ARCADIA, Calif. - The best horse in California will run in the richest race of the winter, but the outstanding miler Matto Mondo is no cinch March 7 in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap.

Trainer Richard Mandella confirmed Tuesday that Matto Mondo will forsake the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe at a mile on turf, and instead stretch his speed 1 1/4 miles in the Big Cap. Although the distance is three-sixteenths farther than the Group 1 race that Matto Mondo won in Chile, at least the Big Cap will be run on familiar footing.

A return to sprinting returned Selva to the winner's circle, as the talented 3-year-old filly won the Mardi Gras Stakes on Tuesday at Fair Grounds by 1 3/4 lengths over her stablemate Fleet Streak.

Selva won the first three starts of her career, all sprints, scoring an 18-1 debut upset at Saratoga before capturing the Sorority at Monmouth and the Glorious Song at Woodbine. And while Selva did not disgrace herself in the Tiffany Lass Stakes last month at Fair Grounds, she did suffer her first defeat, finishing second after setting a strong pace in a two-turn mile.

The status of a 2009 race meet at Fort Erie took a step backward on Monday when it was announced that a deal to purchase the Ontario track by a group composed of local horsemen, the Fort Erie Economic Development and Tourism Corp., and the municipal government had fallen through, at least for the time being.

Nordic Gaming Corp., which owns and operates the track, had been considering a purchase offer that bore a deadline of 11 a.m. Monday. In a statement released that afternoon, Nordic Gaming stated that the offer contained conditions the company found "unacceptable."

Two tracts of land at Belmont Park in New York could be developed to include a slot-machine parlor, hotels, retail shops, and housing, according to a report prepared by the state's Economic Development Corp. and its Racing and Wagering Board.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Allen Milligan was just a little tyke when he first showed up at Oaklawn Park back in 1969. He came to town with his father, Eddie Milligan Sr., who had taken a private training position. Fast forward 40 years, and the tyke is topping the standings.

Allen Milligan enters the race week in a three-way tie for leading trainer, along with Jorge Lara and D. Wayne Lukas. Each has won 10 races so far this meet at Oaklawn.

"My dad is really proud," said Milligan, 42. "It's very meaningful."

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Winning both halves of a split maiden special weight race for 3-year-olds during the heart of the Gulfstream Park meet is a noteworthy achievement for any trainer. But when the two horses in question, in this case Just a Coincidence and Santana Six, happen to come from the barn of two-time Kentucky Derby winner Nick Zito, the feat seems to take on a little added importance. After all, as Zito himself says, "It is that time of year."

ALBANY, Calif. - Northern California's top Kentucky Derby candidate, Chocolate Candy, who won the California Derby and El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields, returned to the track for a workout Sunday, turning in an easy 47.20-second half-mile work for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

The work was the fifth-best of 37 workers at the distance, and Chocolate Candy, a Candy Ride colt, was not really asked for much.

Hollendorfer was satisfied with the work, saying, "He worked real good, nice and steady."

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The connections of Einstein are thinking big these days, as in the Big Cap, the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap, on March 7.

Einstein put the finishing touches on his local preparation for the Santa Anita Handicap here Sunday morning, working five furlongs in 1:00.60 under jockey Julien Leparoux.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The connections of I Want Revenge want to find out sooner rather than later how their horse handles dirt. Toward that end, I Want Revenge will ship cross-country later this week to prepare for a start in the Grade 3, $250,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on March 7.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Garrett Gomez and trainer Todd Pletcher are spending the winter 2,500 miles apart, but their paths are starting to cross with greater frequency. Gomez, based in California, traveled to Gulfstream Park last Thursday to ride the Pletcher-trained Dunkirk to an impressive victory against allowance company, and this Saturday at Santa Anita they will combine with Take the Points, a 3-year-old whom Pletcher is sending west from south Florida for the Grade 3, $200,000 Sham Stakes.