Mineshaft won the New Orleans Handicap en route to his championship season in 2003. Now, Mineshaft's connections are tentatively targeting the Mineshaft Handicap at Fair Grounds as the 2007 debut of the highly promising colt Grasshopper.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Dixie Chatter, the winner of the Norfolk Stakes at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting in September, is out of training because of an injury to a hind ankle, trainer Richard Mandella said on Friday.

Mandella said that Dixie Chatter recently underwent a nuclear scan that showed damage to a hind ankle. The injury does not require surgery, but will keep Dixie Chatter out of training for two months

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Sunday's $75,000 Personal Bid Stakes at Aqueduct has special meaning for trainer Richard Schosberg and not just because he has the likely favorite in the field of nine New York-bred 3-year-old fillies.

In the early 1990s, Schosberg trained Personal Bid, a New York-bred filly with whom he won several stakes and $165,298. Two weeks ago, according to Schosberg, Personal Bid died of a heart attack on a farm. She was in foal to Broken Vow.

MIAMI - Excessive Heat has already proven she is a stakes-caliber sprinter on the grass. The big question is whether she can carry her abundant speed around two turns when she stretches out to 1 1/16 miles in Sunday's $75,000 GTOBA Debutante Stakes at Calder. The GTOBA Debutante is restricted to 2-year-old fillies who are progeny of Georgia Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association-nominated stallions.

In recent years Turfway Park has been the winter base for jockeys Rafael Bejarano and Julien Leparoux, both of whom have since gone on to national prominence. There does not appear to be another star-in-the-making at Turfway this winter, but at least one youthful jockey intends to make the most of the room at the top.

Racecar Rhapsody will make his next start in Friday's Grade 3, $1 million Delta Jackpot, while Slew's Tiznow is under consideration for the race, which was just beginning to take shape Friday. Entries will be drawn Tuesday at Delta Downs.

PORTLAND, Ore. - When trainer Jim Fergason and owner David Green claimed Gold Lad for $25,000 at Emerald Downs in September, they knew they were getting a tough and consistent sprinter. They also hoped that Gold Lad could develop into a candidate for the $30,000 Portland Meadows Mile on March 10, and he took a big step toward fulfilling that hope here Monday.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - What slump?

Jockey Michael Baze waited weeks for a day like Wednesday at Hollywood Park. From five mounts, Baze had four wins, including on Charm the Giant in the $68,775 Intercontinental Handicap for fillies and mares over a mile on turf.

The four-win day pushed Baze into third in the overall standings with 12 wins, behind his cousin, Tyler Baze, who leads with 18 winners, and Garrett Gomez, who has won 14 races.

The big horse, Curlin, has joined the Steve Asmussen string at Fair Grounds, but his fate still remains up in the air, Asmussen said on Thursday.

Curlin, who had been based at Churchill Downs since his win in the Breeders' Cup Classic, shipped from Kentucky to New Orleans early this week.

"He's at the Fair Grounds, but as for his status, I honestly don't know," Asmussen said.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Though he's run well at Belmont and over Aqueduct's main track, Who What Win seems to really excel over the inner track. If that holds true Saturday, he'll be the horse to beat in the $75,000 Mellow Roll Stakes, run at a mile and 70 yards and restricted to New York-breds.

Without stakes winners Naughty New Yorker and Dr. V's Magic in the field, the Mellow Roll drew a competitive group of 11 statebreds, though the field will be limited to 10 starters. The Mellow Roll is a prep for the $75,000 Alex M. Robb Handicap on Dec. 30.