VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Stratoplan, a five-length winner of the 1 1/16-mile Burnaby Breeders' Cup June 28, figures to be a solid choice over five other 3-year-olds in Sunday's Jim Coleman Stakes at Hastings.
Also on Sunday's card is the Senate Appointee Stakes for fillies and mares. Grace for You is making her first start since winning the Grade 3 Ballerina Breeders' Cup last October.
Both races are worth $40,000 and are at 1 1/16 miles.
EDMONTON, Alberta - The question of whether A Shaky Start is for real should be answered in Sunday's $40,000 Northlands Oaks.
Owned by Gary and Janet Kropp and trainer Al Strumecki, A Shaky Start toppled the 3-5 favorite Raylene in the Chariot Chaser here June 29.
There will be a six-pound swing in the weights in favor of Raylene Sunday, however, and they will be going a mile instead of sprinting, with A Shaky Start having the outside post in a field of seven.
Ordinarily, horses moving up from a maiden win directly into a graded stakes can be safely eliminated. The fact that Kings Course is trained by Michael Dickinson, however, makes him an intriguing longshot to consider for Sunday's Grade 3, $250,000 Kent Breeders' Cup at Delaware Park
The 1 1/8-mile Kent is one of three stakes on the undercard of an 11-race program headed by the $750,000 Delaware Handicap.
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Todd Pletcher's stable is a busy operation that constantly shuttles horses to and from bases at Belmont Park, Saratoga, and Monmouth Park.
The fact that it works smoothly serves as a testimony to Pletcher and his staff.
"Todd is very sharp," said Anthony Sciametta Jr., who runs the Monmouth division. "The whole system runs well. Everything is done the way it should be. It helps because we have so many horses moving in and out. We're on top of everything and it shows in the record."
VALLEJO, Calif. - Two-year-old winners at this time of year are often a precocious lot, relying on speed, innate talent, and early development to win races.
Brite Roxie and Irish Ides, who will run in Sunday's $50,000-added Solano County Juvenile Filly Stakes, don't quite fit that picture. They meet eight rivals in the five-furlong stakes race for 2-year-old California-bred fillies.
"She's not flashy," trainer William E. Morey said of Brite Roxie.
AUBURN, Wash. - There will be a new player when the local fillies and mares belly up to the table for Sunday's $40,000 Boeing Handicap at 1 1/16 miles.
Secondary School, a winner of four of her six starts, all at Hastings Park, will make her Emerald Downs debut as the 119-pound highweight and may well be favored off her authoritative win in the 1 1/16-mile Sun Handicap on June 7. She came back to run fourth in the nine-furlong Brighouse Belles Handicap on June 29, however, and will be trying to rebound from that effort.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - What more can you say about Wando, who will be the prohibitive favorite to win the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes here Sunday?
Wando pretty much said it all himself at Woodbine on June 22 when he dominated his opposition in the 1 1/4-mile Queen's Plate, taking charge early and scoring by nine lengths over 11 rivals in the opening leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.
Trainer Mike Keogh doesn't have much to add concerning the colt's obviously excellent chances of adding the second leg of the Triple to his portfolio in the 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Wando can't lose.
That statement is not being endorsed here.
It's merely the echo of an opinion that is widely held heading into the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie Sunday.
Granted, Wando shouldn't lose, and will be bet accordingly.
But, it also may be worth remembering that this renewal of the Prince of Wales will mark the 11th anniversary of the biggest upset in the race's modern history, which back dates to 1988 when the fixture was switched from turf to dirt and the distance shortened to the current 1 3/16 miles.
FORT ERIE, Ontario - Two half-brothers from the powerful stable of Sam-Son Farm are expected to be major players on the Prince of Wales program Sunday.
Shoal Water gets second billing in the $500,000 Prince of Wales, while his older brother Puffer is the headliner in the 10-horse Benburb, one of two supporting stakes scheduled to be run at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
The $68,900 Benburb is for male runners, and the $65,300 Border Cup is for the females. Both are for Canadian-breds, 3 and up.