ELMONT, N.Y. - Friday was supposed to have been the quietest morning on the Breeders' Cup workout watch, with nary a Breeders' Cup work scheduled at Belmont Park. But with the local forecast calling for better than a 50 percent chance of rain beginning Saturday, trainers Kiaran McLaughlin, Anthony Mitchell, and Jimmy Jerkens called an audible and beat the wet weather by getting in their final preps following Friday's renovation break. The racetrack was cuppy and slow for early morning Breeders' Cup gallopers but sped up appreciably after being liberally watered during the break.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The New York Board of Stewards has ruled that Imperialism, a candidate for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint, will not be officially credited with Wednesday's reported five-furlong work of 58.40 seconds at Belmont Park.

With trainer Kristin Mulhall aboard, Imperialism worked immediately after the main track opened at 6 a.m. The track clockers were unable to see the horse clearly enough in the dark to provide an official time. The 58.40 clocking was provided to the New York Racing Association press office by Mulhall later that morning.

ELMONT, N.Y. - While trainers here at Belmont Park, worried about rain this weekend, checked their training schedules and kept on eye on The Weather Channel on Thursday to plan their final Breeder's Cup workouts, the weather had finally broken in California, allowing trainer Richard Mandella to get a key workout into Rock Hard Ten, who will seek to enhance his Horse of the Year credentials in the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 29 at Belmont Park.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Lost in the Fog, one of the marquee names on this year's Breeders' Cup card, turned in his final major prep for the $1 million Sprint when he worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 under jockey Russell Baze on Thursday morning at Golden Gate Fields.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Here's a good bar bet for your racing friends over the next week or so. Ask them which trainer has the second-most wins in Breeders' Cup history.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Dr. Pleasure is short on seasoning. Ivan Denisovich has never raced on dirt. Both will be big prices in the $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile. But success for either one could be in the genes.

Dr. Pleasure is out of the dam Beautiful Pleasure, who won the 1999 Breeders' Cup Distaff. Ivan Denisovich is out of the dam Hollywood Wildcat, who won the 1993 Distaff and who has already produced 2000 Breeders' Cup Mile winner War Chant. My Flag and Personal Ensign are the only other Breeders' Cup winners to have produced a Cup winner.

ELMONT, N.Y. - If Sensation can run long as well as she has run short, then she could be one of the prime contenders to upset Adieu and Folklore in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies.

A shot at the richest turf race in the United States on a course that may be less than firm led owner-breeder Brant Laue and trainer Bill Mott to pre-enter Gun Salute for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf at Belmont Park on Oct. 29.

Now, all Gun Salute has to do is try a new distance of 1 1/2 miles and defeat many of the world's best turf horses.

For all the major prep races feeding the Breeders' Cup, one of the most obscure may wind up making one of the greatest impacts: the Sept. 24 Princess Royal John Doyle Stakes, a Group 3 race at Newmarket in England.

It was in that race that Ouija Board, the defending champion in the $1 million BC Filly and Mare Turf, turned her year from nowhere to anywhere by winning easily. The Newmarket race was just her second since her BC victory last year; the only race in the interim resulted in a miserable defeat of nearly 30 lengths.

Americans who stay in touch with overseas racing usually can name three or four of the best milers in Europe. But let's see a show of hands from all the Europhiles in the crowd: How many of you had heard of Funfair before this year?