Trainer Dan Coughlin is off to a strong start at the Lincoln meet, saddling 5 winners from his 12 starters in the opening two weekends of racing at State Fair Park.

Last Sunday, Coughlin won three races: the sixth with Confederate Bond ($5.20), the seventh with Booming Along ($5), and the eighth with Musical Smoke ($8.80). Luis Ranilla was aboard for the wins on Confederate Bond and Musical Smoke, while Yuri Yaranga had the mount on Booming Along. The triple boosted Coughlin into first place in the trainer standings.

There promises to be plenty of fireworks for this year's Louisiana Legends Night on July 4 at Evangeline Downs. The million-dollar night of 11 stakes for Louisiana-breds is anchored by the two divisions of the $100,000 D.S. "Shine" Young Futurity, which drew a total of 152 nominees.

Smooth Air, winning the Hutcheson at Gulfstream in January, is being pointed to the May 31 Ohio Derby.P

Thirty horses have been nominated to the Grade 2, $300,000 Ohio Derby on May 31 at Thistledown, according to Matt Hook, the track's stakes coordinator.

Leading the list of 3-year-olds for the 1 1/8-mile stakes is Smooth Air, whose trainer, Bennie Stutts Jr., committed to the Ohio Derby last week. The Florida-based Smooth Air won the Hutcheson at Gulfstream Park and most recently finished 11th in the Kentucky Derby.

The $300,000 Oklahoma Derby on Oct. 19 will be the richest of 30 stakes worth a cumulative $2.1 million during the Remington Park meet that opens Aug. 21. The 65-day season will run through Dec. 14. Purses are projected at $203,000 a day, which is a record for Remington.

The 1 1/8-mile Oklahoma Derby will share a card with three other stakes - the $100,000 MEC Mile for 2-year-olds; the $100,000 Remington Green Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the grass; and the $75,000 Remington Park Sprint Championship.

AUBURN, Wash. – Sunningdale will head an intriguing field of seven 3-year-old fillies, each eligible to be claimed for $30,000, in Friday’s six-furlong feature at Emerald Downs.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It wasn't difficult for the thousands of fans on hand last Saturday at Churchill Downs to determine that Elvis was in the building. By winning with all three of his mounts, including Eaton's Gift in the Matt Winn Stakes, Elvis Trujillo got off to an auspicious start at a place he is planning to call home for the next six weeks or so.

MIAMI - After having his stakes plans for Mambo Meister put on hold due to a lung infection suffered in the week leading up to Gulfstream Park's Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes, trainer Phil Gleaves finds himself back on track after his promising 3-year-old registered an impressive three-length victory in Sunday's Ride the Rails Stakes.

AUBURN, Wash. - Startjumpin Marnie and Private Dreams apparently enjoyed their visit to Emerald Downs so much that they have decided to extend their stay.

"We were supposed to leave on Wednesday, but now we're staying another two weeks," said groom Galen May, who has been caring for the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained fillies. "Jerry wants to run both of them once more over this track."

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - Friday night's eight-race card kicks off the 30-day Marquis Downs meet, and horsemen will be competing for increased purses at almost every level of competition.

There are 22 stakes races on the schedule, and the purse pool going to the top runners is up by 11 percent versus last year. Aside from maiden races for 3-year-olds and up, which remain at their 2007 level of $3,000, purses are up a minimum of 6 percent for the lower claimers while the top claimers run for 19 percent more.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - In hindsight, the Preakness Stakes was not the ideal race for California-based longshots Gayego, Yankee Bravo, or Tres Borrachos. But who knows? Under different conditions, maybe they would have fared better than up the track.

Gayego (11th), Yankee Bravo (10th), and Tres Borrachos (ninth) returned to Los Angeles on Sunday, on the same flight out of Baltimore. All three are stabled at Hollywood Park; all three returned from Pimlico with alibis other than Big Brown.