SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Jorge Abreu, who won three races last Friday and the $120,000 Galway Stakes on Sunday, hopes to keep the good times rolling when he sends out Runaway Rumour in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Lake Placid Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Runaway Rumour, a New York-bred daughter of Flintshire, won her first three starts including the Wild Applause Stakes, before finishing fourth behind Technical Analysis in the Grade 3 Lake George.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Rob Atras isn’t necessarily looking for validation when he runs Coaching Club Oaks upset winner Maracuja in Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga.

“You always want to win, but you never expect to win,” Atras said Wednesday. “If she can duplicate the effort and produce the same result great, if she runs a really great race and runs second, I’m still going to be happy and proud of her.”

Jess Savin Candy could be in position to make Quarter Horse racing history next month, but the first step comes Saturday at Ruidoso Downs.

Jess Savin Candy goes in trials for the $3 million All American Futurity. If he qualifies, he will advance to the Sept. 6 classic with a chance to become only the second horse to sweep the sport’s Triple Crown. Special Effort swept the series in 1981.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’m trying to have as much fun with it as I can,” said John Stinebaugh, who will saddle Jess Savin Candy for Dutch Masters III.

Louisiana Downs will have a mandatory payout on its pick five on Saturday’s card, which includes the Louisiana Cup stakes. There will be a carryover of $349,763 in the pick five. The 50-cent bet will run on races 3-7.

Louisiana Downs received approval for the mandatory payout from the Louisiana Racing Commission.

“We approached the racing commission last week when the pick five carryover began to grow,” David Heitzmann, director of racing for Louisiana Downs, said in a press release.

Jockey Alfredo Juarez Jr. sustained a foot fracture in a gate accident last week at Canterbury and is expected to be sidelined for about four to six weeks, said his agent, Mike Kelley. Juarez did not need surgery.

Kelley looks for Juarez to return during the Zia Park meet. Juarez has long been one of the top riders in New Mexico.

Juarez’s wife, Lisa, said her husband has returned home to New Mexico and is wearing a boot on the injury site. They were to see doctors Wednesday.

Kenai Bob, a stakes winner in the best form of his career, will be based at the Remington Park meet, which opens Friday night, according to his trainer, Francisco Bravo.

Kenai Bob won the $75,000 Assault Stakes over fellow Texas-breds Mr Money Bags and Sunlit Song in his last start July 10 at Lone Star Park, and before that won an open-company allowance at the track over multiple stakes winner Hunka Burning Love.

Santa Anita has increased overnight purses by approximately 10 percent for its upcoming autumn meeting, the third time in the last year the track has increased prize money.

Last November, the track raised purses for the 2020-21 winter-spring meeting. Earlier this month, Santa Anita announced a purse increase for the 2021-22 winter-spring meeting.

Idol, winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March, isn’t running in Saturday’s Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar, but could return to racing this fall.

Idol has not raced since the Big Cap, but did have his first workout since early April last Saturday, going three furlongs in 38.60 seconds at the San Luis Rey Downs training center in San Diego County.

The clearest indication of Joe Bravo’s plans for the rest of the year did not come on the racetrack at Del Mar. It came when Bravo went to Los Angeles last week to secure housing near Santa Anita.

“I got lucky and found a great spot,” he said.

Bravo, who relocated from his longtime summer base in New Jersey to Southern California in June, was fifth in the jockey standings at the Del Mar meeting through Sunday. Bravo had 11 wins, putting him 15 behind leader Flavien Prat.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Grade 3 Marine Stakes runner-up Keep Grinding is the tepid 4-1 favorite for the 162nd running of Sunday’s $1 million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine, North America’s oldest annually run stakes.

Keep Grinding is owned by 17-year-old Joshua Attard and trained by his grandfather Tino. They picked post 8 during the two-tiered draw on Wednesday. Rafael Hernandez has the mount.

“He always tries,” Joshua Attard said. “He never gives up.”