But, as we move towards summer, the pace of high quality racing hardly seems to be slipping into a lower and slower pace.

This weekend for instance—particularly on Saturday—we will see seven Graded stakes at four tracks, including four at Churchill Downs, most notably the Grade 1, $500,000 Stephen Foster Handicap.

The Foster, which has become the annual late spring anchor to the Churchill Downs’ spring meet, has attracted a very good 11 horse field of hard hitting performers. Among them are the 122 pound highweight GIANT OAK; the second highweight CROWN OF THORNS at 121 pounds and a trio assigned 118: MISSION IMPAZIBLE, DUKE OF MISCHIEF and APART. All six of the above named horses have won Graded stakes this year and the rest of the field weighted at 113 to 117 pounds respectively and have run well in high class company throughout their careers.

Frankly, this edition of the nine furlong Foster seems to be the strongest and deepest race or older horses at any distance beyond one mile at any track in America this year.

The race will be supported by a trio of Graded stakes—the Grade-3, $100,000 Jefferson Cup for 3 year olds at 1-1/16 miles on the turf, (weather permitting); the $125,000 Matt Winn for 3 year olds at 1-1/16 miles on the main track, and the Grade 3, $125,000 Regret Stakes for 3 year old fillies at 1-1/8 miles on the grass, again pending the weather in Louisville on Saturday.

BANNED, winner of the Grade-2 American Turf Stakes at Churchill May 6, is the probable Jefferson Cup favorite as the only Graded stakes winner in the eight horse field.