The Canterbury Park jockey colony slipped a ringer into last Saturday's annual 5K run that the track hosts during the city of Shakopee's Derby Days Festival. Jockey Jennifer Schmidt captured the women's division of the run and finished 20th overall, completing the run in 20 minutes, 42 seconds. The race begins in the Canterbury Park starting gate on the turf course, winds around the Canterbury Park grounds, and concludes at the track finish line, with Canterbury Park media relations director Jeff Maday describing the finish of the event on the track's public address system.

Saturday night's $200,000 Evangeline Mile at Evangeline Downs will bring together the region's best in the handicap division, led by 119-pound starting highweight Super Frolic. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Super Frolic will spot his nine foes from two to six pounds. The 7-year-old is coming off a second-place finish in the $125,000 Tiznow Breeders' Cup at Louisiana Downs last month.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - It will be all Funny Cide all the time Friday at Saratoga as the New York Racing Association hosts a no-holds-barred retirement party for the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner.

The connections of Funny Cide elected to retire the gelding following his victory in the Wadsworth Memorial Handicap at Finger Lakes on July 4. Funny Cide won 11 of 38 starts, earned $3,529,412 and was the champion 3-year-old of 2003.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Exchanging Fire, a dominant winner of consecutive overnight stakes, faces her biggest challenge Sunday in the Grade 3, $200,000 Monmouth Breeders' Cup Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at Monmouth Park.

Claimed by Kenwood Racing for $50,000 in March at Gulfstream, Exchanging Fire posted front-running victories here in the Without Feathers and Serena's Song stakes. The filly is in the best form of her career, as indicated by Beyer Speed Figures of 99 and 95 in those efforts.

Kenwood chairman Robb Levinsky believes Exchanging Fire is ready for her graded debut.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - It would have taken something like the late supplemental entry of John Henry into the Arlington Million for the importance of Wednesday's International Festival of Racing post position draw to equal the pomp surrounding the event, but the Beverly D. draw did hatch at least a little intrigue.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - A heavy rainstorm that pummeled Saratoga Race Course on Tuesday night and early Wednesday left the track sloppy for training on Wednesday morning. The inside of the main track was protected by orange cones, known as dogs, and most trainers opted to either gallop or even merely jog their runners. It was a dreary morning.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Apprentice jockey Rocco Bowen gave a flawless ride on Shacane to pull off a stunning upset in the $107,100 B.C. Cup Classic at Hastings on Monday.

According to Shacane's trainer, Shauna Ferguson, it really helped that Bowen spent a lot of time looking at races Shacane ran when he was the top 3-year-old at Hastings in 2002.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Graham Motion was sitting in the grandstand at Belmont Park watching the field come into the stretch of the Manhattan Handicap when a New York fan sitting behind him yelled out "Look at that Better Talk Now, he's finished!"

Moments later, Better Talk Now knifed his way through the field and got up to win the Grade 1 Manhattan by a head over English Channel. As Motion began his walk to the winner's circle, he turned to the fan and, in his low-key manner, said, "What did you say about Better Talk Now?"

BOSSIER CITY, La. - The complexion of turf racing has changed dramatically of late at Louisiana Downs, and Friday's trio of events on the grass should provide some interesting, and perhaps surprising, outcomes as a result.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - The Tin Man story sports a great narrative line. Seriously injured at 2, eased back to health by a wily veteran trainer. Top-class winner of four Grade 1 grass races, a victory in the 2006 Arlington Million at age 8. One problem here - The Tin Man doesn't seem capable of acting out that final shot where he rides off into the sunset.