SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A year ago this week, trainer Keith Desormeaux appeared to have plenty to look forward to with Texas Red, who had recently won his maiden at Del Mar. The colt went on to romp in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Upsets are in the blood for Smart Transition, who takes on Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the Travers Stakes on Saturday.

The colt is the first foal out of Zardana, who edged Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra by three-quarters of a length in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes, the champion’s first start of 2010. With Rachel Alexandra sent off at 1-20, Zardana rewarded her backers with a $21 payout that day as the third choice in a five-horse field.

Shogood, who earned an 80 Beyer Speed Figure going wire to wire in the Arlington-Washington Futurity last Saturday, came out of the race in good shape, trainer Scott Becker said, and will leave Arlington on Friday to train with Becker’s string at Fairmount Park, which, like Shogood, is owned by Bill Stiritz.

Becker said there were no set plans for Shogood, who has only started around one turn on Polytrack in a three-race career. Becker mentioned the Delta Jackpot as one long-term goal, but that race isn’t until late November, and Shogood could well surface before then.

Trainer Mike Stidham’s barn will be shipping a number of Arlington-based horses out for graded stakes races in the coming weeks.

Katie’s Eyes, one of the top female turf sprinters, could run Sunday in the $100,000 Smart N Fancy at Saratoga but also is being considered for the Turf Amazon on Sept. 7 at Parx Racing. Katie’s Eyes most recently finished second, beaten a neck, while facing males in the Grade 2 Highlander at Woodbine.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Arlington Million winner The Pizza Man will be supplemented to the Breeders’ Cup Turf at a cost of $100,000, co-owner and breeder Rich Papiese said on Wednesday, and to get to that $3 million race, The Pizza Man will go to Laurel Park.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Bob Baffert insists he doesn’t hate Saratoga.

The Hall of Fame trainer hasn’t raced much at the Spa in recent years, having started just a handful of horses the last few meets and electing to send his top assistant, Jimmy Barnes, here with those horses rather than make the cross-country trip himself. Baffert, 62, has cut down on his travel since suffering a heart attack in March 2012.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Corey Lanerie has left the Saratoga meet after a disappointing few weeks at the Spa to return to Kentucky, where on Saturday he is named on three mounts at Ellis Park.

Lanerie, the leading jockey at eight of the last nine meets at Churchill, went winless from 57 mounts at Saratoga and “decided it best to come back and regroup ahead of these big meets we’ve got coming up at Churchill and Kentucky Downs,” said Terry Miller, his longtime agent.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky Downs will begin its annual five-day meet a week from Saturday on Sept. 5, with purses and anticipation higher than ever.

“We’re getting calls from all over the place,” said Randy Wehrman, stakes coordinator at the Franklin, Ky., turf-only track. “They can’t believe the money being given away.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Three-time Kentucky Derby-winning rider Calvin Borel has hired retired jockey Larry Melancon as his new agent and will be back in the saddle at Churchill and Kentucky Downs after spending most of the last two months at his new residence in Florida.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Jockey Victor Espinoza is hitting the dance floor.

Espinoza will compete on the popular “Dancing with the Stars” television program on ABC this fall. The first episode is scheduled for Sept. 14. The full cast for the program is scheduled to be announced next week.