LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When Minister's Bid makes his return to Saratoga this summer, horseplayers surely will take a close look at how he fares Sunday at Churchill Downs before deciding whether the colt has progressed from last year, when he raced in both the Jim Dandy and Travers.

FORT ERIE, Ontario - Trainer Austin Hinds has entered four runners for Sunday's card here at Fort Erie.

For 35 years, Hinds was in the car business in his hometown of Toronto. He had a car lot and also sold vehicles wholesale.

Hinds, 62, a racegoer throughout his life, had always a strong desire to become a horse trainer. But with a growing family, he wouldn't take the risk.

Five years ago, Hinds became a trainer. He had become an owner in 1985 and competed at Woodbine.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Rahys' Appeal embarked on an ambitious program this year that included a trip to California, where she placed in a pair of graded stakes.

The 5-year-old New York-bred mare looks for her first victory in four starts this season Saturday in the Grade 3, $150,000 Eatontown Stakes for fillies and mares on the turf at Monmouth Park.

This could be her time to shine after a pair of Grade 1 races and two Grade 2 stakes.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Bear Now and Seductively, the last two winners of the Grade 3 Selene Stakes, will lock horns Saturday at Woodbine in the $100,000 Hill 'n' Dale Stakes.

The owners of the first three finishers in the 1 1/16-mile stakes will receive a 2008 season to one of three Hill 'n' Dale Kentucky stallions - El Corredor, Roman Ruler, and Grand Reward.

After launching her career with a pair of dominant performances in ultra-short sprints, Ghost Canyon will attempt to stretch her speed to seven furlongs in the $50,000 Lady Charles Town for 3-year-old fillies.

Ghost Canyon, owned and trained by John McKee, easily defeated maidens and first-level allowance runners, but has yet to prove she can run farther than 4 1/2 furlongs.

Snow Way also stretches out from 4 1/2 furlongs following a win in the Country Road nearly a month ago, but she won going seven furlongs two starts back.

After crushing first-level allowance rivals and fellow Pennsylvania-breds in her last two starts by a combined margin of 23 1/4 lengths, Cantrel will get tested by far tougher competition Saturday at Philadelphia Park.

The 3-year-old Cantrel will face three fillies who have been in the money against Grade 2 and Grade 3 stakes runners when she moves into open company for the $100,000 Jostle at 6 1/2 furlongs.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Cobrador and It's a Danzig shipped in together from Arlington for the June 3 Plate Trial at Woodbine and returned to their home base the following morning.

But Cobrador, who finished fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial, will be traveling solo when he returns for the $1 million Queen's Plate, a 1 1/4-mile race for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds here June 24.

It's a Danzig, who was a well-beaten seventh in the Trial, will stay home for now and concentrate on turf racing.

ELMONT, N.Y. - After a long campaign left their filly spent by the time fall arrived, the connections of Take D' Tour are taking a different approach to their mare's 2007 campaign.

In other words, they hope less means more.

When Take D' Tour seeks a repeat in Saturday's Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park it will be just her third start of 2007, and first since finishing second in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom on April 7. When she won this race last year, Take D' Tour was making her fifth start of the year.

Evangeline Downs in Lafayette, La., will host a jockey competition next month to recognize the region's deep-rooted heritage of producing top riders.

Scheduled for July 12, the Cajun Jockey Challenge will be a four-race series made up of two sprints and two route races and will be based on a points system.

"We have already gotten commitments from Calvin Borel, Robby Albarado, Mark Guidry, Corey Lanerie, and Bryan Hernandez Jr.," said Evangeline's racing secretary, Jason Boulet.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Del Mar has received more than 4,000 applications for the 2,000 available stalls for its upcoming summer meeting, according to director of racing Tom Robbins.

The strong response is the latest indication of interest in Del Mar’s program, which offers the highest purses in California, and of the track’s meeting from July 18 to Sept. 5, which will be the first run on a synthetic track, Polytrack.