Juliet's Spirit held off a late surge from After the Applause to prevail by a head in the $151,200 Ontario Debutante Stakes on Saturday at Woodbine.

Juliet's Spirit ($5.40) tracked dueling front-runners Fanci Candi and Petty Things through fast fractions in the six-furlong sprint, and made the lead early in the stretch, opened up by 1 1/2 lengths, then hung on while covering the distance in 1:10.17. C Karma finished 1 1/4 lengths behind After the Applause in third in the eight-horse field of 2-year-old fillies.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Student Council is a different horse than he was last year when he pulled a 23-1 upset in the Pacific Classic.

Student Council went into that race with the Maxxam Gold Cup at Sam Houston in early 2007 as his only stakes win. Since then, he has become a fixture in the handicap division. When Student Council tries to defend his title in Sunday's $1 million Pacific Classic, he will be after his second Grade 1 win of the year, having won the Pimlico Special in May.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Robert Ribaudo credited a firm turf and a strong early pace for helping Grand Couturier win the Sword Dancer Invitational in 2007. Though neither condition was prevalent on Saturday, Grand Couturier still found a way to win the Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer again.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - At the eighth pole of Saturday's $600,000 Alabama, Proud Spell had put away Little Belle and braced for the oncoming charge of Music Note.

At that point, the duel for supremacy in the 3-year-old filly division was on. But somewhere in the spacious Saratoga grandstand, Larry Jones, trainer of Proud Spell, was smiling because he knew what made his filly special.

"This filly of ours had never been passed down the stretch the entire time we've had her,'' Jones said.

MIAMI - Big Drama used his abundant speed to upset Saturday's $100,000 Dr. Fager Stakes, posting a three-length victory over Bee Cee Cee in the first leg of the open division of Calder's Florida Stallion Stakes. You Luckie Mann finished a troubled third as the 3-5 favorite.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Honest Man beat 3-2 favorite Grasshopper by 2 3/4 lengths to capture the $300,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Park.

With the victory, trainer Larry Jones and jockey Terry Thompson teamed up to win a Grade 3 stakes at Monmouth for a second straight Saturday.

One week ago, they connected with Maren's Meadow in the Monmouth Oaks. This time, they scored with an improving 4-year-old colt who is now 6 for 10 in his blossoming career.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Barclay Tagg knew that Tale of Ekati was going into the Jim Dandy a bit short, so it came as no surprise to him when the horse tired to fourth despite making the lead turning for home.

But with that race under his belt and a strong six-furlong move over the track on Saturday, Tagg is feeling better about things entering Saturday's $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The Play the King, the major local prep for the $1 million Woodbine Mile, will be run here next Saturday.

Locally based horses eyeing the $200,000 Play the King, a Grade 2 turf race at seven furlongs, include Royal Oath, Le Cinquieme Essai, Mulmur, Just Rushing, Wollemi Pine, Unusual Suspect, and Disfunction.

But the Play the King is in a curious position on the schedule as it will be run just two weeks prior to the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, a turf race for 3-year-olds and upward.

The purse of the $182,600 El Primero Del Ano Derby for Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos on April 11 was ordered redistributed earlier this month after race winner Fighter on Fire tested in excess of the permitted level of clenbuterol, according to a statement released by the racing board.

Trainer Adan Farias has been fined $5,000 and suspended for 30 days - from Saturday through Sept. 14 - for the infraction.

Greeley's Conquest is emerging as one of the Southwest region's top sprinters. His ascent started at Louisiana Downs in June, when he won the $50,000 Temperence Hill with a late rush, at a surprising 22-1.

Greeley's Conquest then traveled to Iowa for his next start, and won the $75,000 Prairie Meadows Sprint by 4 1/4 lengths. It was a powerful performance for the horse, who covered six furlongs in a blazing 1:08.20 to earn a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 102.