ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The promising Bear’s Future makes his much-anticipated second start Sunday at Woodbine in the $150,000 Swynford Stakes. The seven-furlong sprint has produced a host of 2-year-old Canadian champions, including Mine That Bird in 2008, but it does not have graded status.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Leif Nordahl, president of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society, B.C.-division, is optimistic about the CTHS yearling and mixed sale that will be held at the Thunderbird Show Park in Langley on Tuesday. A total of 152 horses have been entered in the sale, with 140 yearlings making up the bulk of the catalog.

FORT ERIE, Ontario – The experiment with a late afternoon post time on Tuesdays in August has been assessed as a very positive improvement to the Fort’s meet.

“There was excitement in the air and the fans came out in droves to enjoy the races,” said Rick Cowan, Fort Erie’s chief operating officer. “Many young people were in the crowd, and their enthusiasm certainly added to the occasion.”

The handle on the final Tuesday in August exceeded the $1 million mark as both ontrack and offtrack wagering increased.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Serving as an advertisement for the Canadian Thoroughbred Yearling and Mixed Sale being held at the Thunderbird Show Park on Tuesday, Hastings has carded both divisions of the CTHS Sales Stakes for 2-year-olds Sunday. To be eligible to the races, horses must have gone through a CTHS Sale with all the commissions being paid.

Both races are at 6 1/2 furlongs and worth $50,000.

The colts and geldings division drew six horses and goes as race 4.

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Chirac is back Sunday at Monmouth Park.

A 5-year-old gelding trained by Jane Cibelli, Chirac faces four rivals in the $75,000 Formal Gold Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, the prep for the top event of the fall meet, the Grade 2, $300,000 Monmouth Cup on Oct. 9.

Chirac had a banner season here in 2009, posting four wins including a 6 3/4-length romp in the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin Stakes.

It is difficult to separate the eight fillies and mares running in a $15,000 claimer that will serve as the feature race at Northlands Park on Sunday.

Curls and Pearls will certainly attract some attention in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint that goes as race 8.

Trained by Joan Petrowski, Curls and Pearls dropped to a new low when she ran at this level Aug. 20 and she appreciated the easier company, scoring a front-running win over Chatahoochie in the six-furlong sprint. Curls and Pearls can also stalk and figures to get a clean trip with Stephan Heiler retaining the mount.

A circuit court judge has upheld the Arkansas Racing Commission's decision to disqualify It's a Bird from his 2009 win in the Grade 2, $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap after he tested positive for the anti-inflammatory naproxen.

Judge Alice Gray of the Pulaski County Circuit Court in Little Rock, Ark., ruled in the case late Thursday afternoon, according to Byron Freeland, an attorney representing the commission.

The decision can be appealed. An attorney representing the connections of It's a Bird did not immediately return a call on Thursday.

Top Touch, who ran away from the Ann Arbor Stakes field on Aug. 7, will wear the favorite’s mantle in the $50,000 Michigan Oaks at Pinnacle Race Course. The 37th running of the 1 1/16-mile Oaks drew a field of eight statebred 3-year-old fillies and is carded as the eighth race, with a post of 4:46 p.m. Eastern.
First post has been moved up to 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays for the remainder of the meeting, with the first race 2 p.m. on Sundays.

What About Ruby is one five Indiana-bred 2-year-old fillies coming into the $70,000 City of Anderson on Saturday at Hoosier Park off a maiden victory.

Trained by Merrill Scherer, What About Ruby was the most impressive of the five, winning a five-furlong statebred maiden event Aug. 13 by 8 3/4 lengths. The win was termed handily in the chart of the race, meaning she was under little to no urging through the stretch. What About Ruby has been working well at Churchill Downs, with a bullet 35.80-second move Monday. Leandro Goncalves retains the mount.

Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M., has an enviable problem heading into its 53-date mixed meet for Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses that opens on Saturday: Too much horsepower.

“I wish we didn’t have as many people on hold for stalls as we do,” said Mike Shamburg, director of racing and racing secretary for Zia. “We had requests for over 3,500 stalls, and we can only allot 1,440. There’s plenty of horseflesh, which is nice.”