NEW ORLEANS - The wait has been worth it for Battle Plan, who, though 5 years old, finally made his stakes debut Saturday and showed why patience can pay off. In a dominating performance, Battle Plan led virtually every step of the 1 1/8 miles in , stamping himself as a new force in the older horse division.

With Javier Castellano aboard, Battle Plan grabbed the lead while going around the first turn, pulled his way to a clear lead down the backstretch, turned back bids from Star Guitar and then General Quarters heading into the stretch, then drew away to win by 1 1/2 lengths.

Tidal Dance came from off the pace for a comprehensive victory over three rivals in Saturday's at Aqueduct.

Freshened by design after winning the Affectionately Stakes in mid-winter for Mike Hushion, Tidal Dance ($3) was allowed to settle into stride through the early stages as longshot Quiet Mover sped to a clear lead through fractions of 24.93 and 50.71 seconds while prompted by 5-2 second-choice Love's Blush.

FLORENCE, Ky. - Orchestrator hinted of a bright future as a synthetic performer when she easily won a maiden race at Keeneland last October.

After making her next three starts on turf, Orchestrator reaffirmed her synthetic skills Saturday at Turfway, edging Age of Humor in for 3-year-old fillies going a mile on Polytrack.

Well handled by jockey Alex Solis, Orchestrator was right where she needed to be from the start, stalking the pace in the middle of the track in second as Helen Belen established a big lead with splits of 24.42 and 47.68 seconds.

Grove City, Ohio - Correct Call came from off a quick early pace to draw clear and win the $50,000 Royal North at Beulah Park on Saturday afternoon.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Jockey Terry Thompson has regained the mount on Dublin for the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby after guiding him through a stellar workout Saturday morning at Oaklawn. Thompson will replace Corey Nakatani, who was aboard Dublin earlier this month for his third-place finish in .

"Terry's got good chemistry with this horse," said D. Wayne Lukas, who trains Dublin and has had Thompson work him several times this season. "The horse relaxes nicely with Terry."

STICKNEY, Ill. - Hawthorne Race Courses lists seven 3-year-olds as probable starters for the April 3 Illinois Derby, but don't let the compact field size put you off: At least five of those seven could be serious horses, and Hawthorne's biggest race of the spring should generate plenty of interest if the prospective field stays together.

NEW ORLEANS - Quiet Temper exited her extensive winter at Fair Grounds exactly where trainer Dale Romans hoped she would be, on target for the April 30 Kentucky Oaks, by virtue of a hard-fought victory in the Grade 2, $300,000 Fair Grounds Oaks on Friday.

"She's getting better right now," Romans said. "Now I've got five weeks to get her ready. This is a good stepping-stone to the Kentucky Oaks. She could go over as one of the favorites."

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Three entities are vying for favoritism after the first of three days of wagering into Pool 3 of the 2010 Kentucky Derby Future Wager. A mere $2 difference made Eskendereya a slight choice over the mutuel field, with both standing at 9-2, while Lookin At Lucky was right behind at 5-1.

As wagering was set to begin Saturday, and with $39,018 in the win pool, that trio was followed by Awesome Act at 13-1, Ice Box at 14-1, and a foursome at 19-1: Conveyance, Dublin, Noble's Promise, and Odysseus. Exacta wagering totaled $14,086 at the same juncture.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Smell the Roses became a stakes winner in her first start off a claim on Friday, when she rolled home by 2 1/4 lengths in the $50,000 Natural State Breeders' at Oaklawn. The six-furlong race was restricted to fillies and mares bred in Arkansas.

Smell the Roses ($43) stalked the pace early, launched a strong bid on the turn, then overtook the leaders through the lane. She covered the distance on a track rated fast in 1:11.12. Larry Melancon rode the winner for Five Star Racing Stable, which claimed Smell the Roses for $7,500 in February.

Turf Paradise will begin a series of five Friday twilight racing cards beginning April 2. The programs, which will begin at 3 p.m., are also slated for April 9, 16, 23, and 30.

"We've wanted to try this for a while as a way of attracting a new market of fans to horse racing," said the track's president and general manager, Eugene Joyce. "The Fridays of April are the perfect time."

The Turf Paradise meet runs through May 2.