The California Horse Racing Board will enact severe penalties for excessive use of four anabolic steroids beginning with races run on Sept. 4, the board announced on Thursday.

The four anabolic steroids - boldenone, nandrolone, stanozolol and testosterone - the only steroids allowed to appear in postrace tests, will be allowed to appear at minute levels. The four steroids have been reclassified as Class 3 violations, from Class 4. Under the new rules, excessive levels of those steroids will result in the loss of a purse and a possible fine and/or suspension for a trainer.

ANCOUVER, British Columbia - Trainer John Snow wasn't completely surprised by the very good effort put in by Blue Sky Holiday in the $50,513 B.C. Cup Distaff last Monday. Blue Sky Holiday was sent off as the longest shot in the five-horse field, but she came very close to pulling off a big upset. It was clearly the most surprising performance by any horse running in the seven stakes races.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The final eight races of Friday's card at Saratoga were canceled after heavy rains created unsafe track conditions on the main track and left the turf course unusable.

The decision to cancel was made by New York Racing Association management after it was determined there were washouts between the five-sixteenths pole and the quarter pole. It was announced that it would take at least an hour to fix the track problems, and with a chance for more rain later in the day, the decision was made to cancel.

Eight Hall of Fame jockeys - Jerry Bailey, Angel Cordero Jr., Pat Day, Sandy Hawley, Julie Krone, Chris McCarron, Gary Stevens, and Jacinto Vasquez - will ride in a parimutuel race at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting on Oct. 18, the track announced on Friday.

Named the Living Legends Race, the event will be a sprint for allowance horses run on the Saturday preceding the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita. Mounts will be determined randomly, and each will carry 126 pounds.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Dallas Stewart doesn't plan to do a whole lot with Jim Dandy winner Macho Again between now and the Travers, but on Friday he worked the 3-year-old an easy half-mile in 50.19 seconds over the Oklahoma training track.

With the former jockey Ken Bourque in the irons, Macho Again went his first quarter in 25.27 seconds and his second quarter in 24.92 seconds over a fast training track.

"Worked fine, he was getting over the ground good and clean, no problems,'' Stewart said. "He came back good, wasn't blowing much.''

AUBURN, Wash. - Sunday's Strong Ruler Stakes, like the Knights Choice Stakes on Saturday, is a highly restricted affair. To be eligible, a horse must be nominated to the Northwest Race Series. He must also be by a stallion whose progeny were made eligible with a payment in the year of his birth.

Because it is doubly restricted, the Strong Ruler is in some years almost irrelevant to the open 2-year-old division at Emerald Downs. This, however, doesn't appear to be one of those years.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Our Friend Harvey has two wins and a second in three grass sprints at Monmouth Park. He has been less successful in similar races at Gulfstream, Belmont Park, and Saratoga.

His record on the Monmouth course makes him a top contender Sunday in the $60,000 My Frenchman Stakes at 5o1/2 furlongs.

Our Friend Harvey is a closing sprinter who usually gets his trip here.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - A controlling interest in Plan, who was to race here Saturday in the Secretariat Stakes, was purchased earlier this week from Michael Tabor by the IEAH Stables. After the Secretariat, the colt will remain in the United States, and will be turned over to trainer Rick Dutrow, IEAH co-president Michael Iavarone said Friday.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Out of Control, second in two Grade 1 races on turf earlier this year, will make his Grade 1 debut on the main track in the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 24, trainer Bobby Frankel said Friday.

Out of Control's presence will give Frankel two starters in the Pacific Classic. He is also running Mast Track, the upset winner of the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup on Juneo28.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Skipped Bail may have found the spot for his first stakes victory here at Woodbine in Sunday's $100,000 With Approval.

The With Approval, a 1 1/8-mile overnight turf stakes, attracted a field of seven, including high-profile names such as Mike Fox and Marchfield.