ARCADIA, Calif. - The Usual Q. T. is the sort of horse who suffers from bouts of nerves, trainer Jim Cassidy says.

In the hour before his win in Saturday's $125,000 California Cup Mile, the horse was spooked when he noticed a piece of paper on the ground, Cassidy said.

The way The Usual Q. T. has improved in recent starts, Cassidy may be suffering from nervous excitement soon. The Usual Q. T. won his third consecutive start in the Cal Cup Mile, his stakes debut. The style of the win suggested that The Usual Q. T. has further improvement.

NEW BOSTON, Mich. - Trainer Gerry Bennett won the finale of the Michigan Sires Stakes at Pinnacle Race Course with Bipolar Express, a horse he had to claim back recently. Bipolar Express was up late by a head to win the Classic over Hot Chili, who dueled inside of Mt. Factor for most of the race. Demagoguery, also a Bennett charge, was a neck back in third in the field of eight older colts and geldings who are progeny of Michigan stallions.

STICKNEY, Ill. - Public Speaker already had shown his worth on turf and synthetic surfaces, and a wet Hawthorne Race Course dirt track could not slow him down, either. After lengthy deliberations, owner Peter Karahalios and trainer Dale Bennett decided not to scratch Public Speaker from the when the race was rained off turf, and Public Speaker validated their decision by winning the Carey by 1 1/4 lengths.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The $100,000 California Cup Sprint looked like a match race on paper, and it played out that way on the racetrack. Dancing in Silks tracked odds-on favorite M One Rifle for the first half-mile of the six-furlong race, engaged the leader at the quarter pole, and then outfought him through a stirring stretch drive to prevail by a nose in one of the better races on Saturday's Cal Cup card at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Summer Bird stated his case for being crowned 3-year-old champion while trying to enter the conversation for Horse of the Year with an easier-than-it looked one-length victory over Quality Road in Saturday's at Belmont Park.

ANDERSON, Ind. - Misremembered established a track record winning the Grade 2, at Hoosier Park on Saturday afternoon.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Misremembered stalked the early pace while three wide to the final turn. Jockey Victor Espinoza nudged Misremembered in the stretch and he responded, drawing clear and then holding off a late-charging Giant Oak to win by a half-length. He covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.80, breaking the 12-year-old track mark by .20 of a second.

ARCADIA, Calif. - In her first start on the hillside turf course here, Bootleg Annie ($9) held off favored Flashover to take the $100,000 California Cup Distaff Handicap for female turf sprinters on Saturday at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting.

Bootleg Annie beat Flashover by three-quarters of a length, with Quisisana another 1 1/4 lengths back in third. Under Rafael Bejarano, Bootleg Annie was timed in 1:13.31 for about 6 1/2 furlongs on a firm course.

STICKNEY, Ill. - The last time Awesome Gem shipped out of California to run 1 1/4 miles in mud it was the fall 2007. Awesome Gem ran well, finishing third in the 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic to Horse of the Year, Curlin. Suffice it to say: There were no Curlins in the on Saturday at muddy Hawthorne Race Course. And this time, Awesome Gem was the star of the show, coming out at the top of the stretch to wear down Nite Light and win the 1 1/4-mile Gold Cup by 1 1/4 lengths.

Speed ruled at Louisiana Downs on Saturday, with front-runners sweeping all four of the juvenile stakes run on the penultimate card of the meet. Purses for the races, which were all restricted sprints, totaled $300,000.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The fourth time was the charm for Interpatation, who staged an improbable come-again upset over odds-on Gio Ponti to win Saturday's as the rank outsider at Belmont Park.

Interpatation, whose last two wins had come in back-to-back renewals of the Larry R. Riviello Presidents Cup at Philadelphia Park in 2006-07, finished fourth at 28-1 in the 2006 Turf Classic, third at 19-1 two years ago, and was second at 16-1 last year.