A chance to catch his breath may be all Reigning Court needed. The 4-year-old gelding, freshened a bit after a disappointing run in the slop at Fair Grounds on Christmas Eve, returns to head Saturday's $50,000 Budweiser Handicap at Sunland Park. The five-furlong event for 3-year-olds and up lured a field of eight.

The only other time Victorina visited Turf Paradise she put on a show. She invaded here for the Oct. 28 Ahwatukee Express and won in a romp, geared down. Other distaffers had to be pleased to see her return to her northern California base, but the 4-year-old filly returns – maybe even bigger and badder – for Saturday’s $45,000 Princess of Palms Handicap. The six-furlong event for fillies and mares, 4 years old and upward, lured a field seven.

NEW ORLEANS - The 800-pound gorilla stayed home, and nobody with a horse in the Fair Grounds Breeders' Cup Handicap is crying about it.

English Channel, one of the best turf horses in the country the last two years, had been expected to ship in from Florida to use the FG BC as a prep for a stakes race on the Dubai World Cup card, but he wasn't entered in the race.

"I mean, you never duck just one horse, and we were going to give it a try, but still," said Malcolm Pierce, who trains Devilment.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Nobiz Like Shobiz has resumed training following his very professional victory in last Saturday's Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and trainer Barclay Tagg couldn't be any more pleased at the way his horse came out of the race.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Wilko has had more surgeries than victories since he won the 2004 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Lone Star Park.

The 5-year-old returns from his latest setback, a severe case of colic last fall, to start in an optional claimer over a mile on turf at Santa Anita on Saturday.

For his ever-optimistic connections - owner Paul Reddam and trainer Craig Dollase - the comeback race is a chance for Wilko to break a 13-race losing streak dating back to the BC Juvenile and show that this winner of more than $2.4 million can be competitive at racing's highest level.

Very little has changed since last year on the Monmouth Park stakes schedule. Aside from the shift of one turf stakes from late August to the season's first stakes and a $50,000 purse boost to one of the track's 10 Grade 3 events, the 2007 schedule closely resembles the 2006 stakes package.

The $4.4 million stakes schedule released Thursday does not include any of the races that will be run during the special four-day Breeders' Cup mini-meet in late October or any overnight stakes.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla - Corinthian returned to the scene of his biggest disappointment to turn in the most impressive performance of his short career, drawing off to a convincing 9 1/2-length victory over the 2006 Belmont Stakes winner, Jazil, in Thursday's $48,000 co-feature at Gulfstream Park.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Trainer Ronny Werner may have picked an ideal time to send his stakes-winning filly Ermine to California.

The winner of the Grade 2 Falls City Handicap at Churchill Downs in her last start, in November, Ermine may go favored in Saturday's $250,000 Santa Maria Handicap for older fillies and mares at Santa Anita.

Harems Legacy, a $330,000 yearling purchase at the Los Alamitos Equine Sale, comes off a maiden victory to start in the fifth of six 350-yard trials to the Maiden Stakes at Los Alamitos on Saturday night.

The Maiden Stakes entrants are 3-year-olds who did not win their maiden by Dec. 1, 2006. The $135,000 finals will be held on March 3.

The long arm of the Todd Pletcher stable reaches to Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday, where the consistent sprinter Yes Yes Yes may be favored to win the $75,000 Super Stakes. Or he may not. There are plenty of ways to go in the seven-furlong Super, which drew a huge field of 14 that should challenge even the heartiest handicapper.