FLORENCE, Ky. - Every year, Turfway Park officials cross their fingers in the hope that a so-called big-name starter will lend credibility to its signature race, which, after years of name-changing, has settled into being called the Lane's End Stakes this year.

FLORENCE, Ky. - The 25-year remembrances begin Saturday for Steve Cauthen. As the last jockey to win the Triple Crown - on Affirmed in 1978 - Cauthen likely will be the toast of quite a few tributes this year.

Besides giving away Cauthen bobblehead dolls with the first 7,000 paid admissions Saturday, Turfway has planned a formal winner's circle ceremony during Saturday's Lane's End program to recognize Cauthen and the 25-year anniversary of the last Triple Crown.

FLORENCE, Ky. - Six months ago trainer Pat Byrne arrived at Turfway Park hoping that Private Gold would step forward as one of the better horses in his class.

But after Vindication, the eventual 2-year-old champion, drubbed Private Gold and a handful of others on a September afternoon in the Kentucky Cup Juvenile, Byrne decided it was time to set his sights a little lower. Since then, Private Gold has competed in less conspicuous races, doing okay while trying to knock out a decent living.

"He kind of didn't pan out, at least not yet," said Byrne.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Roar Emotion demonstrated enough talent last year to make one believe she could be a factor in the 3-year-old filly division this year. But that doesn't mean it's advisable to take a short price on her in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Cicada Stakes at Aqueduct.

At 2, Roar Emotion won her maiden by 10 1/2 lengths and overcame a six-week layoff to win the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes. Between those races, however, she was beaten as the 1-9 favorite in an entry-level allowance race, though her connections said she flipped her palate in that race.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer John McCaslin said he anticipates trying Run for Joy in graded stakes company at some point this year. Since an allowance race at Penn National didn't fill for Saturday, that time could be Sunday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Next Move Handicap at Aqueduct.

Run for Joy, a 7-year-old daughter of Geiger Counter, has won 10 of 15 starts for McCaslin and owner Eric Fral since they claimed her for $40,000 in January 2000. She has won her last four starts by open lengths, though three of them have come in allowance company at Penn National.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Most winners of the one-mile San Rafael Stakes each March are considered candidates for the Santa Anita Derby a month later.

Rojo Toro, winner of this year's San Rafael Stakes on March 1, is being campaigned with an opposite approach. Saturday, Rojo Toro will attempt to stretch his unbeaten streak to four in the $75,000 San Pedro Stakes over 6 1/2 furlongs.

Trained by Bob Baffert for Hal Earnhardt, Rojo Toro is not considered a Kentucky Derby candidate, but a sprinter who ran a game race to win the San Rafael

ALBANY, Calif. - Cappuchino and El Dorado Shooter head the field for Saturday's $60,000-added Danville Handicap at Golden Gate Fields.

El Dorado Shooter, who won this race in 2001, comes off a game victory in the Ken Maddy Sprint on Feb. 22, in which he survived a duel with Giovannetti and won. He drew the outside 6 post for Saturday's six-furlong race.

El Dorado Shooter's status was actually to be determined Friday by the results of a blood test.

TORONTO, Ontario - The $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, anchors a 21-race stakes schedule worth a record $2,015,000 at Fort Erie this year.

The Prince of Wales will be run Sunday, July 20, along with its usual supporting features, the Benburb and the Border Cup.

Three existing stakes, highlighted by the $125,000 Rainbow Connection, have been grouped together on the Saturday, July 19 program.

"We're going to have a Prince of Wales festival weekend," said Herb McGirr, director of racing for Fort Erie.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Mike Keogh has been down the Queen's Plate trail before, both in his days as an assistant to trainer Roger Attfield and as private trainer for owner-breeder Gustav Schickedanz.

Keogh trains Wando and Mobil, neither of whom has run a race yet this year. But Keogh has to be happy with his two top prospects for the $1 million Queen's Plate, a 1 1/4-mile race for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds that is just three months away.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Rick Hiles will send out San Dare as the odds-on favorite to win Sunday's $200,000 Orchid Handicap. But even a third straight graded stakes victory by the long-winded turf specialist won't erase the memories of last Saturday for Hiles, whose top 3-year-old prospect Midway Cat broke down during the running of the $1 million Florida Derby.