AUBURN, Wash. - Mizzen You, a speedy maiden from California, and Crocodile Tuff, a late-running sprinter from New Mexico, have at least two things in common. They share the same trainer, Dan Markle, and they'll try to play spoiler Saturday in the six-furlong, $30,000 Inaugural Stakes at Emerald Downs.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - After an eventful week leading up to Saturday's $75,000 Bosselman/Gus Fonner Stakes, a field of eight has been entered for the 1 1/16-mile showcase event of the meet.

The week started off on a down note when last year's runner-up, Wayzata Bay, was pulled from consideration on Tuesday. On Thursday, trainer Randy Morse entered multiple graded stakes winner Jonesboro in the race, along with his expected entrant, Prospective Kiss. Prospective Kiss arrived here earlier this week.

OLDSMAR, Fla. - Lady Rizzi, who finished seventh last time out in the $75,000 Tampa Turf Dash, drops a notch in class when she takes on male rivals, including the ageless wonder Rockhurst, in Saturday's Tampa Bay feature. The second-level allowance has a $32,000 claiming option and will be run at five furlongs on the turf.

Former jockey Sandy Shields, 76, died at Foothills Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, on April 17.

Shields was a leading rider in western Canada between 1957 and 1974. He won more than 1,500 races for earnings of $1.8 million. Shields, who also rode in the western United States and Mexico, was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Saskatchewan Hall of Fame in 2004.

A celebration of his life is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Chapel of the Mountain View Funeral Home at 1605 - 100 Street S.E., in Calgary.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Hollywood Park is offering a $500,000 guaranteed pick six pool on Saturday's California Gold Rush program for statebreds. To sort through the pick six, bettors must decipher four stakes worth $150,000 to $250,000 as well as lucrative races for allowance-class horses and maidens.

Gold Rush Day offers two sorts of races: six stakes worth $150,000 or more, and four other races for up-and-coming horses - two $60,000 maiden races and two $70,000 allowance races. The lesser races annually are among the largest fields of the day, and this year is no exception.

Northlands Park has scheduled 40 stakes races totaling $2.37 million for the 2009 meet, which opens on May 1. The total amount of stakes money is up by $200,000 from 2008, due to Northlands picking up six stakes from Stampede Park, which isn't holding a meet this year. Offsetting the additional stakes races are $25,000 purse cuts to four races.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - These are some pretty eventful times for race-caller Mark Johnson.

His mother died in October following a lengthy illness. He married his sweetheart, Katherine, on a Caribbean island in January. He called the world-renowned Grand National steeplechase in his native England in early April. A week or so ago, he flew from England to America for a lengthy stay.

And, oh yes, a week from Saturday, he will call his first Kentucky Derby for an ontrack crowd of some 150,000 screaming fans.

It was in late October of last year that Triumphant Flight was taken out of training, less than a month after winning his first stakes. Trainer Eric Kruljac detected heat in the colt's knee, ending any thoughts of a late-season stakes for the California-bred 2-year-old.

While it may have seemed like a bad time for a highly promising juvenile to leave the track, the forced time off may turn out to be the best thing that happened to Triumphant Flight.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - There has never been a time quite like the present for Pete Parrella, the owner of Legacy Ranch in Clements, Calif.

The ranch has two young stallions on its roster - Our New Recruit, whose oldest foals are 2-year-olds this year, and Cindago, whose oldest foals are yearlings. If one of those has early success, Legacy could be a destination spot for mare owners in coming years.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Trainer Cindy Krasner will kick things into high gear when she sends out Krazy Koffee in the 6 1/2-furlong George Royal Stakes next Saturday.

Krazy Koffee, who was the horse of the year in British Columbia last year, hasn't raced since he finished a neck behind Rosberg in the 1 3/8-mile Grade 3 Premiers on Oct. 12. Before his narrow loss, Krazy Koffee had reeled off five straight wins, including an impressive score in the Grade 3 B.C. Derby.