Comeback race at Churchill, Belmont’s return and Santa Anita Derby on tap this week.

As the nation continues its re-opening amid the coronavirus pandemic, few sports are gaining speed like horse racing.

With talks underway about how best to get fans back to the track, racing continues for now without them but with numerous ways to wager on the sport online in the meantime.

Belmont Park re-opened Wednesday, Churchill Downs kicks off its fourth straight weekend of racing Thursday, and Santa Anita Park hosts the crown jewel of the week with Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby, a prep race for the Kentucky Derby.

Some highlights in the coming days:

▪ Churchill Downs resumes racing with a nine-race card Thursday starting at 1 p.m. Guarana is the 3-5 morning-line favorite in the featured eighth race, an $85,000 allowance/optional claiming event for fillies. Guarana, making her first start this year, won the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park and the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga last year on the way to a runner-up finish to Covfefe in the Eclipse Award voting for 3-year-old fillies.

Saturday’s featured race at Churchill is the $100,000, Grade 3 Dogwood Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

▪ Saturday’s card at Belmont Park includes four graded races — the Grade 1, $250,000 Runhappy Carter Handicap, the Grade 2, $150,000 Fort Marcy, the Grade 3, $100,000 Westchester and the Grade 3, $100,000 Intercontinental.

▪ The $400,000, Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, originally scheduled for April 4 but postponed because of the pandemic, highlights a card populated with seven stakes races Saturday at Santa Anita Park, providing 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner. The Kentucky Derby has been moved from May 2 to Sept. 5 this year.

Bob Baffert’s undefeated San Felipe Stakes winner Authentic headlines the field. John Shirreffs-trained Honor A.P., who was second in the San Felipe, is back for another go at Authentic.