Polytrack at Keeneland and Arlington, and on turf courses at various venues. But so far, his mastery has not extended to Fair Grounds, where Gran Estreno will try to win the $60,000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial Handicap on Saturday.

STICKNEY, Ill. – The only stakes win of trainer Lisa Merritt’s career came in the 2009 Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante. Lo and behold, Merritt looks live again in the 2010 Whitworth, which Seans Silverdancer will try to win in just her second career start.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Hollywood Park has eliminated the final two Wednesday programs of the current autumn meeting – Dec. 8 and 15 – because of disappointing field sizes, the track announced on Thursday.

The track intended to run five days per week for the final three weeks of the autumn meeting, which ends on Dec. 19, but drew only 47 starters on an eight-race program on Wednesday. There were 50 horses scheduled to start on Thursday’s eight-race program as of late morning. Neither program had a race with 10 or more starters.

A speedy synthetic specialist, Waccamaw has accomplished much on all-weather surfaces, compiling a record of 3 wins, 5 seconds, and a third in 12 starts on such tracks. Pretty much just one thing has eluded her: a stakes victory.

That missing accomplishment could soon be added to her r é sum é Saturday if she runs to her potential and wins against an overflow cast in the $50,000 Holiday Inaugural Stakes at Turfway Park.

Jls Mr Bigtime went big-time this past summer. He was the fastest qualifier for the prestigious All American Futurity for Quarter Horses back in August, then finished second by a nose in the Grade 1, $2 million finale run each Labor Day in New Mexico.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Dakota Phone showed what he can do on his best day with a 37-1 upset in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Churchill Downs on Nov. 6. The problem is Dakota Phone does not string those performances together very often.

When the 5-year-old gelding starts in Saturday’s $100,000 Native Diver Handicap at Hollywood Park, he will be attempting to win consecutive races for the first time in two years, since wins in an optional claimer at Hollywood Park and the Forty Niner Stakes at Golden Gate Fields in November 2008.

Stachys has been lagging farther off the pace than usual in his last couple of races, but that could change Saturday when he starts as the probable favorite in the $150,000 Zia Park Derby.

Trainer Mike Biehler said there are a couple of reasons he is hopeful that Stachys will be a little closer to the action in the 1 1/16-mile race. Stachys will face eight others, including Saratoga Yankee, winner of back-to-back allowances over older horses at Remington Park, and Stephen’s Got Hope, a recent maiden special weight winner at Hollywood Park.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Mike Hushion was impressed enough by what he saw from Nicole H in a first-level allowance win at Belmont in September to believe she was “a real contender” for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. The selection committee for the Breeders’ Cup was not as impressed, placing Nicole H at the bottom of the list of 22 of pre-entered horses, and she did not get into the race.

MIAMI – The $100,000 Tropical Park Turf and My Charmer handicaps were axed from the Calder stakes schedule a year ago for fiscal reasons. The two Grade 3 events survived the cut in 2010, however, and will return as strong as ever on Saturday with full, wide-open fields.

One trainer happy to have both turf races back on the docket is Patrick Biancone, who will send out three starters on Saturday, including Never On Sunday, the likely favorite and 120 pound co-highweight in the 1 1/8-mile Tropical Turf.

PHOENIX – When Twin Sparks won the Caballos del Sol at Turf Paradise a little more than a year ago, it was a tour de force, his coming-out party, if you will. All the gelding did was win by 11 1/4 lengths and set a world record for six furlongs (1:06.49).

However when Twin Sparks tries to defend his title in the $25,000 renewal Saturday, he’ll be trying to recapture that spark as he returns after a lengthy layoff that followed two poor races here last winter. The 7-year-old gelding heads a field of 10 going six furlongs.