SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It’s not a comeback. It’s a cameo.

David Flores, who won 3,609 races as a jockey in a career that began in 1984, will ride his first horse in a year Sunday when he climbs aboard John’s Protege in the first race at Saratoga. John’s Protege is trained by Wesley Ward, for whom Flores has been exercising horses on and off for several years, including the last two meets at Saratoga.

“I can’t help myself,” Flores, 53, said between sets Friday morning at Saratoga. “I’ve been working all these horses, I see them win, where’s mine?”

Umberto Rispoli was given a four-day suspension by Del Mar stewards on Thursday for his ride on Sword Zorro in the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap on Aug. 8, a decision the jockey intends to appeal, according to his agent, Scotty McClellan.

Sword Zorro was disqualified from first to third for causing interference in the final furlong. Rispoli was suspended from Thursday through Aug. 22. The penalty would not prevent Rispoli from riding the seven graded stakes at Del Mar from Aug. 21-23 because they are designated races and are exempt from routine suspension.

Soaring Sky was scheduled to arrive at Del Mar from Ireland this weekend for a start in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 21, new trainer John Sadler said.

Soaring Sky, owned by Yuesheng Zhang, will make his last start for trainer Jessica Harrington in the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks at 1 1/8 miles on turf. Soaring Sky has not started in a group stakes in Europe, but should have no trouble with the distance of the Del Mar Oaks.

In his stakes debut, Tripoli rallied wide to finish a half-length behind winner Express Train in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap on July 17 at Del Mar. The narrow second-place finish has led owners Pete and Kosta Hronis and trainer John Sadler to plan a start for Tripoli in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on Aug. 21.

The $1 million Pacific Classic is a race they are quite familiar with. Hronis and Sadler won the Pacific Classic in 2018 with Accelerate and the following year with Higher Power.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – It has been tough sledding the past couple of years at Hastings, which is operated by Great Canadian Gaming Corp.

A large portion of the purse money in British Columbia comes from slots at Hastings and Elements Casino, the Standardbred track also operated by Great Canadian. When COVID-19 hit, both casinos were shut down, and it wasn’t until recently that they reopened.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The 162nd running of the $1 million Queen’s Plate is just one week away on Aug. 22, and a large field is expected for the first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, even with Weyburn skipping the race for other opportunities in the United States.

Heading into the final weekend of works for the contenders, a full gate of 17 horses is possible for the Queen’s Plate. If more than 17 horses enter the Queen’s Plate, horses with the highest career earnings will be given preference.

While it did not quite match the two feats for which he is most famous, Michael Dickinson had a perfect day Tuesday at Colonial Downs.

Second-time starter Search for Truth, a 3-year-old gelding by Tourist out of Kinley, won a 1 1/8-mile turf maiden race by 13 1/2 lengths. Later on the card, 3-year-old filly Belle Belisa, making her career debut, rallied with a purpose to win a 1 1/8-mile turf maiden race of her own, getting up by one length.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- There will be a pick six carryover of $132,105 into Friday’s Saratoga card after no one correctly selected all six winners in Thursday’s sequence.

However, there four winning tickets sold on the late pick five, each returning $161,870 for 50 cents.

The pick six began with favorite Key Point ($6.80) winning race 5. But the next four winners were Dufresne ($24.80), Take It Off ($79), Letmeno ($10.20), and Itsakeyper ($36.40). The only winning favorite in the sequence came in the 10th, when Amano ($7.90) ran down Abaan.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Masqueparade, the Grade 3 Ohio Derby winner who finished third in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy here July 31, returned to the work tab Thursday morning as he prepares for a likely start in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers on Aug. 28.

Masqueparade worked a half-mile in 47.55 seconds over the Saratoga main track. He went in company with the filly Sum Kinda Pretty.

Trainer Al Stall stopped short of committing Masqueparade to the Travers, but worked him Thursday with that race in mind.

This is by far the quietest week of the Del Mar summer season, with no graded stakes. The richest race of the weekend is Sunday’s $150,000 Solana Beach Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Next week is another matter, with seven graded stakes from Friday through Sunday. The Aug. 21 program has five graded stakes, led by the $1 million Pacific Classic, the richest race of the summer season.