Friday night's Evangeline Downs feature, an optional claiming sprint, should prove to be an excellent warm-up act for Saturday's $50,000 Need for Speed Stakes. Witt Ante, a stakes veteran and winner of more than $607,000 in his 45-race career, runs in the 6 1/2-furlong Friday feaature and will take on six foes, including recent stakes winner Elite Etbauer. Elite Etbauer was the surprise winner of the Rainbow Stakes for Arkansas-breds on April 1 for trainer Steve Wren. Marlon St. Julien will handle the riding chores.

The Canterbury Park meeting is only 11 days old, but it already appears that this might be the most active claiming meet in the track's history. Twenty-two horses have been claimed, including 10 over the last weekend.

The Jer-Mar Stable of Jerry and Marlene Myers accounted for four claims over the weekend. Trainer Mac Robertson claimed two for Jer-Mac on Friday when he picked up Susan's Song for $10,000 out of a win in the second race, then claimed Keep It for $15,000 in the fourth.

It was a Memorial Day weekend that trainer Kelly Von Hemel won't soon forget. Not only did he sweep both Iowa-bred stakes races at Prairie Meadows, with Irish Party taking the Bob Bryant and Crimson King Cat winning the Gray's Lake, but Von Hemel got his first graded stakes win when Miss Macy Sue captured the Grade 3, $110,000 Winning Colors at Churchill Downs.

CHICAGO - Before Dreaming of Anna actually launched what so far has been a disappointing 2007 campaign, her connections mentioned the Breeders' Cup Mile as a potential ultimate goal for the season. Who knows if Dreaming of Anna will turn out to be good enough for a spot that ambitious, but beginning Saturday at Arlington, last year's champion 2-year-old filly is back on the turf.

The purse for the Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park has been boosted to $300,000 for its 2007 running on Oct. 21.

The 1 1/8-mile race will be the richest of 30 stakes worth more than $2.1 million during the upcoming 69-date meet at Remington. The season opens Aug. 2 and runs through Dec. 1.

BOSSIER CITY, La. - It took a while, but the ultra-talented Don's Boy finally made his long awaited first start against winners in last Saturday's first-level allowance feature. The result was not as one-sided as his 16-plus length margin of victory and 94 Beyer Speed Figure from his debut at Retama last fall, but it was impressive enough.

Don's Boy, a 3-year-old son of Marked Tree, won by 2 1/4 lengths after stalking the pace under Cody Meche. The final time for the 6 1/2 furlongs was a rapid 1:16.18 and earned Don's Boy a 90 Beyer.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Sweetnorthernsaint, who finished second by a neck to Bob and John in the Grade 3, $400,000 Lone Star Park Handicap here Monday, might try a whole new frontier for his next start, according to his trainer, Michael Trombetta.

"Sooner or later, we're going to have to take the leap and try him on Polytrack and see how he handles it," he said.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Stradivinsky, who scorched his opposition in his seasonal bow in the six-furlong Jacques Cartier here April 14, will be the center of attention when he returns to action in Friday's feature at Woodbine.

Stradivinsky's stage will be the $79,900 allowance prep for the Grade 3, $200,000 Highlander here June 24, Queen's Plate Day.

"He's been breezing very well since the Jacques Cartier," said Malcolm Pierce, who trains the Florida-bred Stradivinsky. "And, he's had plenty of time - that was by design.

AUBURN, Wash. - Westsideclyde couldn't have made a more dramatic entrance into the handicap ranks at Emerald Downs. Matched against divisional kingpins Starbird Road and Flamethrowintexan in Monday's $45,000 FSN Handicap, Westsideclyde dogged the pace of The Great Face through a blistering half-mile in 43.40 seconds, took command at the top of the stretch, and drew away under rider Ricky Frazier to win by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:13.40, the second-fastest clocking for 6 1/2 furlongs in track history.

Trainer Andrew Leggio Jr. has come up with a fast filly or two over the years. In recent times, he has trained standouts Happy Ticket, a Grade 1 winner of $1.6 million who retired last year, and Sarah Lane's Oates, a 15-time stakes winner who earned $888,296.