SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After a spring in which he won the Florida Derby and had horses finish in the money in all three Triple Crown races, trainer Nick Zito appeared to have a lot to look forward to this summer.

But Kentucky Derby runner-up Ice Box floundered while sixth in the Haskell, Preakness third-place finisher Jackson Bend was next-to-last in the Pegasus, and Belmont Stakes runner-up Fly Down was a troubled fifth in the Jim Dandy. Adding to Zito’s woes this summer is the fact he has gotten off to an uncharacteristically poor 0-for-19 start at this meet.

Jolie Ange will try to improve to 4 for 4 this year when she leads a field of eight in the $50,000 Sadie Hawkins at Charles Town. The seven-furlong event for West Virginia-breds is for older fillies and mares.

OCEANPORT, N.J. – The $100,000 Continental Mile, the supporting stakes to the Monmouth Oaks on Saturday, is usually a puzzler.

Last year, Two Notch Road sprang a 107-1 upset in the race for 2-year-olds on the turf.

This edition is another handicapping challenge. None of the 11 runners has captured a stakes. Five have never run on grass. Only two, Mesonic and Powhatan County, have scored wins at a mile or longer.

And one, The Flying Whizzer, will be debuting for a new trainer.

Blind Date will try to return to her winning ways of last year when she runs as part of a full field of 11 older fillies and mares in the $50,000 Jameela at Laurel Park on Saturday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. –Even as the Saratoga meet reaches the halfway point here on Saturday, trainer Chad Brown has already had a summer to remember. With 11 wins from his first 26 starters, the native of nearby Mechanicville finds himself contending for leading trainer honors.

Vannacide has been a constant presence at Arapahoe Park, where she has won at least one race every year since 2003. And in her eight seasons of competition in Colorado, she has never slipped into the claiming ranks. In fact, Vannacide will be after her second stakes win of the meet Saturday in the $30,000 Spicy.

It’s a race Vannacide has won three times before, but whether this year’s renewal will be her final Arapahoe appearance remains to be seen. It’s a logical question to start asking as the meet ends next weekend and the mare is now 9.

MIAMI – It’s rare to see a promising New York-bred 2-year-old competing in feature races around these parts at this time of year but such will be the case when Prince of Danger starts as one of the favorites in Saturday’s $32,500 main event.

There are a surprising number of similarities in the careers of the 3-year-old Quarter Horses The Partys On Fire and Good Reason Sa.

They both won seven-figure futurities at Los Alamitos last fall – The Partys On Fire took the Golden State Million in November and Good Reason Sa won the Los Alamitos Two Million in December. They were both sidelined by knee injuries last winter. And they both will make their first starts of the year on Saturday in the same division of the Golden State Derby time trials at Los Alamitos.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario − Rahy's Attorney, coming off a lackluster effort in the Grade 2 Nijinsky here July 24, will be looking to get his campaign back on the right track when he puts the blinkers back on for Saturday's $100,000 With Approval.

A 1 1/8-mile turf race for Ontario-foaled 3-year-olds and up, the With Approval attracted a field of eight.

Ravi’s Song is typical of a Carl Bowman trainee, with her races generously spaced and her strike rate high. The 4-year-old filly will be favored Saturday when making the eighth start of her career in the showcase race of the Ellis Park meet, the Grade 3 Gardenia Stakes, and that’s something Bowman certainly doesn’t mind.

“She’s coming into this race the right way,” he said. “I’m looking for her to run a big race. We’re ready.”