Here and There…

Ecton Park, preparing for a start in the 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic (gr. I), breezed five furlongs in 1:01 at Saratoga Saturday morning. The 1999 Jim Dandy (gr. II) and Super Derby (gr. I) winner is likely to face General Challenge and Early Pioneer -- and possibly Blazing Sword -- in the Pacific Classic, to be run run Aug. 26 at Del Mar...Jockey Pedro Rodriguez earned career victory 1,000 Saturday when he won the 11th race at Calder Race Course aboard 74-1 longshot Southern Lad. The Humberto Herrera trainee rallied from just off the pace for the win and returned $150.20. Rodriguez, 33, began his riding career in 1985 and was Calder's leading jockey in 1989. In 1997, he piloted Nancy's Glitter to an unprecedented sweep of the Florida Stallion Stakes, filly division...Overbrook Farm's homebred 3-year-old filly Surfside drilled four furlongs in :48 3/5 seconds, handily, over a muddy Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Friday. Of five works at the distance Friday, Surfside's was the quickest by two seconds...William L. Clifton Jr.'s Pleasant Breeze returned to the winner's circle for the first time since winning the Meadowlands Cup Handicap (gr. II) last October, winning a Saratoga allowance race by 4 3/4 lengths Friday. With Jorge Chavez in the irons, the H. James Bond trainee led at every call before stopping the timer in 1:48.25 after 1 1/8 miles raced over a fast track. Catienus, who finished a just beaten second in the 1999 Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II) after running third in the '99 Whitney Handicap (gr. I), finished second, a half-length ahead of Deputy Diamond...Barretts Equine Ltd. has announced that its Fall Yearling Sale catalog will include approximately 460 yearlings and will feature a selected session at 7:00 p.m. (Pacific) on Oct. 9. The open section of the yearling sale will be conducted Oct. 10, beginning at 11:00 a.m. In a similar development the Pomona, California company announced that its Fall Mixed Sale would also be expanded to a two-day format, with that auction being held on Oct. 30-31.