OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though pleased that Nicole H won last month’s Garland of Roses Handicap, jockey Ramon Dominguez was somewhat disappointed by the manner in which it was accomplished.

Hoping to get Nicole H to relax, Dominguez instead found himself and his filly dueling for the early lead. Nicole H was simply too good for the competition that day and drew away for a 2 1/2-length victory. Saturday, Dominguez may try to employ different tactics while hoping for the same result when Nicole H meets four opponents in the $65,000 Interborough Stakes over Aqueduct’s inner track.

When Western Prospector won a maiden race in his second start in April 2009 at Keeneland, covering six furlongs on Polytrack in a quick 1:09.64, he appeared a horse destined for stakes.

It’s just taken him while to make it there. But the time has finally come Saturday – 18 races after that maiden win – when he squares off against Tend and five other rivals in his first stakes appearance in the $50,000 Holiday Cheer at Turfway Park.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Arthur’s Tale has the pedigree, connections, and price tag to be a significant horse. A nonfactor in his first three starts, Arthur’s Tale stepped up with a visually impressive maiden victory when stretched out around two turns for the first time in his last outing.

On Saturday, Arthur’s Tale moves into stakes company for the first time when he meets six rivals in the $65,000 Count Fleet – the first dirt stakes of the year for 3-year-olds – at a mile and 70 yards over Aqueduct’s inner track.

MIAMI – The American Graded Stakes Committee stripped Calder’s next renewal of the Stage Door Betty Handicap of its graded status last month. But from the looks of the field for this edition of the Stage Door Betty, to be run Saturday, the committee just might want to re-evaluate its decision.

The Stage Door Betty was moved from its original spot on Dec. 18 to New Year’s Day, but because it had been scheduled to be run in 2010, the committee has allowed it to remain a Grade 3 for Saturday’s running. It will be ungraded when it is run next.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Harmonious won two Grade 1 stakes on turf for 3-year-old fillies in 2010, earning a reputation as one of the top members of her generation. Expect her to solidify that status in a small field in Saturday’s $150,000 Robert Frankel Stakes at Santa Anita.

STICKNEY, Ill. -- Hawthorne Race Course canceled its Thursday program before post time because of thawing conditions the track feared would be dangerous.

At 1 p.m. Central,  the temperature at nearby Midway airport was 43 degrees, by far the warmest day in December, with melting snow and ice leading to soggy conditions.

A pair of Grade 2 events during the President’s Day holiday weekend, the Barbara Fritchie Handicap for fillies and mares and the General George Handicap for older males, highlight 15 stakes that Laurel Park will hold during its 49-day winter meet that begins Saturday.

The Barbara Fritchie, on Feb. 19, and the General George two days later are both seven-furlong sprints worth $150,000.

The remainder of the stakes will be worth $75,000 apiece, a bump of $25,000 each from a year ago.

After a 2-year-old campaign of 3 wins in 10 starts, Oh La Traffic has earned a winter vacation. There is one more objective to achieve before then – another stakes win, and he’ll get his chance in Saturday’s $20,000 Holiday Handicap at Los Alamitos.

With minimal major stakes opportunities in coming months, owner Stan Young and trainer Bret Vickery said they plan to rest Oh La Traffic in the first half of 2011 and race her in the summer and fall.

ALBANY, Calif. – Jerry Hollendorfer has enjoyed success with 3-year-old fillies throughout his career, including victories by Lite Light, Pike Place Dancer, and Blind Luck in the Kentucky Oaks, and is favored to win this year’s Eclipse Award for 3-year-old fillies with Blind Luck.

OLDSMAR, Fla. – My Irish Girl, winner of 7 of 9 outings last season as a 3-year-old and a late-closing third in her first local start, tops a full field of 14 fillies and mares in the $50,000 Minaret Stakes, a six-furlong stakes that headlines Saturday’s 10-race card at Tampa Bay Downs.

My Irish Girl was claimed by Midwest Thoroughbreds Inc from a win in a $15,000 race March 12 at Oaklawn. She went on to run off a string of five more wins in a row, including stakes wins in the Claiming Crown Glass Slipper Stakes at Canterbury and the $100,000 Miss Woodford Stakes at Monmouth.