Benefiting from a sizzling three-way pace battle, Cherokee Jewel circled widest into the stretch under leading rider Cornelio Velasquez and wore down second choice Sugar Swirl late to win the $82,500 Classy Mirage Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths Monday at Saratoga. It was another 2 3/4 lengths back to Rich Fantasy in third. Cuaba was used up dueling in between Sugar Swirl and Fast Deal through fast fractions of 21.79 and 44.59 seconds, and faded to fourth at 3-2.

DEL MAR, Calif. - For a guy who has had little action this summer, including electing to withdraw Tiago from the Pacific Classic, trainer John Shirreffs has had a productive Del Mar meeting. This past week, he won two stakes races, including Sunday's Del Mar Handicap with After Market and an overnight stakes race on Friday with Imagine.

Plaer's Trump continued her domination of the 3-year-old Nebraska-bred fillies in her division of the Columbus Breeders' Special Stakes at Columbus, and Bevys Best hung on for a three-quarter-length win in the colts and geldings division.

Plaer's Trump rallied from the back of the seven-horse field to score by 1 1/2 lengths in the $13,200 fillies division, with Armando Martinez aboard for trainer Herb Riecken. It was the fourth stakes win of the year for Plaer's Trump ($3.80). She covered the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:22.60 over a fast track.

Carrots Only collared the pace-setting Fagedaboudit Sal to post a neck victory in the $135,000 Charles Hesse Jersey Breeders' Handicap at Monmouth Park.

Ridden by Chris DeCarlo for trainer John Mazza, Carrots Only ($5.20) ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.53 on the fast track to capture the richest race of the day.

Favorites won the three stakes on the 10-race card devoted to New Jersey-breds.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Last Answer's mediocre early-season form had trainer Mike Keogh pondering retirement for the 7-year-old gelding, so he could become a hunt horse for owner Gus Schickedanz.

But Last Answer showed renewed vigor by finishing fourth behind victorious Sky Conqueror in the July 22 Northern Dancer Stakes. He took his game to another level last Sunday by upsetting Sky Conqueror, one of North America's leading grass runners, in the Grade 2 Nijinsky Stakes.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - The Bay Meadows stewards suspended jockey Russell Baze 15 calendar days and fined him $2,500 on Sunday for misuse of the whip while aboard Imperial Eyes in the first race on Thursday. Baze whipped the horse twice after he broke down near the wire.

The stewards - Darrel McHargue, Dennis Nevin, and Randy Winick - dismissed the other two charges that they had brought against Baze at a Saturday hearing: conduct detrimental to racing and animal cruelty.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - A nose separated trainer Patrick Biancone from a perfect weekend.

Biancone looked like he was going to win Sunday's Grade 1 Ballerina with Baroness Thatcher until the final jump when Maryfield nipped her at the wire. It was the second time this year Baroness Thatcher finished second in a Grade 1 race. In February, Rags to Riches beat Baroness Thatcher by three-quarters of a length in the Las Virgenes.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Trainer Greg Gilchrist made trips to the winner's circle the first three days of the Bay Meadows meeting - Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday - and the three runners he met there could make a habit of posing for pictures.

EDMONTON, Alberta - The cheering for local favorite Footprint began in earnest coming out of the final turn of Saturday's grueling 1 3/8-mile Canadian Derby at Northlands Park. Footprint, ridden by Real Simard, and California-invader Gandolf, with Jake Barton aboard, were locked in a head-and-head battle in the Grade 3, $300,000 race.

The Canadian Derby was not decided until the sixteenth pole, when Footprint ($4.80) repelled one last bid by Gandolf to post an immensely popular 1 1/4-length victory.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Dreaming of Anna wound up the champion 2-year-old filly in 2006, and along the way she made a stop at Colonial Downs, winning the Tippett Stakes on turf. So, there's no reason to scoff at the chances of T.J.'s Posse on Saturday in the Arlington-Washington Futurity, even though his most recent start came in Virginia at Colonial.