ARCADIA, Calif. – A late-season showdown between California’s top handicap horses of winter, spring, and summer is taking shape as one of the most appealing stakes of the Santa Anita fall meet that begins on Oct. 1.

Idol, Express Train, and Tripoli are all on target for the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes on Oct. 2. The $300,000 race is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race leading to the BC Classic on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

Earlier this month, trainer Peter Miller was at the San Diego airport, bound for the Keeneland sales, when a flight delay was announced.

The postponement went from a momentary hiccup to concern about a missed flight connection. Eventually, Miller abandoned the trip.

“It wasn’t meant to be,” he said recently. “I thought, I’m not going to Lexington. I’m going to going to rest and get ready for Santa Anita.

“I’m way more of a 2-year-old buyer than a yearling buyer, anyway.”

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Sir Winston, the 2019 Belmont Stakes winner, made a triumphant return to Woodbine when he won a conditioned allowance route on the main track off a one-year layoff with a 93 Beyer Speed Figure on Aug. 19.

Sir Winston is slated to make his next start here Oct. 10 in the Grade 3 Durham Cup, according to trainer Mark Casse, who bypassed the Grade 3 Seagram Cup here Sept. 11 with the son of Awesome Again.

“He’s good,” Casse said. “Coming off a year layoff, I didn’t want to rush him back.”

ELMONT, N.Y. – Malathaat, the leading 3-year-old filly in the country based on three Grade 1 stakes wins, returned to the work tab over the weekend as she stepped up preparations for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

Malathaat, working on the inside of Vacay, went a half-mile in 49.57 seconds over the Belmont Park training track. It was her first move since she won the Alabama on Aug. 21 at Saratoga.

“I thought she went great,” Pletcher said. “She just kind of went easy; she was happy to get back to work and we’ll continue on to the Distaff.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Carribean Caper will be putting her unbeaten record on the line as the favorite in the Dogwood Stakes, one of three $275,000 stakes here Saturday.

Trained by Al Stall Jr., Carribean Caper has won her four prior starts by a combined 18 lengths, including a one-length score over Magic Quest in her last race, the Aug. 15 Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park. Magic Quest was among the 3-year-old fillies expected to oppose her in the seven-furlong Dogwood. All entries for an 11-race Saturday card were to be drawn Wednesday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Trainer Anna Meah is hoping recent history repeats itself Thursday evening when Jungle Juice returns on just four days’ rest in the highlight of an eight-race twilight card.

At the end of the spring meet in June, Meah wheeled Jungle Juice back just five days after the 5-year-old Irish-bred mare finished sixth behind Bell’s the One and Sconsin in the Roxelana. She won that June 24 race at 11-1.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bret Calhoun confirmed early Monday that Hidden Connection will make her next start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 5 at Del Mar after the filly turned in the most dominant performance among five stakes run Saturday night at a raucous Churchill Downs.

ELMONT, N.Y. - First Captain, a winner of three of four starts including the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes, will miss the remainder of his 3-year-old season due to an ankle issue, trainer Shug McGaughey said Sunday.

First Captain was being pointed to Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby Stakes at Parx Racing.

McGaughey said that First Captain has “just a little bit of pressure in an ankle. Nothing that even really showed, but I was afraid if I did something with him that maybe it would show.”

Roman Centurian, second to Medina Spirit in the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita is January, is nearing a return to trainer Simon Callaghan’s stable after a lengthy rest through the spring and summer.

Owned by Don Alberto Stable and Qatar Racing, Roman Centurian has not raced since he finished a well-beaten fourth in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita in March.

Callaghan said over the weekend that Roman Centurian is scheduled to arrive at his stable in early October with the goal of running in two-turn stakes in 2022.

The five-time stakes winner Mucho Unusual is nearing a return to racing after a six-month layoff, but will not be ready for the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at Santa Anita on Oct. 2, a race she won in 2020.

Owned by George Krikorian and trained by Tim Yakteen, Mucho Unusual has shown a steady pattern of workouts in recent weeks, including six furlongs in 1:14.40 at Santa Anita on Saturday.

A race goal will be determined later this month, but Yakteen said in a text message on Sunday that Mucho Unusual “is a ways away” from a race.