GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Trainer Bret Calhoun is in the midst of drawing up plans for Mr. Nightlinger, Orphan Brigade, and Sumfun, all of whom won significant races for the barn in the span of two days earlier this month. Mr. Nightlinger captured the Grade 3 Aegon Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Oaks undercard May 2. A day later, Orphan Brigade won a $35,000 turf sprint allowance feature at Lone Star Park and Sumfun took the $50,000 Route 66 Stakes at six furlongs on dirt at Will Rogers Downs.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - With all of the speed lined up in the ninth race at Hastings on Sunday, the $11,000 claming race that drew seven horses could set up nicely for a horse who can stalk.

CALGARY, Alberta – The inclement weather that has hounded this spring session returned Thursday morning. Hopefully, the upcoming holiday weekend, when two stakes races will be run, will have more favorable conditions.

Saturday’s $50,000 Teeworth Plate is coming up strong with Alberta’s 2007 horse of the year, Footprint, pointing for the one-mile race for older horses.

Owner, breeder, and trainer Sparky Mullins could be sitting on a big Sunday night at Remington Park with contenders in the Grade 1, $102,960 Bank of America Oklahoma Challenge and the Grade 3, $42,930 Merial Oklahoma Distaff Challenge, two of three Challenge stakes on the card.

Also on the program is the Gradeo3, $43,560 Red Cell Distance Challenge at 870 yards.

LINCOLN Neb. - Three-year-old fillies will open up the stakes schedule at the Lincoln State Fair on Sunday when a field of six goes postward in the $15,000 Princess Stakes.

Preciousville was claimed by owner Craig Wulf and trainer Dan Coughlin at Fair Grounds on Feb. 10 for $12,500 and quickly returned a good portion of her purchase price by rallying to win the Pepsi Stakes at Fonner Park on April 5, her first start for her new connections. She should be favored to continue her three-race win streak in this six-furlong stakes. Luis Ranilla has a return ride.

Prominent out-of-town riders Joe Bravo and Anna Napravnik scored victories on front-runners in Thursday night's co-featured $75,000 stakes for 3-year-old Pennsylvania-breds at Penn National Race Course.

Bravo was aboard Reata's Quik Punch ($4.20), who cruised to a 4 1/2-length win over Extra Sexy Psychic in the Wonders Delight for fillies.

Aqueduct posted gains in attendance and handle for the 80-day winter/spring meet that ran from Jan. 1 through April 27, the New York Racing Association announced Thursday.

With five more racing days than the corresponding period in 2007, daily average attendance rose 5.7 percent from 2,610 to 2,760. Total attendance jumped 12.8 percent from 195,748 to 220,793.

Daily average ontrack handle increased 4.3 percent from $602,659 to $628,295 with the total growing 11.2 percent from $45,199,421 to $50,263,568.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Abraham Katryan's Woodbine barn has a new look this season.

Katryan, 51, has been training since 1997 and this will be his first campaign in which owner Bruno Schickedanz is not a client.

Schickedanz, whose horses accounted for 15 of Katryan's 42 winners last year, has consolidated his stock here with trainer Mark Fournier.

"Bruno gave me a great start," said Katryan. "I wish him all the best."

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Eighty winning $1 tickets, each returning $26,922, were sold Thursday on the Super High Five wager at Churchill after the day started with a jackpot carryover of $866,712.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Trainer Pat Jarvis is hoping to pull off a small upset with Pat of Gold in the $50,000 Brighouse Belles at Hastings on Saturday.

Although Pat of Gold has technically never won a stakes race, she certainly belongs in the Brighouse Belles. A 4-year-old filly by Regal Remark, Pat of Gold closed out her 3-year-old year with a couple of strong performances just seven days apart.