LEXINGTON, Ky. - Check the Label notched the first stakes victory of her career for breeder-owner Brereton C. Jones when she drew clear Thursday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland.

Trained by Graham Motion, Check the Label got a terrific off-the-pace trip under Julien Leparoux in prevailing by three-quarters of a length over Bay to Bay. The winner returned $11.20 as second choice in a field of eight 3-year-old turf fillies.

"She was nice and relaxed and gave me a very nice kick," said Leparoux.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - On April 15, 2009, Eye of the Leopard finished eighth when making the first start of his career at Keeneland.

Four starts and less than 10 weeks later, Eye of the Leopard prevailed as the favorite in the $1 million Queen's Plate, the 1 1/4-mile race for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds that will be renewed this year on July 4.

"It was extraordinary, for a horse to make it like that," said Mark Frostad, who trains the homebred Eye of the Leopard for Sam-Son Farm.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Tim Ice returned to the scene of his greatest successes Thursday when he arrived at Belmont Park with seven of his horses who had wintered at Oaklawn Park. Unfortunately, none of those horses was named Summer Bird.

Ice trained Summer Bird to the 3-year-old championship by virtue of the colt's victories in the Belmont Stakes, the Travers at Saratoga, and the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont. Summer Bird was the first horse to win all three races in the same year since Easy Goer in 1989.

ARCADIA, Calif. - With a proven commodity in Mr Gruff and an experimental project in Canonize, trainer Ron Ellis has a formidable duo in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 San Simeon Handicap at Santa Anita.

Mr. Gruff has excelled in turf sprints, winning four of his last five starts in hillside turf sprints, including the 2009 San Simeon Handicap. Canonize has won three of five starts in his career and will be making his stakes debut and first start on turf.

"Either one is capable of winning," Ellis said.

Live racing returns to Pimlico for six weeks starting Saturday with a fan-friendly program that features a ceremony honoring former general manager Chick Lang, who died last month; the $70,000 Henry Clark Stakes; and a concert by country music star Steve Azar during an extended break between the fifth and sixth races.

Most of the action, however, will be crammed into a two-day period in conjunction with the 135th running of the Preakness. All but three of the 18 stakes worth a collective $2.4 million at the 20-day meet will be contested on Preakness weekend.

WHO'S HOT

Clifford Sise Jr. clicked twice Thursday, including a win aboard Warren's Gus in one of the first two-furlong races of the meet for 2-year-olds. A son of Doc Gus, Warren's Gus bounced right out of the gate, surged to the lead, and not only won clear (1 1/4 lengths) but did something else you almost never see in such a short race - he won geared down. His time of 21.62 seconds was only marginally faster than what Leon Ayala did for trainer Oscar Garcia did 20 minutes later, but again, Warren's Gus really wasn't asked to run the final 50 yards.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

Biofuel, Canada's co-champion 2-year-old filly last year, won her season debut impressively April 10 in .

Biofuel ($4.80) trailed the five-horse field heading into the turn as favored shipper Wild Forest Cat set a moderate pace in the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies. Biofuel commenced a wide rally exiting the turn under jockey Eurico Da Silva and hit the front at the eighth pole before drawing clear for a two-length win that was easier than it looked. She finished in 1:10.01 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 81.

WHO'S HOT

Jockeys

Garrett Gomez is the leading rider, with 8 wins from 27 mounts. That's an impressive 29 percent, with a $2.30 return on investment. He also finished second seven times. His horses participated in the exacta in 55 percent of their races.

WHO'S HOT

Elvis Trujillo

Elvis was certainly in the house last week, winning nine races to put himself within striking distance of leading rider Paco Lopez going into the final seven days of the meet. Included in that streak were hat tricks on Thursday and Sunday's programs. Eight of Trujillo's nine wins from April 7-11 came for different trainers, the majority Northern-based outfits such as Tom Albertrani, Chad Brown, and Tim Hills as well as Peter Walder, for whom he posted a pair of victories in that period.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Churchill Downs is making a slight alteration to its morning training protocol to give preference to prospects for the 136th Kentucky Derby and Oaks while also hoping to utilize their new permanent lighting system during pre-dawn hours.