ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Barring any unexpected defections or surprising additions, a field of 12 Canadian-bred 3-year-olds will start in next Sunday’s Queen’s Plate.

The majority of the participants are expected to work over the weekend, and one of the most-watched moves will come from Up With the Birds and His Race to Win, who are scheduled to breeze in company for trainer Malcolm Pierce.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The comeback that Dale Romans plans for the second half of 2013 just happens to coincide with the comeback of a filly named Moonwalk.

Romans, the Eclipse Award-winning trainer of 2012, has had a forgettable first half to this year but is optimistic that the ensuing months will be more productive. The end of the 38-day Churchill Downs spring meet Sunday might well be where it all starts when Moonwalk returns from an eight-month layoff in the $54,000 feature, a second-level allowance scheduled for a mile on turf.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – While Ken Ramsey savors his latest record-breaking feat as the dominant horse owner in Kentucky, his principal trainer, Mike Maker was involved in a battle for leading trainer honors as the Churchill Downs spring meet wound to a close.

Into the final three days of the meet, Maker held a tenuous 33-32 lead over Steve Asmussen. Both trainers were scheduled to be extremely active during the last two programs: Maker has entries in two races Saturday night and five on Sunday, while Asmussen is represented in sseven races Saturday night and three on Sunday.

FORT ERIE, Ontario – Brian Cheyne was on a roll last Sunday as he brought home five winners on the eight-race card at Fort Erie, including both halves of the daily double.

Cheyne, Bradley Wilson, and Melonie Pinto are all battling for top riding honors and have 11 wins each heading into Sunday’s card.

Wilson rode the winners of the first two races on both June 11 and June 16.

Former exercise rider wins first race

Apprentice Sheena Ryan rode her first winner of Fort Erie’s meet on Tuesday’s twilight card.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - On a day with one double-digit payoff among the winners, the pick six paid $3,997.20 at Betfair Hollywood Park on Thursday.

Interest in Thursday’s pick six was heightened by a carryover of $94,863 from last Sunday. Bettors added $658,615 to the pool on Thursday. There were 112 winning tickets. Consolation tickets with five winners were worth $67.

The winners of the pick six races, the third through eighth races, were Full’s Figurehead ($3.40), Cacau ($4.40), Rock This Way ($7.20), Woebegon ($10.20), Uno Dos Adios ($9), and Wise Boss ($5.40).

Busta Twist will be tested at two turns for the first time Saturday at Arapahoe Park, and he gets pedigree support for the 1 1/16-mile distance of the $35,000 Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders Association Derby. Busta Twist also is in sharp form, and as a result, he should start as a strong favorite in the five-horse field restricted to 3-year-olds bred in Colorado.

In the Fairway, who soared to a 95 Beyer Speed Figure while crushing open-company allowance foes two weeks ago, will be an overwhelming favorite when he returns to the West Virginia-bred ranks and shortens up to 4 1/2 furlongs in the $50,000 Coin Collector Stakes for 3-year-olds at Charles Town.

A three-time stakes winner as a 2-year-old last season, In the Fairway has won his last two starts, both going 6 1/2 furlongs, by a combined 15 lengths. His two most recent Beyers, 95 and 77, are far better than any recent number recorded by his four rivals in the Coin Collector.

Based on what Tequila Hero has done in his first three starts this season, collecting two wins and a second, he sure looks like a better horse going two turns than he did as a late-closing sprinter in 2012.

Despite his success going long, Tequila Hero will be asked to shorten up to six furlongs for Saturday’s $50,000 Ontario County Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-olds.

Female turf-sprint specialists Sensible Lady and Nisteltoe, who have collected six wins apiece over the past two seasons, will clash for the first time in Saturday’s $75,000 Buckland Stakes at Colonial Downs.

The 5 1/2-furlong Buckland drew a field of 12 fillies and mares, led by 124-pound co-highweight Sensible Lady, who won last year’s running by 1 1/4 lengths as the 8-5 favorite.

Take the 1-2-3-5-8 finishers from last month’s Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay, throw in three new players, and that’s your lineup for Saturday’s $200,000 New York Stakes for fillies and mares.

The Grade 2 New York, scheduled for 1 1/4 miles on the inner turf, is the eighth of 11 races and kicks off a $300,000-guaranteed late pick four. Post time is 4:45 p.m. Eastern.