Throughout the spring, Colonel John was considered the leader of Southern California's 3-year-old division. But Tres Borrachos may have taken over that role by beating Colonel John in last month's Grade 2 Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park.

John Sadler, the leading trainer at Del Mar's summer meeting, had his barn raided by investigators of the California Horse Racing Board on Monday, a Del Mar official confirmed, and comments Tuesday by the board chairman led to speculation that authorities might have been searching for steroids.

The Breeders' Cup is two months away, but how much participation trainer Bruce Headley has in the event largely will be determined on Sunday, when he sends out Arson Squad, Magnificience, and Surf Cat in three stakes at Del Mar that all are part of the Breeders' Cup's Win and You're In program.

When Tin Cup Chalice tries for a $250,000 bonus in Wednesday's Albany Stakes at Saratoga, the third leg of the Big Apple Triple, he'll face the open-company stakes winners Big Truck and Icabad Crane.

Hyperbaric is nominated to the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on Sunday, but when trainer Julio Canani took a look at that prospective field, he opted for Wednesday's $80,000 Harry F. Brubaker for California-breds.

The trip Winchester got winning the Secretariat Stakes at Arlington was much cleaner than the one he had going home to Ireland. But after a two-day journey, Winchester arrived back at Rosewell House, trainer Dermot Weld's training yard in County Kildare, without incident, and Weld confirmed Tuesday that a return trip to the United States for the Breeders' Cup Turf is being planned.

Parker Buckley III, a former jockey who had worked as an exercise rider for trainer Steve Asmussen, died Tuesday morning at Albany Medical Center due to complications from a riding accident he was involved in Monday at Saratoga.