GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - Brothers Jordan and Jake Olesiak represent the sixth generation of racing in their family and have been racing horses together since their childhood in Cloquet, Minn.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Ian Black won the 2007 Queen's Plate with Mike Fox and would have had a serious contender last year had Southdale not been sidelined for the season following his second-place finish in the Plate Trial.

Black is back on the Plate trail this year with Stormy Lord and D's Wando, who finished second and third, respectively, here in November's 1 1/8-mile Coronation Futurity.

"They're both doing well," said Black, who kept a close eye on Stormy Lord and D's Wando while at Payson Park this winter.

Once again, a bevy of older horses are set to invade Charles Town for Saturday's $1 million Charles Town Classic. Once again, the horse to beat is the hometown hero Researcher, who is 9 for 13 at the uniquely configured Charles Town course.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - So much still has to happen for Eightyfiveinafifty to make it into the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby, but the speedy colt took one small step toward that goal on Wednesday with another typically fast workout at Aqueduct that kept him on target for the Grade 3 Derby Trial at Churchill Downs on April 24.

Aikenite, who finished eighth of nine in the Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday at Keeneland, will be wheeled back in the Grade 3, $200,000 Derby Trial at Churchill Downs on April 24, but he is not going to be considered for the Kentucky Derby one week later, Cot Campbell, the president of the Dogwood Stables partnership that owns Aikenite, said Wednesday.

Homeboykris, winner of the Grade 1 Champagne at 2 and currently 20th on the graded earnings list for the Kentucky Derby, worked six furlongs in 1:14 at Gulfstream Park on Wednesday.

Homeboykris, who has not started since finishing second behind stablemate Radiohead under allowance conditions at Gulfstream on Feb. 27, went in fractions of 12.20 seconds, 24.80, 37.00, 49.40, and 1:01.80 according to track clockers, who said he galloped out seven-eighths in 1:30 and change.

GROVE CITY, Ohio - The Fortune Six, the Beulah Park exotic that pays its jackpot only when there is a single winner, has reached an all-time high carryover of $403,341 going into Wednesday's card.

Regular and open nominations to the 12th annual Claiming Crown are due Friday. The six-race, $500,000 series is set for July 24 at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn. Further information is available at claimingcrown.com.

Three-year-old fillies grab the spotlight Saturday in the $60,000 Golden Poppy at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. It is the final stakes race for 3-year-old fillies on Golden Gate Fields's reduced stakes calendar.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Phone messages tend to pile up for the trainer with two Kentucky Derby hopefuls. A little before 5 a.m. Pacific on Tuesday, John Sadler was still catching up, returning unanswered calls from last weekend from the office at his Santa Anita barn.

"Sorry for the delay," said Sadler. "With all the traveling between here and Arkansas and some other stuff I had going on, things kind of got away from me."