ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – Betting on horse racing all over the country has declined this year, but for some reason, Arlington Park took the worst of things during its 2010 meet that ended Sunday. While ontrack business held relatively steady, out-of-state handle on the Arlington product cratered, and average daily all-sources handle went into free fall, dropping by almost 30 percent.

ANDERSON, Ind. – Easily the biggest draw in the history of Thoroughbred racing in Indiana will be at Hoosier Park on Saturday when Lookin At Lucky prepares for the Breeders’ Cup Classic by taking on eight other 3-year-olds as a heavy favorite in the Grade 2, $500,000 Indiana Derby.

Lookin At Lucky, winner of the Preakness and Haskell and the clear-cut leader in the North American 3-year-old division, was assigned post 6 when entries were drawn Wednesday for the 1 1/16-mile Indiana Derby. Martin Garcia has the mount for trainer Bob Baffert.

Headed by Blind Luck, the nation’s leading 3-year-old filly, nearly all of the top contenders for this year’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic will be in action Saturday.

Blind Luck departed Southern California on Wednesday for Philadelphia, where she will compete in the Grade 2, $750,000 Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing. Four other 3-year-old fillies are entered in that race, though Bonnie Blue Flag also is entered in the Grade 1, $350,000 Beldame Stakes for older fillies and mares at Belmont Park.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Kombat Kitty made a favorable impression in her only outing, and will be looking to stay perfect in Friday’s fourth race at Woodbine, a 6 1/2-furlong allowance for 2-year-old fillies.

Kombat Kitty came three wide from a stalking position to win a five-furlong maiden special Aug.  21 over next-out winners Duettina and Street Prize. For covering the distance in 58.51 seconds, she was awarded a Beyer Speed Figure of 66. She has worked three times in the interim, including a half-mile breeze Sept. 24 in 47 seconds, the fastest of 21 moves at the distance.

PHOENIX – As a long stretch of hot temperatures in the Phoenix area begins to subside, a long stretch of racing is set to commence as Turf Paradise opens its doors Friday for its 2010-2011 season.

The 156-day meet runs through May 8, 2011, with racing scheduled five days a week, Friday through Tuesday. The meet opens with a nine-race program.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Glitter Rox, who has been a going concern in turf sprints stakes here over the past couple of seasons, has been retired to the breeding shed.

A homebred 6-year-old who is owned by Joe and Ellen MacLellan and partners, Glitter Rox has been trained throughout her career by Ian Black.

“She’s had bad feet all her life, and one foot has kind of caught up with her,” Black said.

The Breeders’ Cup three-peat. It has never happened, and only once been attempted, but if things go as planned, Goldikova, the marvelous French miler, will try to make history this year. Goldikova starts Sunday at Longchamp in the Prix de la Foret, and any kind of decent performance will propel her to Churchill Downs and an attempt to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile for the third year in a row.

The $163,700 Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Derby at Los Alamitos on Friday is likely to produce Headturner’s fifth consecutive win. Headturner set the fastest qualifying time in the 400-yard trials on Sept. 17 and will be heavily favored to repeat that performance.

For trainer Jose Flores, the lucrative derby is a prep race. He has the late November time trials for the $750,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 11 as an autumn goal for Headturner, who races for Jose Ramon Sandoval.

Something has to give when Chatahoochie, Salsa Express, and The Cat’s Affair – all coming off back-to-back victories – meet in Friday’s featured sixth race for fillies and mares going six furlongs at Northlands Park.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Officials with the Oak Tree Racing Association and Santa Anita are scheduled to make presentations to the board of directors of the Thoroughbred Owners of California on Thursday regarding their respective proposals to host six weeks of racing in the fall of 2011.

At the California Horse Racing Board meeting last Thursday, the racing board did not take action on the 2011 Southern California Thoroughbred calendar, with chairman Keith Brackpool urging racing associations and horsemen’s groups to conduct discussions before the next racing board meeting on Oct. 14.