Louisiana is in the throes of a drought. Not one caused by a shortage of rain, there has been an ample supply of that in the region of late, but by the lack of any stakes action in the state.

From the running of the Rajin Cajun at Evangeline Downs on the evening of June 1 until that track’s signature event, Louisiana Legends Night on July 6, the state’s stakes calendar remains vacant.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Pyrite Mountain, trained by Mark Frostad, is among the higher-profile horses heading for the $1 million Queen’s Plate here July 7. But Frostad has another Queen’s Plate candidate in County Lineman, who is well under the radar approaching the 1 1/4-mile Queen’s Plate for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds.

County Lineman served notice in his two starts here at 2 when he closed ground late to finish second at six furlongs and then rallied to win at seven furlongs, with both races coming in Ontario-sired company.

MIAMI – Black Diamond Cat won the Major Moran overnight stakes with a 100 Beyer Speed Figure here back in August of 2011. It took him 19 more starts to win again, virtually duplicating that effort while snapping a nearly two-year losing streak and upsetting the Ponche Handicap earlier this month.

By virtue of his big effort in the Ponche, Black Diamond Cat earned himself a spot in the premier sprint race on the Calder calendar, the Grade 2 Smile Sprint Handicap, on July 6.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In defense of a promising filly named In Kelly’s Defense taking four tries to finally break through her maiden condition, “she was catching some pretty decent fillies all along,” trainer Mike Stidham said.

Tread and Sky Girl were among the next-out winners to keep In Kelly’s Defense in the maiden ranks before she notched that first win June 2 at Churchill Downs. Now comes her first crack at allowances, and Stidham is optimistic the filly can handle the raise in class.

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Preakness Stakes runner-up Itsmyluckyday will be sidelined for four months with a slight fracture in his pelvic area.

The colt sustained the injury Sunday at Monmouth Park in the Grade 3 Pegasus Stakes for 3-year-olds. After moving into position to challenge odds-on favorite Verrazano down the backstretch, Itsmyluckyday took a bad step, and jockey Mike Smith quickly pulled him up.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – Danny Keene is building a racing stable to reckon with at tracks in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, and on Thursday night he will attempt to widen his lead in the Lone Star Park owner standings in the second race, with Blessed Moon. Keene will also be active earlier in the day at Louisiana Downs, running in the first race with Joyful Angel.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Include Me Out, the multiple Grade 1 winner who won her 2013 debut in Sunday’s Desert Stormer Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park, may not race again until the $300,000 Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 3, trainer Ron Ellis said.

The winner of the Grade 1 Hirsch Stakes in 2012, Include Me Out was third in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic at Santa Anita last November. Getting to the same race this year on Nov. 1 is a goal for Ellis and owner Samantha Siegel.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Strong Wind won the Graduation Stakes for 2-year-old California-bred sprinters at Del Mar last summer.

Getting back to that race meeting has been a goal for Strong Wind’s owners and new trainer Mark Glatt, who took over care of the colt earlier this year.

Strong Wind makes his 3-year-old debut in a $54,000 allowance race over six furlongs at Betfair Hollywood Park on Thursday. From Glatt’s perspective, the allowance race would be an ideal comeback race – if Strong Wind had not drawn the inside post in a field of six.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Sometimes you eat the chalk, and sometimes the chalk eats you.

For Churchill Downs horseplayers, that’s been the case for much of the spring meet in regard to Ken and Sarah Ramsey and their primary trainer, Mike Maker. From the very start of the 38-day meet, they’ve run big favorites down the throats of the opposition, starting a parade of short-priced winners with Horned Frog in the April 27 opener all the way through Saturday night with Kitten’s Dumplings in the Regret Stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Spooky Kitten debuted and won for a $15,000 claiming tag on Polytrack at Turfway Park, ran second in the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, and was the favorite against Marketing Mix in a $250,000 Canadian-bred stakes going 1 1/4 miles on turf.

Of course, that was two years ago. Spooky Kitten’s prowess lay somewhere in the middle, and she looks to be a nice fit in a $55,000 starter optional-claiming race, one of several interesting betting races on Thursday’s nine-race card at Belmont Park.