JUVENILE REPORT

An appealing aspect of spring at Hollywood Park is 2-year-olds, and Belleofthebridle set the tone April 21 when she won an opening-day maiden race by almost six lengths in 51.59 seconds. The clocking, for 4 1/2 furlongs, earned an Beyer Speed Figure of 81.

But one month later, almost nothing has changed. Belleofthebridle remains the fastest 2-year-old winner of the meet. Her figure remains seven points higher than next-fastest Hi Ho Yodeler (74 Beyer, May 2). The juvenile crop has been ordinary.

WHO'S HOT

Defending Calder riding champion Manny Cruz moved back into his familiar spot atop the standings last week, leapfrogging apprentice Luis Saez by posting seven victories from Thursday through Sunday, including four Friday. Cruz is also spreading the wealth; each of his seven wins came for a different barn.

WHO'S HOT

Jockeys

Already topping the rider standings at Churchill Downs, Calvin Borel won with 6 of 13 mounts last week - more winners than any other rider for the week, even though he rode at the track just two days due to riding at Pimlico last Friday and Saturday. He went 3 for 7 last Wednesday, and 3 for 6 last Sunday at Churchill.

For the meet, Borel was 22 for 78, giving him a nine-win margin over his next closest pursuer, Julien Leparoux.

WHO'S HOT

Leading rider Eurico Da Silva led all jockeys during the eight days of racing from May 5-16, winning aboard 12 of his 47 rides. Chantal Sutherland moved into fourth in the standings, scoring on nine of her 44 mounts.

Da Silva is serving a suspension this weekend, but he has obtained an exemption for the La Lorgnette Stakes on Sunday so that he can pilot Biofuel in the $150,000 event.

BOSSIER CITY, La. - Entries were drawn Wednesday for Saturday's Louisiana Cup Day at Louisiana Downs. A total of six stakes, two starter stakes, and a pair of Louisiana-bred maiden events will offer more than $600,000 in purse money to the state's best. A total of 110 horses were entered for the 10-race program.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - After just nine days of racing, Hastings is cutting purses by 5 percent. The bottom-level purses will remain the same, but purses for $12,500 open claimers and above will take the hit.

The reason for the adjustment is threefold, according to track officials. Firstly, the total per-race average handle of $65,151 is down roughly 11 percent, and the ontrack live handle is down roughly 5 percent per race.

For $27,000 last fall, Jose Gonzalez bought a yearling colt closely related to a horse who won six times for him in Mexico a few years ago.

Cash This Okie won "some pretty big races" in Mexico, Gonzalez said. His little half-brother West Coast Hawk is doing even better in the United States.

Last Saturday, West Coast Hawk pulled a 14-1 upset in the $362,300 Kindergarten Futurity at Los Alamitos, the first futurity of the year at the track.

ELMONT, N.Y - Make Music for Me, the fourth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby who arrived at Belmont Park on Monday from Kentucky, galloped 1 1/4 miles over the sloppy Belmont main track Wednesday morning as he continues preparations for the Belmont Stakes on June 5.

Andy Durnin, a longtime employee of trainer Alexis Barba and the exercise rider of Make Music for Me, said the colt has settled in to his New York surroundings "great."

ELMONT, N.Y. - Last July, in her 4-year-old debut, Bubbly Jane came off a nine-month layoff to win an overnight stakes going 1 1/4 miles on turf at Belmont Park. Saturday, Bubbly Jane begins her 5-year-old campaign in the Grade 2, $150,000 Sheepshead Bay Stakes at Belmont, which will be her first start in 6 1/2 months.

In highly unusual race-day developments last Saturday, Arlington temporarily canceled the female division of the $100,000 Illinois Owners Stakes before reinstating the race less than one hour later.