ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Discouraged by stakes purse cuts at Arlington Park, Jonathan Sheppard mulled other plans for horses he was considering bringing to Chicago this summer, but while Just as Well's status for a repeat bid in the Arlington Handicap remains up in the air, Sheppard found no better option for Informed Decision than a return trip to the Chicago Handicap here Sunday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - You have to go back a long way to find a poor race for Keertana. In fact, since she finished seventh in her career debut nearly two years ago in a Polytrack sprint at Arlington Park, you can't find one. Keertana has been respectable to brilliant in all 15 subsequent starts, earning more than $440,000 while emerging as a fringe player in the North American filly-mare turf division.

"She's developed into a decent little racehorse," said Tom Proctor, who trains the 4-year-old filly for owner-breeder Barbara Hunter.

Trainer Bob Young has a quality pair of 2-year-olds to fire at separate stakes at Louisiana Downs on Saturday. The undefeated Aces N Kings is being pointed to the $50,000 Minstrel, while impressive debut winner Smokey Ritz is set to run in the $50,000 Princess.

MIAMI - When Mambo Meister worked three furlongs in 34.01 seconds here Monday morning, the same day his name appeared on the nomination sheet for the $350,000 Smile Sprint Handicap, it was logical to assume that trainer Phil Gleaves was seriously considering turning his multiple graded stakes winner back in distance to try the Grade 2 Smile on the July 10 Summit of Speed program. Gleaves confirmed that later on Monday.

AUBURN, Wash. - The halfway point of Emerald Downs' 91-day meeting is fast approaching, yet many of the stakes divisions are as muddled as they were the day the meeting began in April. The only certainty is that Noosa Beach is the best horse on the grounds. After that, the plots thicken.

AUBURN, Wash. - Front-running Koala Beach outlasted 3-5 favorite Posse Power and Newfound Man in a three-horse blanket finish to win the $50,000 Pepsi Cola Handicap for 3-year-olds Sunday at Emerald Downs.

Ridden by Ricky Frazier for trainer Doris Harwood, Koala Beach ($11.40) prevailed by a nose over Posse Power, with Newfound Man a neck back in third. The winner ran one mile in 1:34.20, the fastest time by a 3-year-old in track history.

The five-day San Joaquin County Fair meet in Stockton, Calif., showed substantial gains in average all-sources and average ontrack betting on its live races at its meet compared with last year's 11-day meet. The San Joaquin County Fair meet, the first of California's fair meetings, ran from June 16-20.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Desert Party came out of his 3 1/2-length victory in Saturday s $200,000 Don LeVine Memorial at Philadelphia Park in good order, said Rick Mettee, the New York-based assistant for Godolphin, which owns Desert Party. Mettee added the 4-year-old colt will likely be pointed to the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga on Sept. 4.

In the LeVine, Desert Party came from last position, though he was never too far back, to win while running seven furlongs in 1:22.04 and earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 101 in the process.

ELMONT, N.Y. - With Desert Party having made a successful return to the races last Saturday at Philadelphia Park, the connections of Godolphin Stable will hope for a similar result this Saturday when stablemate Regal Ransom makes his first start of 2010 in the Grade 2, $300,000 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park.

Regal Ransom, who at 3 won the UAE Derby, defeating Desert Party, in Dubai and the Super Derby in Louisiana, has not run since finishing eighth behind Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic last Nov. 7 at Santa Anita.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Lookin At Lucky, the champion 2-year-old male of 2009 and winner of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 15, missed a week of training because of illness after a half-mile workout on June 20.

Trainer Bob Baffert does not consider the illness to be a long-term problem and said that Lookin At Lucky will resume training this week for an expected start in the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 1.