STICKNEY, Ill. - Imagine a world, you aspiring jockeys in the crowd, where you could ride like it was a match race. You've got one horse to beat, nothing else to worry about. That was the world of John Velazquez on Saturday afternoon at Hawthorne Race Course. Granted, there were four horses in the Grade 3, $250,000 National Jockey Club Handicap, but two were filler, and Velazquez, aboard favored Master Command, had only Sweetnorthernsaint as a concern.

"I was told to stay right next to the horse," said Velazquez,

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Slew's Tizzy became infamous this winter as the longshot who stumbled and lost his rider during the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, nearly derailing the Kentucky Derby hopes of Circular Quay, who was fortunate to avert injury when narrowly dodging the incident.

Slew's Tizzy became known for a far better reason Saturday, when 33,821, the largest crowd in the 71-year history of Keeneland, turned out to watch him go wire-to-wire when pulling a stunning 40-1 upset in the 26th running of the $325,000 Lexington Stakes.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - As he watched Carmandia trail the field through the first 5 1/2 furlongs of Saturday's Grade 2 Bed o' Roses Breeders' Cup Handicap, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. began to think the worst.

"I thought we were dead," Dutrow said.

OLDSMAR, Fla. - Zeeva, one of the few bright spots for trainer Ray Tamargo this winter, goes after her third straight win Tuesday when she tries allowance company for the first time. A field of seven older fillies and mares are slated to go to the post in the seven-furlong feature at Tampa Bay Downs.

Trainer Mark Shuman enjoyed a perfect day Saturday at Pimlico, going 3 for 3 with the stakes horses he entered in the Spring Racing Festival.

Shuman's sweep was highlighted by Xchanger's dominating performance in the featured $125,000 Federico Tesio for 3-year-olds.

Shuman also pulled off upsets with 6-1 Talent Search in the $77,800 Jim McKay Sprint and 8-1 My Girlie in the $88,000 Northview Stallion Station for Maryland-bred or Maryland Million-nominated fillies and mares.

Like Mom Like Sons ($2.60) proved a comfortable winner of the $125,400 Woodstock Stakes on Saturday at Woodbine, while threatening the six-furlong track record.

Like Mom Like Sons led throughout under Patrick Husbands, setting moderate fractions of 22.94 and 45.71 seconds, with True Resurgence tracking him.

Like Mom Like Sons opened up a clear lead early in the stretch, then held off a closing Dancer's Bajan to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths. Forbidden Bear finished another 3 1/2 lengths back in third in the six-horse field of 3-year-olds.

Pay the Man alternated in setting and pressing the pace with Magg's Choice the entire six furlongs of the $50,000 Angenora Stakes at Thistledown and won by a scant head. It was a half-length farther back to Casey's Jet in third.

Pay the Man is owned by Pyrite Stables, trained by Miguel Feliciano, and was ridden by Adam Ramgeet. Pay the Man was timed in 1:11.32 over a fast track and returned $15.60 to win.

AUBURN, Wash. - The Great Face equaled a North American dirt record on Friday’s opening day card of the Emerald Downs meet, speeding 5 1/2 furlongs in 1: 01.20 in the feature race, a $50,000 optional claiming affair for older horses.

Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., experienced a 17.3 percent decline in average daily handle on its live races during the 52-date meet that ended April 14, according to figures provided by the track.

The decline was attributable to a drop of almost 30 percent in average offtrack business from a 53-day meet in 2006, when Oaklawn benefited from the closing of Fair Grounds in New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina.

Meanwhile, handle on Oaklawn's races ontrack was up 25.1 percent.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The once-a-year novelty of steeplechase racing at Keeneland resulted in a thrilling finish Friday, with Mixed Up, trained by Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard, holding off longshot Good Night Shirt by a neck to win the Grade 1 Royal Chase for the Sport of Kings.

With Danielle Hodsdon riding for owner William Pape, Mixed Up took a narrow lead after the last of 13 jumps, then was all-out to turn back an inside surge by Good Night Shirt, ridden by William Dowling.