NEW ORLEANS - Mister Marti Gras, a longshot in the Grade 2, $750,000 Louisiana Derby on Saturday, was not named for trainer Neil Pessin, but he should have been. Pessin, with his unwavering good humor and constant smile, is the go-to guy for all things New Orleans, especially restaurants, where he admittedly has done plenty of research.

Pessin is based here during the winter, and in Kentucky in the summer. While at Fair Grounds, he trains his own horses, plus a handful who are sent south for the meet by Chicago-based trainer Chris Block.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Never On Sunday, who finished third and was subsequently placed second making his U.S. debut in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf, should be favored against a full field of turf specialists in Saturday's $150,000 Pan American Handicap. The 1 1/2-mile Pan Am is the final graded stakes on the turf for males during the 2010 meet. Fillies and mares will get their chance the following week under similar conditions in the $150,000 Orchid.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Tom Albertrani has confirmed that the Tampa Bay Derby winner, Odysseus, will have one final prep before the Kentucky Derby, with the choices remaining either the Blue Grass or Arkansas Derby.

Kelly Leak won the Sunland Park Derby last year. Kelly Breen hopes it's his turn Sunday. Breen will send out top contender Nacho Friend in the Grade 3, $800,000 stakes that drew nine horses Wednesday.

The Sunland Derby is being run as a graded race for the first time and will be the richest of six stakes on the card. Purses for the meet's biggest program will total more than $1.4 million. The other premier race on the program is the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks led by Southern California shipper Ellafitz.

The last time the New York-bred Banker's Buy stepped into stakes company she had the misfortune of running into Unrivaled Belle, finishing second to that quality filly in the Real Prize Stakes last October at Belmont. Unrivaled Belle won last weekend's Grade 3 Rampart Handicap at Gulfstream.

Jeremy Noseda on Wednesday got his first look at Awesome Act since the 3-year-old won the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on March 6 and the trainer was happy with what he saw.

"He looks good, his coat looks healthy. It's all I can ask," Noseda said after watching Awesome Act gallop 1 5/8 miles over the Belmont Park training track.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Shug McGaughey has wanted to run Distinctively around two turns for a long time. He just didn't want the first time to be in a stakes race.

Lone Star Park near Dallas will host the Fasig-Tipton Texas auction of 2-year-olds-in-training on Tuesday. There are 223 young horses cataloged to the sale, which will begin at 10 a.m. Central. The workout portion of the auction will be held Sunday morning at Lone Star.

Fonner Park will be among the featured tracks on the TVG Network Saturday with racing analyst Chris Kotulak at the track for a live remote. Kotulak, the track announcer here for several years, will be adding in call-in reports on the network during the day.

The $15,000 Pepsi Stakes is tentatively on the schedule to be broadcast live on TVG Saturday. Fonner Park is the first track in the state to be carried by TVG. The track's final few races have been regularly shown on Sundays since the season began Feb. 19.

Two locally based hopefuls for next month's $1 million Charles Town Classic will tune up on Saturday night at Charles Town.

Defending champion Researcher and multiple stakes winner Russell Road are both entered in Saturday's eighth race, a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer that serves as the final local prep for the 1 1/8-mile Classic on April 17.