Kentucky horsemen have sued Churchill Downs Inc., countering a recent suit by the company in their ongoing contractual battle over simulcast and account-wagering revenues.

The suit, filed Friday in federal court by the Kentucky division of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, claims Churchill is in violation of its existing contract and is costing the horsemen millions of dollars in purses. In addition, the horsemen's association has asked the court to halt the 20-percent purse cut that Churchill Downs implemented May 14.

Maryland-based trainer Crystal Pickett and Kentucky-based trainer Bernie Flint will face off in an “anything you can do, I can do better” battle Tuesday night at Mountaineer Racetrack.

Instead of a war of words, the two trainers will allow their 5-year-old mares La Chica Rica and High Heritage to decide the issue in the $75,000 Ohio Valley Handicap, a six-furlong stakes for female sprinters.

EAST BOSTON, Mass. – Phase one of the newly expanded stakes program at Suffolk Downs is a success if measured in field size, with 12 horses lined up for Monday’s six-furlong $50,000 Rudy Baez Stakes for 3-year-olds and up. It’s the biggest field in a stakes race at Suffolk since 2004.

All the prominent New England stables are involved, with some out-of-town interest thrown in thanks to Place Your Bet, a Scott Lake-trained gelding up from the Mid-Atlantic. Lake’s wife, Jennifer Stisted, is slated to ride Place Your Bet, a speedster who is two-time stakes placed.

ELMONT, N.Y. - With Big Brown having completed yet another routine gallop Friday morning in preparation for his run at the Triple Crown in the June 7 Belmont Stakes, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. opted to turn his attention to a couple of the other stars in his stable.

Dutrow made the 8 1/2-mile drive from Belmont Park to Aqueduct, where he put reigning Breeders' Cup Mile winner Kip Deville through a leisurely five-furlong workout in 1:05.86 over the Big A main track. It was Kip Deville's first breeze since he won the Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland on April 11.

AUBURN, Wash. - Westsideclyde logged his final prep for Monday's $50,000 FSN Handicap late in the morning on Thursday, going an easy half-mile under rider Gary Baze. Westsideclyde, who will be making his 6-year-old debut in the 6 1/2-furlong FSN, started slowly and gradually gained momentum, finishing out strong without being asked for the least bit of speed.

Nevertheless, Westsideclyde was clocked in 48.80, the fastest of 15 half-mile works on Thursday's tab. When informed of that clocking, trainer Craig Roberts displayed a droll sense of humor.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The possibility of a dream race between Curlin and Big Brown already has them talking - and not just on the rumor mill.

Steve Asmussen, the trainer of Curlin, said he has read a quote attributed to Rick Dutrow, the trainer of Big Brown, regarding a possible matchup. Dutrow, in the Friday editions of Daily Racing Form, said a race between the two "would be good for racing, it would be good for us, it wouldn't be so good for them."

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - David Flores or Mike Smith. Mike Smith or David Flores.

Those were the names that occupied trainer Jim Cassidy's mind earlier this week as he finalized a rider for Diamond Diva in Monday's $250,000 Gamely Stakes at Hollywood Park.

Flores rode Diamond Diva in her last start, the Grade 3 Wilshire Handicap here on April 23. Smith rode Diamond Diva when she won the American Beauty Handicap at Santa Anita on March 30 in her U.S. debut.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The all-sources live handle at Hastings topped the $1 million figure for the first time this year last Monday.

The $1,001,417 wagered on the Victoria Day holiday represented a 35 percent increase over the all-sources handle on the same date last year.

"We had a huge weekend," said Raj Mutti, general manager at Hastings. "That put our all-sources live handle up slightly for the year. What we are really pleased about is that our per-race average is up."

ARCADIA, Calif. - Santa Anita's synthetic main track failed to completely drain after a surprise storm dropped nearly two inches of rain on Thursday evening and early Friday. The rain left small pools of water in some places on the track and prompted some trainers to curtail training Friday morning.

MIAMI - After taking on multiple Grade 3 winner Mauralakana in each of her last three starts, at distances ranging from nine to 12 furlongs, Eclisse should find both the competition and mere one mile distance of Sunday's Sara's Success Stakes at Calder just the tonic for getting back on the winning track for the first time since the fall of 2006 in her native France.

Eclisse set the pace into the stretch in each of her last four starts, including the Grade 3 Orchid and The Very One handicaps at Gulfstream Park, and the Mairzy Doates Handicap at Calder on April 26.