ELMONT, N.Y. - Having worked as an assistant to trainer Ben Perkins Sr. for almost six years, Kelly Breen knows a thing or two about fast horses. Now, it appears Breen has one of his own in Southern Smoke, who will be put to the test in Sunday's Grade 2, $150,000 Astarita Stakes for 2-year-old filliesat Belmont Park.

Southern Smoke, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Smoke Glacken, won her maiden at first asking on Sept. 13 at The Meadowlands, taking a five-furlong race by 5 1/2 lengths in a time of 58.82 seconds.

Business was down again at the 22-day fall meet that ended last Thursday at Turfway Park, continuing a disturbing trend that began in the late 1990's when riverboat casinos emerged in nearby Indiana.

All-sources handle averaged $3,067,184, a 9 percent decline from comparable figures from the 2001 fall meet, when 21 programs were run. Ontrack handle averaged $355,507, down 5 percent. Attendance figures do not apply because Turfway began offering free admission this fall.

Hall of Fame rider turned jockey agent Jorge Velasquez will return to New York next week, bringing leading apprentice Luis Chavez along with him for the opening of the Aqueduct fall-winter meet on Oct. 23. Chavez is the fourth leading rider at Calder's current summer-fall meet with 66 victories .

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Holy Conflict must have done something to anger the racing gods, because the 5-year-old horse simply can't catch a break. Sure, he's none the wiser, but to his connections and supporters at the betting windows, the short comments in his past performances tell an agonizing story. Recent running line comments include: caught late, missed, bothered break, blocked stretch, and stumbled start.

Trainer Cole Norman's goal each meet is to surpass his wins from the season before, and if he does that in the final five weeks of racing at Louisiana Downs, he will set a record for wins in a season.

Last year, Norman won 108 races at the track to break the record of 99 wins held by Frank Brothers since 1987. This year, he is 14 wins from breaking his own record, having won 95 races during the first 60 days of the 80-day meet at Louisiana Downs.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Lush Soldier, the talented turf specialist trained at Woodbine by David Bell, is scheduled to start in Saturday's Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland.

The Queen Elizabeth, a 1 1/8-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies, has a purse of $500,000, and participation is by invitation only.

"It'll be a very tough race," said Bell. "But you don't get many chances to run 3-year-old fillies against 3-year-old fillies in a Grade 1. And she ran well there before."

MIAMI - After winning his first two starts impressively, Trust N Luck was generally regarded to be the best of the local 2-year-olds. But now, with three consecutive losses at odds of 4-5 or less, Trust N Luck has much to prove in Saturday's $400,000 In Reality Stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Inactive the last three racing days, trainer Bruce Levine looks to continue his two-week hot streak Wednesday with a pair of runners, including Ms. Rapunzel in the featured eighth race, a second-level allowance race on the Widener Turf Course.

After going 2 for 32 at Saratoga, Levine is now challenging for the Belmont fall trainer title. His eight wins trail only Richard Dutrow Jr. and Todd Pletcher, who are tied for the meet lead with 10 wins apiece. In the last two weeks, Levine has saddled six winners from 13 starters.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Trainer John Ward and jockey Edgar Prado both had sensational weekends at Keeneland.

Prado won eight races, including four of the six graded races: the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity with Sky Mesa and the A.P. Indy aboard Dixie Tactics on Saturday, and the Spinster with Take Charge Lady and the Shadwell Mile with Landseer on Sunday. Prado is atop the jockey standings, but his lead probably will be short-lived because he plans to ride mostly at Belmont Park the rest of the meet.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Keeneland has quite a formula going. Invent a race, mix in a nice pile of purse money and some of the best horses around, and there it is: an instant graded race.