INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The 13-race losing streak that Awesome Gem has amassed since winning an optional claimer at Hollywood Park in June 2007 would alarm most owners and trainers.

What saves the West Point Thoroughbreds partnership and trainer Craig Dollase from panic is the company that Awesome Gem has kept for most of that nearly two-year period. Eight of those losses have been second- or third-place finishes in stakes, including a third in the 2007 Breeders' Cup Classic at Monmouth Park.

"He's always right there," Dollase said. "It's been a while between wins."

Halmi became the first homebred stakes winner for owner Laurie Hickman when he won the Green Carpet at River Downs on May 30. Hickman got close last year when Allsarott was beaten a head in the $100,000 Best of Ohio Endurance last Oct. 4. Both horses, the 4-year-old Allsarott and the 3-year-old Halmi, are out of the same mare, Laura Lynn.

Hickman bought Laura Lynn privately. Laura Lynn won once from 17 starts at 2.

Remington Park in Oklahoma City had an increase in average daily handle and distributed record purses during its 50-date Quarter Horse meet that closed May 31. The track handled an average of $466,651 a day on its races from all sources, which was up 5 percent from the corresponding meet in 2008.

Purses averaged $265,577 a day, an all-time record for Remington. The track, which operates a gaming casino, averaged $207,854 a day in purses for Quarter Horses last year.

Trainer Kenny Smith has a quick 3-year-old in his Prairie Meadows barn.

Slater's Peanuts crushed his field in the six-furlong Golden Circle Stakes by 7 3/4 lengths on May 2, then returned to beat his elders in a June 1 allowance race. In workmanlike fashion, he disposed of six rivals by 2 1/4 lengths, traveling six furlongs in 1:09.71. It remains to been if Smith will step him up in class for the $125,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap on June 27.

Pinnacle Race Course began its second season last Friday, and Terry Houghton, who took top riding honors at the inaugural meet, picked up right where he left off, winning three races opening day.

He won the third aboard Gunsight Mountain ($3.80), the fourth on Wonderbred ($3.60), and the eighth on Juggle ($8.20). Gunsight Mountain and Juggle are owned by Henry Mast and trained by Robert Gorham.

Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., is now taking entries for its qualifying tournament for the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship. The top three finishers from the Aug. 8-9 qualifier will advance to the finals at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas on Jan. 29-30.

Oaklawn will cap entries at 225 players. The entry fee is $250, with $120 of that amount to cover the player's tournament bankroll. The rules for the Oaklawn tournament will be similar to the ones governing the NHC.

Horsemen's Park in Omaha, Neb., hosted a national qualifier for the 2010 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship over the final weekend of May. The finals will be held Jan. 29-30 at the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas.

Through May 31, field size at Presque Isle Downs was up from 6.29 last year to 8.03. The main reason for the increase is the number of horses shipping in, according to racing secretary Dave Frizzel.

"We are averaging 42 a night on an eight-race card," Frizzel said. "They are coming in from everywhere - Maryland, New York, Mountaineer, Philadelphia, and Kentucky. We had a big influx of horses from Kentucky after July 1 last year and I am expecting that to happen again, so our numbers will go up even more."

MIAMI - While the four prep races for the July 11 Summit of Speed program at Calder will highlight Saturday's Summit Preview card, there is a fifth stakes race on the agenda that figures to draw plenty of attention. How much attention, however, depends upon the weather.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Tin Top Cat must have done the math. For her division, the purse of a maiden special weight at Lone Star Park is $23,000. But she held out for the bigger bucks last Saturday, winning her maiden instead in the track's $88,740 fillies division of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity.