Bailey wins 67th stakes

MIAMI - Slews Final Answer and jockey Jerry Bailey closed out 2002 on a high note, combining for an easy 5 3/4-length victory over Wish It Were in Tuesday's $38,955 Auld Lang Syne Handicap at Calder.

It was Bailey's 67th stakes win of the year, leaving him just one short of the North American single-season record of 68, established by Mike Smith in 1994.

Slews Final Answer has developed into one of the most promising 3-year-old fillies in trainer Bill Mott's potent stable by winning three of her last four starts, including two overnight stakes at Calder. She is owned by Live Oak Plantation.

Slews Final Answer ($3.20) covered 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18.43 over a fast track.