FORT ERIE, Ontario - A severe track bias suddenly arrived for last Monday's races here at Fort Erie, and many handicappers were taken by surprise.

Throughout the year there have been a few days where the track favored inside runners, outside runners, closers, or speedballs, but on balance the surface has been fair.

Monday was party day for the front-runners, and come-from-behind types were consistently left in the dust.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Trainer Jim Fergason, who has won five training titles at Portland Meadows, had a highly successful if abbreviated meet at Canada's Assiniboia Downs this summer. Fergason won with 11 of 54 starters and earned $74,982 in purses in less than three months.

He also lost or sold all the cheaper stock he took to Canada, so he dropped by Emerald Downs on the way home to replenish the barn. One of the several shrewd claims he made at Emerald in September, Gold Lad, will run on Sunday's opening-day program in the $20,000 Inaugural Handicap at six furlongs.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Dancing Allstar is an absolute standout in the $100,000 Sadie Diamond Futurity at Hastings Sunday. A chestnut filly by Millenium Allstar, Dancing Allstar towers over the six horses that will line up against her in the 6 1/2-furlong feature, which goes as the eighth race.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Tasha's Miracle is bound for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies despite finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Oak Leaf Stakes at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting on Sept. 29.

Tasha's Miracle made her first start in seven weeks in the Oak Leaf. Breaking from post 9 in a field of 10, she was five wide on the first turn and three wide on the second turn, fading in the final furlong to finish 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner, Cry and Catch Me.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Everything continues to be on schedule as Monmouth Park prepares to host the Breeders' Cup for the first time on Oct. 26-27.

The Breeders' Cup anchors a four-day meet starting Oct. 24. That leaves precious little time until the biggest week in New Jersey racing history.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The announcement by track owner Great Canadian Gaming Corporation that an agreement has been reached to install slots at Hastings was greeted with muted enthusiasm by most of the members of the backstretch community.

Comments from trainer Barb Heads regarding the slots were typical.

"When I see people in there playing the slots, then I'll believe it," said Heads.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Danny Vella has some serious designs on a couple of upcoming 2-year-old stakes races here at Woodbine.

On Monday, Vella plans to send out Cool Gator in the Grade 3, $250,000 Grey at 1 1/16 miles. Vella also has Cryptonite Kid on target for the $250,000 Cup and Saucer, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for Canadian-breds on Oct. 14.

Cool Gator is an Ontario-bred son of Macho Uno, who used his victory in the 2000 Grey as a stepping-stone to success in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and an Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The drought ends here. A long Kentucky summer with very little rain coincided with a dearth of equine starpower, but the latter of those shortages will come to an abrupt halt Friday when Keeneland opens its 17-day fall meet with a weekend featuring many of the best Thoroughbreds in training in North America.

ARCADIA, Calif. - In the last week, jockey Joe Talamo has learned that sitting on the sidelines is best avoided.

Talamo was to return from a three-day suspension on Thursday, having missed time after dropping an appeal of a riding infraction incurred at Del Mar earlier this year. The suspension left Talamo with more time on his hands than expected. While away from riding, he spent the mornings working horses and the afternoons playing Southern California tourist.

"I went to the beach to keep occupied," he said. "I went to Disneyland. You've got to stay busy."

ELMONT, N.Y. - The rematch is set.

Ready's Image, the beaten favorite in last month's Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga, has been confirmed as a starter for Saturday's Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont Park, where he will meet Hopeful winner Majestic Warrior.

Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Ready's Image, chose the Champagne over the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland for Ready's Image mainly because Keeneland's Polytrack has typically favored horses coming from off the pace.