Frank D'Ambra, a 47-year-old salesman and aspiring writer/filmmaker from Bronx, N.Y., won first prize of $25,300 for his victory in the to be held in January 2002 in Las Vegas.

Phoenix - You have to add a good dose of wishful thinking to your handicapping if you're going to come up with a scenario that defeats heavy favorite Congaree in Sunday's Grade 1 Swaps at Hollywood. But heck, it's that type of thinking that can sometimes lead to the $20 payoff or more.

It took creating thinking to come up with Dare and Go beating Cigar in the Pacific Classic a few years ago, or Wagon Limit beating Gentlemen and Skip Away a couple of falls ago. I'm not saying Congaree is Cigar, but he does tower over the Swaps scene.

If you like sprint stakes, Saturday is the day for you thanks to Calder's annual Summit Of Speed card which features five stakes, ranging in distance from two to five furlongs, worth a total of $1.05 million.

The Summit Of Speed is hardly alone on the stakes calendar this weekend. Colonial Downs will host two graded stakes on Saturday, and Hollywood Park will also host the $500,000 Swaps on Sunday afternoon.

ELMONT, N.Y. - If someone writes a book about turf sprints they are guaranteed at least one sale, because I'm absolutely clueless when it comes to doping out these races. Put me down for an advance order.

Such ignorance, coupled with the fact that Saturday's five-furlong Calder Turf Sprint Handicap looks wide open, means I may be forced to go "all" to start off my Summit of Speed pick fours.

COLUMBIA, Md. - More and more often these days you hear trainers talking speed figures. Take Michael Dickinson. After his brilliant 3-year-old filly Fleet Renee won big in the Ashland at Keeneland, he worried publicly about whether she would "bounce" in her next race, the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

Up to that point, Fleet Renee had improved her Beyer Speed Figures from 69 to 82 to 95 to 104. Dickinson concluded she was holding up well and wouldn't regress.

LAS VEGAS - With Del Mar and Saratoga around the corner, 2-year-old racing will soon be in full bloom. Many of this year's freshman sires have already been well represented by runners from their initial crop from coast to coast, including Smoke Glacken, Open Forum, and Valid Expectations, but the majority of new sires will be heard from in the next few months. Knowing how to play offspring of these new stallions may yield lucrative results.

Past handicapping contest experience came in handy last weekend for Bradley Teletheater Handicapping Challenge winner Mike Labriola, who saved two wagers for the end of the contest - and then cashed both - to win first prize of $20,000 in the $68,000 Autotote-sponsored event in Windsor Locks, Conn.

In addition to prize money, Labriola also earned a second straight trip

LEXINGTON, Ky. - I've bet on Kentucky Derby futures, Super Bowl futures, World Series futures, NBA futures, Stanley Cup futures, Rose Bowl futures, Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open tennis futures, World Cup soccer futures, assorted golf futures, and others. All of them involve significant risk, and the potential of huge rewards. But, in my opinion, the riskiest futures bet of them all is the World Thoroughbred Championships.

PHOENIX - Whether you call it the buzz horse, the comer, or the new challenger, the title will go to Hero's Tribute or E Dubai should either win Sunday's Grade 2 Dwyer at Belmont. The winner of Sunday's race will be expected to challenge the big boys down the road.

That is a realistic possibility this year. If you had conducted a poll before the Florida Derby, it's possible more people would have chosen Hero's Tribute than Monarchos as John Ward's best 3-year-old.

The July Fourth stakes at tracks around the country have taken much of the bang out of this weekend's stakes menu. However, the weekend doesn't look like a total loss thanks to a good 3-year-old battle in the Dwyer at Belmont on Sunday, and a good Saturday lineup including the Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows, the Hanshin Mile at Arlington, and three stakes races at Hollywood, just to name a few.