INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Chief Havoc proved impossible to catch in Thursday’s $150,000 Swaps Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park, even though some of his rivals took turns trying to soften the heavy favorite.

Chief Havoc ($2.80) ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.17, winning the first stakes of his eight-race career.

To do so, Chief Havoc rushed past Dice Flavor on the first turn to take the lead, repelled a brief challenge from the Grade 1 winner Java’s War entering the stretch, and easily held off Tiz a Minister in the final furlong.

The only time in her brief racing career that Shades of Sugar has lost came on a sloppy track, when she finished second on June 13. But she certainly didn’t mind the muddy surface she was asked to race on Thursday at Finger Lakes.

Sent to the front by jockey Gabriel Suarez, Shades of Sugar ($3.50) clicked off fractions of 21.55 and 45.03 seconds en route to a convincing 5 3/4-length victory in the $50,000 Niagara Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – While the Queen’s Plate is the highlight of Sunday’s card, there will be four other stakes run here that day. Heading the quartet is a pair of Grade 2 turf stakes, the six-furlong Highlander Stakes for 3-year-olds and up and the 1 1/8-mile Dance Smartly Stakes for fillies and mares three and up.

Trainer Reade Baker has entered four horses in the Highlander, including Nearctic prep winner Fatal Bullet, and Go Blue Or Go Home, the winner of the Karl Boyes Memorial at 5 1/2 furlongs on Presque Isle’s Tapeta surface in his most recent start.

Picko’s Pride, taking a distinct class drop following a runner-up finish in a Grade 3 stakes, reaffirmed his affinity for Delaware Park’s main track when he cruised to a 3 1/2-length victory as the favorite in Thursday’s $50,250 Hockessin, an overnight stakes for sprinters.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Alley Oop Oop gave his backers and connections a few anxious moments before ultimately grinding out a hard-fought head decision over even-money favorite Bad Debt in Thursday’s $108,000 Armed Forces Stakes.

Restricted to Florida-breds, the Armed Forces was the first stakes race of the 2013 Gulfstream Park summer meeting.

MIAMI – The collective sigh of relief heard when entries were drawn for Saturday’s Summit of Speed card came from the connections of the nine fillies in the Grade 3 Azalea Stakes, once they learned trainer Ralph Ziadie had opted to keep the leader of the local division, R Free Roll, against males in the Grade 3 Carry Back.

Running against colts and geldings is nothing new for R Free Roll, who dominated males by 6 3/4 lengths in the Unbridled Stakes on June 8. She also captured her first-level allowance condition against males at 2.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Todd Pletcher unleashed a pair of good-looking 2-year-olds this week at Belmont Park, with Yes Liz, a daughter of Yes It’s True, winning a five-furlong maiden race Wednesday by 3 3/4 lengths and All in Blue, a son of More Than Ready, winning a five-furlong maiden race by 6 1/4 lengths Thursday.

AUBURN, Wash. – After a pair of very sharp efforts in sprints, Rezar will try to stretch his speed around two turns Saturday in the feature race at Emerald Downs, a $17,500 claimer for older horses at one mile. It’s the eighth of nine races on a program that begins at 2 p.m. Pacific.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Trainer Craig Dollase is a nose away from having two Hollywood Gold Cup wins in this young century.

Dollase won the race in 2010 with Awesome Gem, who is now a stable pony, and missed narrowly when Sky Jack edged the Dollase-trained Momentum in 2002.

“The race has been good to us,” Dollase said.

The 42-year-old trainer has a chance for another Gold Cup win Saturday with the outsider Oilisblackgold.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Akkadian, a 5-year-old gelding who was ninth in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar last summer, died of a suspected heart attack after a workout here on Wednesday, trainer Julio Canani said on Thursday.

Canani said that Akkadian had just finished a workout when he was stricken.

“He crossed the wire, he started shaking, and he died,” Canani said. “The doctor said he had a heart attack.”

Owned by Gary Broad, Akkadian won 4 of 17 starts and $217,772. He was sixth in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita in March, his most recent race.