Laurel Park has canceled its live racecard next Friday, citing a planned rally that morning in front of the Maryland state capitol in advance of hearings to discuss the possibility of legalizing slot machines at the state's racetracks.

Laurel, which will provide buses to the capitol building in Annapolis for its employees and trainers based at the track and Bowie Training Center, said that the rally will begin at 9 a.m. The state legislature's hearings on slot machines are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Yes It's a Cat held off a late threat from Sky Cape to win the $81,200 Pinjara Stakes at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting on Friday. But the one-mile distance of the turf race may be on the outside of Yes It's a Cat's range, trainer Jeff Mullins said.

Yes It's a Cat ($10.40) was timed in 1:36.70, winning by a neck after leading by two lengths in the stretch. Sky Cape finished three-quarters of a length in front of Dixie Mon in the field of seven 2-year-olds.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Darrin Miller is experiencing the best training year of his career in 2007, with a win by Dominican in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland and a fifth-place finish from Sedgefield in the Kentucky Derby being two obvious highlights.

He isn't finished. Sunday, on opening day of the Churchill Downs fall meet, a day devoted entirely to 2-year-old racing, Miller has contenders in the day's stakes races: Sgt. Joe in the Grade 3 Iroquois and Anachini in the Grade 3 Pocahontas.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Kentucky Department of Agriculture quarantined barn 47 at Churchill Downs on Friday after a horse trained by David Carroll tested positive for equine herpesvirus (EHV1), a contagious, potentially fatal disease that can cause upper respiratory problems and loss of coordination.

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Mud-loving Forest Park won the $100,000 Monmouth University Stakes on muddy, chill Thursday afternoon at Monmouth Park, where the main track was sloppy and races – including the Monmouth University – were taken off the turf.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Since the summer of 2006, Becrux, Get Funky, and McCann's Mojave have shown moments of brilliance, winning major stakes across the continent. Those accomplishments have earned them prominent roles in Saturday's $100,000 Morvich Handicap at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting.

But there are three others among the field of 11 without a major stakes win in North America that could prove to be equally important in the Grade 3 Morvich, run over about

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Wednesday might have marked the beginning of the most important race meet in Monmouth Park history, but this hardly was a gala kickoff to the four-day Breeders' Cup meet. With no Breeders' Cup races scheduled until Friday, the track was all but deserted on a rainy Wednesday afternoon.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - If the 12 fillies and mares entered for Friday's featured ninth race at Keeneland were starting on dirt at Churchill Downs, instead of over the synthetic Polytrack surface at Keeneland, Mostbeautifulstorm would rank as a midpriced contender. But racing over her favorite surface and over her best distance of seven furlongs, she looms the filly to beat.

The reason is clear. Mostbeautifulstorm is 2 for 2 over Keeneland's Polytrack strip, compared to 0 for 9 elsewhere.

The owner of Los Alamitos Race Course, Ed Allred, and trainers headed by Denny Ekins are working together to provide safe shelter for horses evacuated from the fires that were raging throughout Southern California this week.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Southwest showed a liking for turf when he drew away from nine rivals to win a maiden race by 2 1/4 lengths in his debut on that surface at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting on Oct. 3.

The win gave trainer Gary Mandella and Lazy Lane Farms an excuse to try Southwest in Friday's $60,000 Pinjara Stakes over a mile on turf for 2-year-olds at Santa Anita.

To win the Pinjara, Mandella thinks that Southwest will need to show further development. A repeat of his last race, even though it was a stylish win, may not be enough, Mandella said.