ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Josie Carroll was busy marshalling the troops here at Woodbine the other morning, making plans for her people and horses who will be spending the winter south of the border.

"We've got 12 stalls at Palm Meadows, and 20 stalls at Fair Grounds," said Carroll. "We already have five horses at Fair Grounds, and the rest will leave Dec. 7. The Palm Meadows horses will leave Dec. 10."

Lorie Allen, Carroll's assistant here, will handle the Palm Meadows division, while Linda Gibson, who was based at Fort Erie this year, is managing the Fair Grounds contingent.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The inner track at Aqueduct has proven tricky for pick-six players thus far as nobody hit the wager for the second straight day resulting in a carryover of $102,629 heading into Friday's card.

Entering Thursday's last race, there were live tickets to four of the eight runners in the maiden claiming heat for 2-year-olds. But none were live to Api Mohkat ($20.40), who overtook favorite Handsome Reward in upper stretch and drew clear for a convincing win.

MIAMI - Ballast won the 2006 Tropical Turf Handicap but figures to be overlooked by the betting public when he returns to defend his title on Saturday.

Ballast, a 6-year-old son of Desert Prince, rallied from just off the pace to post a 1 1/4-length victory over Bob's Proud Moment in his local bow in the 2006 Tropical Turf. He has not won since, although trainer Graham Motion believes Ballast will put up a good fight in defense of his title.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Midnight Lute has earned a lengthy vacation after his second-place finish in the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct last weekend. His next major goal will be a return trip to New York for the Metropolitan Mile at Belmont Park in late May, trainer Bob Baffert said on Wednesday.

The winner of the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Monmouth Park on Oct. 27, Midnight Lute finished 2 1/2 lengths behind the 3-year-old Daaher in the Cigar Mile. Midnight Lute was within 1 1/2 lengths of Daaher on the final turn but could not get any closer.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Ramon Dominguez made the four-hour drive from his Maryland home to Aqueduct on Wednesday morning and immediately made his presence felt by riding Moon Jumper ($6.10) to victory in the first race of the inner-track meet. He would go on to win two races from six mounts on the card.

"It always excites me to come to New York to ride,'' Dominguez said Wednesday morning just after renewing his New York jockey's license. "I said it many times, it doesn't get better than New York racing.''

Valid Lil drew a middle post - just what her trainer had hoped for - for her Saturday night matchup with Wrenice in the $50,000 Yellow Rose Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park.

The Yellow Rose, for fillies and mares at six furlongs, is one of eight restricted stakes worth a collective $475,000 on the annual Texas Champions Day program. Entries for the races were taken Wednesday. The program drew seven stakes winners from the corresponding card a year ago, including Sandburr, who will defend his title in the $100,000 Star of Texas.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Jockey Todd Kabel, who has ridden sparingly in recent weeks and not at all since Nov. 18, has called it a season.

"I decided enough was enough," said Kabel, who will celebrate his 42nd birthday next Friday. "My weight's just been atrocious, and I was tired of reducing. It's hard on the body. It's not good.

"It's not fair to the owners and trainers, either. When you're coming in to ride one or two horses, you're not as fit as you should be, and then you're pulling a lot of weight on top of it."

NEW ORLEANS - After only the first weekend, the trainer leader board at Fair Grounds is looking very familiar. The top five trainers from last year have all returned to the top of the list.

Al Stall, who finished fifth last year, is tied at the top with last year's second-place finisher, Cody Autrey, both with 5 wins from 12 starts.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - An already crowded stable area at Hollywood Park figures to get a little tighter in the upcoming week because Santa Anita is making plans to close its main track to try and figure out why its newly installed Cushion Track surface is not draining properly.

Ron Charles, the president of Santa Anita, on Tuesday said, "A decision will be made in a couple of days on what to do and when to do it," but indicated that the work would likely be done next week and the racing surface would have to be closed.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Mike DePaulo entered the current season with high hopes for Shillelagh Slew and Easterman.

Shillelagh Slew appeared to be destined for more good things following his championship 3-year-old campaign. Easterman seemed a legitimate Queen's Plate prospect off an impressive debut here last fall.

Neither had the year DePaulo anticipated.