FLORENCE, Ky. - Horseplayers will be able to pick and choose among quality and quantity when the five-race, $825,000 Kentucky Cup series is run for the 13th time Saturday at Turfway Park.

While just seven older horses were entered in the Kentucky Cup anchor race, the $350,000 Classic, capacity fields of 12 or more were entered in the other four races. Thirteen were entered in the $175,000 Turfway Breeders' Cup, 12 in the $100,000 Kentucky Cup Sprint, 14 in the $100,000 Kentucky Cup Juvenile, and 13 in the $100,000 Kentucky Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Sander Camillo, the favorite for next year's 1000 Guineas, looks to have excellent claims in Friday's Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket, England. Emphatic winner in July of the Group 2 Cherry Hinton at Friday's six-furlong distance, she looks to have the talent to justify the hype surrounding her, and her trainer, Jeremy Noseda, continues in superb form.

The expected good to soft ground could be slight concern for Sander Camillo, a Dixie Union filly, but as long as it does not become too testing, she should not be unduly troubled.

As detours go, the one taken by Wait a While this year was fairly productive, with a pair of stakes wins and placings in two of the biggest races of the year for 3-year-old fillies, the Kentucky Oaks and Ashland Stakes. Yet as good as she was in those races, she has been without peer among her age group when running on turf.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Thursday's Woodbine card doesn't have any marquee events, but the nine-race program is filled with beautifully bred maidens who possess some potential.

Klissura is the one to beat in the opener, a six-furlong maiden special for fillies and mares on the Polytrack. She debuted in a five-furlong allowance on the inner dirt track Aug. 26, and wound up fifth after breaking a bit slowly. The third-place finisher, Precocious Penny, returned to prevail in first-level allowance.

BOSSIER CITY, La. - Strong Contender ran perhaps the best race of his career last Saturday in the Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs, giving his connections a reason to consider a start in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4.

And that is what they are doing right now, thinking about it, John Ward Jr., who trains Strong Contender for John Oxley, said Tuesday.

AUBURN, Wash. - Nobody can accuse trainer Frank Lucarelli and rider Ricky Frazier of lacking a killer instinct.

It was only a couple of weeks ago that Lucarelli poked his nose in front in the race for leading trainer, and Frazier entered last week's racing in third place in the jockey standings, four wins behind the defending champ, Kevin Krigger. Fans were looking forward to spirited races down to the wire in both categories, but Lucarelli and Frazier doused the suspense in short order.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Patrick Valenzuela was tentatively cleared to resume riding Thursday at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting after several weeks of discussions between his advisers and California Horse Racing Board officials concerning the rider's two-month absence earlier this year.

AUBURN, Wash. - Emerald Downs will launch the final week of racing at its 90-day stand on Thursday with an eight-race card headed by a competitive six-furlong sprint for older $20,000 claimers.

Der Ali did not gain any respect when he won the minor Quicken Tree Stakes for California-breds at Hollywood Park in June. When he made his next start in an optional claimer against open company at Del Mar in August, Der Ali was sent off at 35-1 and finished ninth.

Der Ali is back with California-breds for Thursday's seventh race at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting, a $44,000 optional claimer at 1 1/8 miles on turf. This time, trainer Jack Van Berg insists that Der Ali is ready to run as well as he did in the Quicken Tree.

Since the Kentucky Cup was inaugurated in 1994, there probably are very few instances of a horse coming off a Grade 1 victory making its next start in the Turfway Park series.

But that's what will happen Saturday, when Premium Tap, coming off a 31-1 upset in the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes, starts in the Kentucky Cup signature event, the Grade 2, $350,000 KC Classic.