Divine Park will look to bounce back from his first career defeat when he heads a competitive eight-horse field entered for Monday's Grade 2, $300,000 General George Handicap at Laurel Park.

Divine Park, a son of Chester House trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, won his first three starts, including the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct in April. A hind leg injury sidelined him for much of the remainder of the year. He returned to the races with a ninth-place finish in the Grade 1 Malibu, where he broke from post 14 and was wide throughout.

For years the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs was known as little more than a prep for the track’s signature event, the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby. But recently the Sam Davis has become an important step on the Kentucky Derby trail despite the fact that the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds remains ungraded.

Ruff and Ready overcame his lack of experience to dominate Thursday's $75,000 Shotinthe-heart Stakes at Gulfstream, drawing off to an easy 5 3/4-length victory over the multiple Grade 2 winner and 8-5 favorite, Silver Tree, in the overnight stakes on the turf.

PHOENIX – Surely the connections of some of the horses in Saturday’s $100,000 Phoenix Gold Cup at Turf Paradise didn’t plan on running into one of the country’s best sprinters, but that’s the hurdle in front of them. Idiot Proof, the runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, ships in from Southern California and will carry high weight of 125 pounds in the six-furlong fixture, which attracted a field of eight.

SAN MATEO, Calif. – Although Sea of Pleasure is nominated to the Triple Crown, trainer Gary Stute says his speedy colt is not really a candidate to go on the Derby trail.

“We’ve kinda changed our goals to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint,” he said, laughing.

Whatever the long-range future holds, Sea of Pleasure will be the headliner Saturday at Bay Meadows when six 3-year-olds compete in the $55,000 Sophomore Sprint at six furlongs.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita’s synthetic track survived its latest crisis on Wednesday and Thursday, after jockeys criticized the track for being too hard on Wednesday, requiring two renovation sessions, and approximately a quarter-inch of rain fell early Thursday.

Racing was briefly delayed after the fourth race on Wednesday when several jockeys said the course was too firm. The surface was harrowed to a greater depth, and it performed better in the final three main-track races, jockeys said. The track was harrowed again after dusk on Wednesday.

The 2008 inductions into the Ruidoso Downs Hall of Fame will be on June 28 and headline the first Ruidoso Rendezvous on June 27-29.

The Ruidoso Rendezvous will bring together people who have worked or competed at Ruidoso Downs for a weekend celebration.

This year's Hall inductees will be announced within the next month.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Had he stuck to his original plan, trainer Marty Wolfson probably would have been preparing his top 3-year-old prospect Golden Spikes for a trip to Tampa on Thursday for this weekend's Sam F. Davis Stakes. Instead, Wolfson spent early Thursday morning watching Golden Spikes breeze a half- mile in 48.86 seconds over a good track at Calder in preparation for Gulfstream Park's Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 24.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Woodbine will offer six Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" races at its 2008 meet, including four turf stakes on a Canadian International Day card that has been moved up to early October and will be televised by ESPN.

"The agreement we entered into with Breeders' Cup was for the whole program of six 'Win and You're In' races," said Steve Lym, Woodbine's racing secretary and director of racing. "The main concern was scheduling the Canadian International so that it leads into the Breeders' Cup, roughly three weeks out."

ARCADIA, Calif. – Racing at Santa Anita was set to resume on Thursday afternoon, after a tumultuous 24 hours in which the Cushion Track surface was criticized for being too hard, underwent two significant renovations during and after racing on Wednesday, and withstood approximately a quarter-inch of rain early Thursday.

Racing was briefly delayed on Wednesday after several jockeys said the course was too firm. The surface was harrowed deeper between races, and performed better in the final three main track races, jockeys said.