MIAMI - The Florida Stallion Stakes, which has headlined the Calder stakes schedule for the last 24 years, kicks off Saturday with the $75,000 Dr. Fager and Desert Vixen divisions at six furlongs. The six-race Stallion series also includes the $125,000 Affirmed and Susan's Girl stakes and the $400,000 In Reality and My Dear Girl stakes. The In Reality and My Dear Girl highlight the track's showcase event, the Festival of the Sun, on Oct. 15.

The three most likely winners of the $55,000 Polly's Jet for 3-year-old fillies going a mile at Delaware Park on Saturday - Redaspen, All Platinum, and Ebony Star - all come with a question mark.

Redaspen is a budding cash cow, with a record of 3 wins, 3 seconds, and 3 thirds in 9 starts, for earnings of $93,303. She also is ridden by high-percentage jockey Victor Molina. Redaspen, though, is stepping up from Pennsylvania statebred races in her last three starts to open company here, a significant leap.

BOSSIER CITY, La. - Recent stakes winners Paltu and Premier Dance top a field of eight 2-year-olds in Saturday's $50,000 Minstrel Stakes at Louisiana Downs.

Paltu, from the always powerful Steve Asmussen stable, and Premier Dance, trained by Cody Autrey, both won stakes last month at Lone Star Park. Unlike the other six juveniles in the six-furlong Minstrel, however, Paltu and Premier Dance have never raced at Louisiana Downs.

If Learning is the colt his trainer thought he was 1 1/2 months ago, he should have little troubling handling six opponents at Pimlico in the $50,000 Humphrey S. Finney Stakes for Maryland-bred 3-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles on the turf.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Feu Express, second in the British Columbia Cup Nursery Stakes Aug. 1, figures to be a slight favorite over Regal Request, third in the Nursery, in the eighth race at Hastings Saturday. The $50,000 optional race at 6 1/2 furlongs drew six horses.

Feu Express and Regal Request were separated by a neck in the B.C. Cup Nursery. There are two schools of thought regarding their performances.

EDMONTON, Alberta - Speedy Gone Sally will attempt to break out of an attack of "seconditis" that has plagued her in three successive stakes when she faces five opponents in Saturday's $100,000 Alberta Centennial at Northlands Park.

The Alberta Centennial, formerly called the Sonoma, was renamed to honor the province's 100th anniversary celebrations and will revert back to its former name for its 2006 running.

AUBURN, Wash. - Random Memo drops out of the stakes ranks to take on seven challengers in Saturday's Emerald Downs feature, a mile test for older horses who have started for a claiming tag of $25,000 or less.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The brilliant Lemon Maid returns from a freshening in Saturday's Grade 3, $162,150 Duchess Stakes at Woodbine.

The Duchess has also lured Hatpin, who figures to provide some speed in the seven-furlong test for 3-year-old fillies.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - No Dilettante certainly was serious enough in his debut, trouncing Ontario-sired maidens by five lengths.

Now Bev Buck, who is the owner, trainer, and breeder of the 2-year-old colt, will be looking to move to the next level when she saddles No Dilettante for Sunday's $159,900 Vandal Stakes.

"I can't wait. I'm like a kid at Christmas," said Buck, who was one of the first in line when entries for the Vandal were taken Thursday morning.

FORT ERIE, Ontario - It appears that Nick Gonzalez has become the go-to guy when the Stronach Stable runs at Fort Erie.

Gonzalez, the Fort's leading trainer, got an infusion of six runners from the Stronach operation in late June. Previously, either Justin Nixon or Sean Smullen were named trainer for the Stronach runners here.

On Tuesday, with the filly Sundown Delight making her second lifetime start, Gonzalez got his eighth winner for the high-profile Stronach outfit. Gonzalez now has 24 winners, six more than second-place Lyle Morden.