It's still three weeks away, but casual and hard-core fans alike already are starting to talk about the biggest post-Derby weekend of the spring meet.
The first of four straight Friday night programs will take place June 11, followed the next afternoon by the Stephen Foster Handicap program of five graded stakes.
Noble's Promise, the fifth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby, had a clockwise workout over turf last weekend and continues to progress toward his next race, the St. James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in Britain on June 15, according to trainer Ken McPeek.
Noble's Promise had his unrecorded workout over the turf at McPeek's Magdalena Farm in Lexington on Saturday.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It won't show on his past performance lines, but Brass Hat had quite an eventful outing since his runner-up finish in the Elkhorn Stakes.
A few days after the April 23 Elkhorn at Keeneland, Brass Hat was put on display in a roomy, open-air stall at a political event in the Kentucky state capital of Frankfort. It seems that Brass Hat, an earner of more than $2 million in six-plus years of racing, has become quite the folk hero in Frankfort, the hometown of his owner-breeder, Fred Bradley.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Here comes the money.
Monmouth Park kicks off its 50-day summer meet Saturday with a 13-race card worth a combined $812,000.
Monmouth will average $1 million for the season that runs through Labor Day, more than tripling last year's purses.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Arlington Park dropped the "Arlington International" moniker several years ago, but the suburban Chicago racetrack still dabbles in global positioning. The American 1000 Guineas, run for the third time on Saturday, came into existence in 2008 under just such international flag-waving, but the race still seems to be in a developmental phase.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Caracortado, who finished seventh in Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, has returned to Machowksy's stable at Santa Anita and could start in the current Hollywood Park meeting.
Machowsky said the $100,000 Affirmed Handicap over 1 1/16 miles on June 19 is a possibility.
Caracortado finished 10 1/2 lengths behind winner Lookin At Lucky in the Preakness. Ridden by Paul Atkinson, Caracortado was racing with Lookin At Lucky on the turn, but could not sustain the rally and faded from contention in the final furlong.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - One was good enough to run in the 2009 Kentucky Derby. Another beat the 2009 Kentucky Derby winner in a rich prep race. Yet another teamed with the undefeated two-time champion Zenyatta in a recent workout.
Chocolate Candy, Kelly Leak and Aitcho have achieved success at various levels in their careers. What they need in Friday's seventh race at Hollywood Park, an optional claimer over 1 1/16 miles, is a win, which could lead to a start in the $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup on July 10.
AUBURN, Wash. - Top-end Beyer Speed Figures at Emerald Downs have declined markedly in recent seasons, a point underscored Sunday when Noosa Beach received a 95 Beyer for his track-record-tying performance in the Seattle Handicap.
Noosa Beach ran six furlongs in 1:07 to equal the standard set by Atta Boy Roy last September. But while Atta Boy Roy's effort earned a 102 Beyer, Noosa Beach's Beyer Speed Figure, computed by Andrew Beyer himself, came back about two lengths slower.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Last year, Josie Carroll had an embarrassment of riches in the filly and mare ranks with Careless Jewel, Serenading, and Smart Surprise showing the way.
But with Careless Jewel's status still in doubt after she suffered a leg injury a couple of weeks ago, and Serenading and Smart Surprise retired to the breeding shed, Carroll will be looking for others to step up.
That process could get a boost this weekend as Carroll plans to send out Authenicat in Saturday's $125,000 Ballade and Redverse in Sunday's $150,000 La Lorgnette.
MIAMI - Steve DiMauro knows he doesn't have the numbers to compete for leading training honors here this summer, especially considering he has his stable split again this season between Calder and Monmouth Park. But DiMauro is enjoying his current reign atop the local standings, having won five races during the open three weeks of a meet that will continue through mid-October.