Etc. . . .

Bettybird equaled the world record for 5 1/2 furlongs on turf when she won a Wednesday allowance race at Ellis by eight lengths in 1:00.52. Bettybird, a 3-year-old filly trained by Don Winfree, essentially ties the time of 1:00 2/5 set in 1995 by Pembroke at Hollywood Park, as her clocking rounds down to the same 1:00.40 under old timing guidelines. . . . Telephone and Internet accounts in California accounted for 6.25 percent of the state's overall handle, or $86.2 million, in the month ending Aug. 4, according to the California Horse Racing Board. Last month, the CHRB said telephone and Internet betting was 5.75 percent of handle. . . . As of 4 p.m. Thursday, a $42,000 Cape Town-Dottie Lou's Star filly was the session-leader on last of four days of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's August yearling sale. On Wednesday, 207 yearlings brought $1,771,300, down slightly from last year's equivalent session, when 174 lots brought $1,775,900, as the 2002 average fell 16 percent to $8,557, median dropped 8 percent to $5,500, and buy-backs rose from 28 to 29 percent. . . . Recently retired Chris McCarron will be an analyst on ESPN's Sunday broadcast of the Pacific Classic and Ballerina Handicap. McCarron will appear on ESPN and ESPN2 racing broadcasts through the rest of the year.