Jockey Edgar Paucar won the riding title at Beulah Park for the sixth time since coming to the track in 2004. The 33-year-old Peruvian rider had 123 victories in the winter/spring meet and also recorded his 1,000th win recently. Paucar attended the famed Peru Jockey School that boasts Edgar Prado, Rafael Bejarano, and Miguel Mena as graduates.

Charlie Lawson won his second winter/spring meet training title in the last three years. Lawson, who trains his own horses, won 39 races, 14 more than Reid Gross.

State Fair Park in Lincoln, Neb., opens its 37-day meet Friday under the most uncertain of conditions. The track is located on the state fairgrounds, and the long-term future of racing in Nebraska's capital city is in limbo following the approval of legislation earlier this year that will move the state fairgrounds beginning in 2010 to Grand Island, where Fonner Park is located.

AUBURN, Wash. - Local fans got a taste on Sunday of what was a steady diet for patrons of Turf Paradise last winter when trainer Mike Chambers sent out his first two starters at the meeting. Chambers saddled the uncoupled entry of Nationhood and Chhaya Dance for the $50,000 Seattle Handicap at six furlongs, then watched them finish one-two. Nationhood held off the late charge of his stablemate to prevail by a neck under rider Ricky Frazier in 1:08.40.

Turf Paradise concluded its 2007-2008 meeting Sunday with a 4.8 percent overall increase in average daily handle on its live races, according to figures released by the track.

Turf Paradise averaged $1,462,999 daily in all-sources wagers on its races during its 153-day meet, compared with $1,395,468 during its 152-day 2006-07 stand.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Time has nearly expired for the long-familiar trainer-jockey combination of Bruce Headley and Alex Solis. Headley confirmed Tuesday that Solis is no longer first-call rider for the stable, and that David Flores will replace Solis on Street Boss when the improving sprinter makes his stakes debut Saturday in the Grade 3 Los Angeles Handicap at Hollywood Park.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Monmouth Park opens for its 63rd season Friday, a scheduling wrinkle that is a throwback to an earlier era.

In recent seasons, Monmouth ran only on Saturdays and Sundays in May before switching to a Wednesday-through-Sunday schedule in June.

Fridays have been added this year, expanding the May weekends to three days: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

According to vice president and general manager Bob Kulina, a Friday opener is not unprecedented. Friday openers were a staple at Monmouth before the reopening of Garden State Park in the early 1980s.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Jockey Earlie Fires, 61, rode 4 winners from just 7 mounts during the opening week of the Arlington Park meet, a huge three-day total considering Fires had won just one race this year before Friday, opening day. Still, Fires confirmed Tuesday morning that the rumors are true: His Hall of Fame career is ticking down to its final moments.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - El Gato Malo, who had been under consideration for the Preakness Stakes, instead will make his next start in the Grade 3, $400,000 Lone Star Derby on Saturday, said his trainer, Craig Dollase. The horse is a strong addition to a prospective field of 13 led by Samba Rooster, the runner-up in the Grade 2 Lexington.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Churchill Downs racing officials have more than five weeks to hustle horses for the Stephen Foster Handicap, but all that time still might not be enough to get a field of much size.

That's because Curlin, the reigning Horse of the Year, is tentatively being pointed to the June 14 Foster, and who wants to run against him?

"Having a horse like Curlin is great, but it sure does make it tough to get anybody else," said Donnie Richardson, senior vice president of racing at Churchill.

El Gato Malo, who had been under consideration for the Preakness Stakes, will instead make his next start in the Grade 3, $400,000 Lone Star Park Derby on Saturday, his trainer, Craig Dollase, said Tuesday. The horse is scheduled to fly from his Hollywood Park base to Lone Star Park near Dallas on Thursday.

Rafael Bejarano has the mount in the Lone Star Derby, said Dollase.