Etc. . . .

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association will offer a pick three on Oct. 5 linking the Breeders' Futurity, Champagne Stakes, and Norfolk Stakes, three 2-year-old races that will be shown live during a one-hour broadcast on CNBC. . . . The Breeders' Cup Ultra Pick 6 will carry a $3 million guarantee this year. The guarantee will equal the one offered for last year's Breeders' Cup pick six, when handle on the bet was $4.8 million, but down from the $5 million guaranteed in 1999 and 2000. . . . The stable area at The Woodlands has opened in advance of the Kansas City track's Thoroughbred-Quarter Horse season, which will begin Oct. 2 and continue through Nov. 3.