Sitting atop his gray stable pony in the early morning hours of Aug. 18, all seemed right in trainer Steve Asmussen's world. His reigning champion Curlin had just put in a smashing workout over Saratoga's main track, and several other of his top stakes horses had breezed similarly well over the training track.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Too many visitors to Keeneland Racecourse are put off by the lack of permanent seating and the long lines of traffic that strangle access roads during the spring and fall meets, the track's president, Nick Nicholson, said at a public forum held by Keeneland on Monday night.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Nicholas Bachalard is caring for six horses at the far end of a barn near the northwestern end of Del Mar's stable area. He's about as far from the track as one can get, but this weekend, he will be front and center.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - With a $1.7 million price tag on his head, expectations were high when Munnings launched his career here at Saratoga on July 26. Munnings did not disappoint, overcoming a slight mishap at the break to post an easy 4 1/2-length wire-to-wire victory over the well-regarded Just Coincidence.

Munnings will attempt to earn back a little more of his large purchase price as one of the favorites, along with Desert Party, in the Grade 1 Hopeful on closing day Monday.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Nick Zito will have both quality and quantity on his side in Thursday’s $80,000 Halfmoon overnight stakes at Saratoga. The Halfmoon is written for fillies and mares who have not won an open stakes in 2008.

DEL MAR, Calif. -- A victory by 52-1 longshot Kiamika in the final race at Del Mar on Monday triggered a carryover of $111,820 into the pick six on Wednesday, when racing resumes here after a day off on Tuesday.

There are eight races on the Wednesday card, so the pick six will begin with the third race at approximately 3 p.m. Pacific.

The feature race on Wednesday is the $100,000 Generous Portion Stakes for 2-year-old fillies bred in California.

Talking Treasure proved she could rate and carry her abundant speed with little difficulty after rallying to a 1 3/4-length victory over Aristo in Monday's $82,750 Saratoga Dew Stakes at Saratoga.

Talking Treasure ($4), a homebred daughter of Catienus owned by Sarah and Kenneth Ramsey, was stretching out to 1 1/8 miles for the first time in her career off an easy victory going seven furlongs in the Fleet Indian Stakes earlier in the meet.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Little sister Dreaming of Anna was a champion at 2 and a graded stakes winner on turf and dirt who is still going strong, but big brother Lewis Michael is catching up. He went to California last weekend and comes home to Arlington this week with the trophy from the Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Handicap, part of Sunday's Pacific Classic card at Del Mar.

Dazzzling Seville ($11.40) took over entering the stretch and drew off for a four-length upset over heavily favored Plaer's Trump in the $15,000 Columbus Maturity/Matron Stakes.

Slides Choice ($3.60) remained undefeated as she won her second stakes with a determined stretch drive in the six-furlong Miss Ohio Stakes for Ohio-bred 2-year-olds at Thistledown.