SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Part of the reason Todd Pletcher lost last year’s Saratoga trainer’s title to Linda Rice may have been that he didn’t have enough turf sprinters in his barn. In Rose Catherine, he has one of the best turf female sprinters in the country.

Monday, Rose Catherine will get to strut her stuff over Saratoga’s outer turf course in the $70,000 Bennington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 5 1/2 furlongs. Originally slated to be run Friday, the Bennington was not carded by the racing office until Monday.

Witt’s Halo and Julie C, both impressive maiden winners at this meet, head a field of six 2-year-olds set to go six furlongs in the $10,000 Club House Special at Columbus on Sunday afternoon.

Witt’s Halo, from the barn of leading trainer Dudley Graham, won a maiden race here opening weekend by a widening 10 lengths. He had already tried stakes company at Lincoln in the Capitol City Futurity, where he tired to finish fifth. Before that he was second in a maiden race to the talented Alert the Press, who would go on to win the Capitol City.

Bernell Rhone is in good position to capture a pair of sales stakes at Canterbury Park on Sunday. The two $25,000 stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs are restricted to 3-year-olds who are progeny of stallions whose service was sold at the 2006 Minnesota Thoroughbred Association’s stallion service auction.

Rhone starts Rustic Road in the Laddie division, for either sex, and She’s Better Loud in the Lassie division, for fillies.

Rhone has been rehabilitating Rustic Road, who will be making his first start in four months in the Laddie division.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.– Last summer, nothing could go right for Bruce Levine. This summer, little has gone wrong for the veteran trainer.

After going 1 for 48 at the 2009 Saratoga meet, Levine entered Saturday’s program a more than respectable 6 for 29, putting himself in a four-way tie for fifth in the standings. Levine’s prospects for continued success look good in Monday’s $70,000 Union Avenue Stakes when he sends out City Broad in the six-furlong race for New York-bred fillies and mares.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Zenyatta’s next race will be at the track where she has been based through her illustrious career.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – There are 14 horses still under consideration for next Saturday’s $1 million Travers Stakes. Half the prospective field put in their final workouts for the Mid-Summer Derby on Saturday morning.

Considering that he has 13 victories during a 49-race career, including three already this season, the 7-year-old Cured can hardly be described as a horse who has a hard time finding the winner’s circle. Yet he remains eligible for a second-level allowance against New York-breds after failing 10 times to clear that condition since May 2008.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Good luck trying to come up with the winner of the sixth race at Hastings on Tuesday. The $7,500 claiming race for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles drew nine horses and every horse entered appears to have a legitimate chance at winning. The seven-race card begins at 6:40 p.m. Pacific.

Brinello continued his domination of the Agassiz Stakes, capturing the $50,000 race for Manitoba-breds for the fourth straight year at Assiniboia Downs on Friday night.
Trained by Carl Anderson, Brinello led throughout the one-mile Agassiz and scored by 12 1/4 lengths under jockey Larren Delorme.
Spying Eyes finished second and Percolating ran third in the field of seven.
Brinello, who returned $2.50, is a 7-year-old gelding owned by veterinarian Ross McKague.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Jockey Patrick Valenzuela won his third race on Friday’s program when Warren’s Jitterbug ($13) and Go Forth North ($6) finished in a dead heat for first in the $87,675 Sandy Blue Handicap at Del Mar.