HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Lawyer Ron established himself as one of last year's top 3-year-olds with his win in the Grade 2, $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. Saturday, he returns to the track, where he is undefeated, for the Grade 2, $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap.

Mending Fences has stepped up his game considerably over the past few months, and on Saturday night is well spotted to win his first stakes in the Grade 3, $200,000 Connally Breeders' Cup Turf Handicap at Sam Houston Race Park.

He appears to be the controlling speed in the 1 1/8-mile turf race, and will break from the rail in a field of seven that includes Grade 3 winners Silver Tree, Embossed, and Fort Prado, who won this race in its first graded running in 2006.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Through the years, 4 1/2-furlong races for 2-year-olds at Keeneland have been the domain of a special few. Bwamazon Farm and trainer Tony Basile won baby races by the handfuls in the 1980s, and Overbrook Farm and trainer D. Wayne Lukas normally were the team to beat in those specialized events in the 1990s.

No one, however, has dominated 2-year-old races at Keeneland the way Steve Asmussen did a year ago. From 12 races at the 2006 spring meet, Asmussen sent out seven winners, a remarkable feat by any standard.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita will guarantee a pick six pool of $1 million on Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby program, and track officials are optimistic they can avoid a repeat of last month when the pool failed to reach seven figures.

On March 3, the day of the Santa Anita Handicap, the pick six pool took in only $925,725 in wagers. The track made up the difference.

At least Scheing E Jet doesn't have to face Silmaril again this weekend.

A 4-year-old filly trained by Eddie Gaudet, Scheing E Jet has had the misfortune of racing against nine-time stakes winner Silmaril in 3 of her last 4 starts.

Without Silmaril in the lineup, Gaudet has a good shot to win Laurel Park's Saturday feature for the second straight week, this time with Scheing E Jet in the $100,000 Primonetta Stakes at six furlongs. The Gaudet-trained 3-year-old filly Laila's Punch won the March 31 Smart Halo.

CHICAGO - Trainer Ken McPeek began this year thinking he might have a 3-year-old good enough to take him to the Kentucky Derby. He still might, but it is not the horse McPeek expected.

ARCADIA, Calif. - He hasn't taken up surfing, doesn't insert the word "like" into, like, every sentence. He has yet to take a lunch with Spielberg, or been on the Warner Bros. back lot. He hasn't had plastic surgery, has not had his hair dyed blond, and does not put sprouts on his tofu burger. Jockey Richard Migliore is still the New York boy he was his entire life until last November, when he moved west.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Abraham Katryan is back as part of the Kelynack Racing Stable picture here at Woodbine.

Katryan had trained for Kelynack in the first three years of the outfit's existence, but owner Glenn Harvey elected to take a different route last year, leaving Katryan with just a couple of horses owned in partnership.

The team seemed set to reunite on a positive note here last Saturday, when Quick in Deed led well into the stretch before faltering to finish third in the 5 1/2-furlong allowance prep for the Jacques Cartier Stakes.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Speed was the dominant running style during Woodbine's opening weekend. Early leaders and stalkers were victorious in nine of the 10 races on Saturday, and front-runners won all 10 events Sunday.

The cold weather in the forecast for Friday figures to help create a Polytrack surface that will have significant kickback. Speed should be dangerous again, which could give the edge to Northern Report in the opener on the nine-race card, a 6 1/2-furlong allowance for 3-year-olds.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Round Pond and Lawyer Ron are two of the most popular horses to race at Oaklawn Park, with six major stakes wins at the track between them. But when they make their homecoming in separate stakes here Saturday, it will be under new circumstances.