BOSSIER CITY, La. - Wildrally, patiently handled by John Jacinto, split horses with an authoritative move nearing the eighth pole before pulling away to capture Saturday's $75,000 A. L. 'Red" Erwin Stakes for Louisiana-bred 3-year-olds at Louisiana Downs. Hallway turned in a late run of his own to take down the place spot followed by Quite Sultry and Tortuga Straits.

Bob Baffert said Midnight Lute belonged in the top 10 of horses he’s trained. Saturday, the 4-year-old colt showed why his trainer felt that way.

After stalking the pace set by Attila’s Storm and High Finance, Midnight Lute took control midway around the far turn and galloped home a 2 1/4-length winner over Benny the Bull in the Grade 1, $250,000 Forego Stakes at Saratoga. It was 9 1/4 lengths back to Attila’s Storm in third.

The final time of 1:21.06, when translated to fifths, equaled the stakes record of 1:21 at the seven-furlong distance set by Housebuster in 1991.

SARATOGA SPRINGS. N.Y. - Lawyer Ron took command of Saturday's Woodward Stakes with three furlongs remaining and 38.15 seconds later he took control of the handicap division with a devastatingly easy 8 1/4-length victory in the Grade 1, $500,000 race.

Sun King rallied to get second by 1 1/4 lengths over Diamond Stripes. It was three-quarters of a length back to Corinthian, who was followed in the order of finish by Political Force, Brass Hat, Wanderin Boy, and Magna Graduate.

CINCINNATI - Owner Carl Pollard and trainer David Vance engineered quite a coup seven years ago when Caressing won the Bassinet Stakes, then went on to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at 45-1.

Pollard and Vance didn't come close to committing another promising filly, Kadira, to the Oct. 27 BC Juvenile Fillies, but the filly did her part of completing the first half of that unusual sweep Saturday when she prevailed by a nose after a stretch-long duel with Dreabons Legacy in the $100,000 Bassinet at River Downs.

DEL MAR, Calif. - With just two wins from his first 45 starters at Del Mar, trainer Ron McAnally says he is not pleased with his stable's results this summer.

The two winners may still salvage the meeting. The 2-year-old filly Izarra, a maiden race winner July 29, starts in Monday's $250,000 Del Mar Debutante. The 2-year-old colt E Z's Gentleman starts in Wednesday's $250,000 Del Mar Futurity.

"It will make a mediocre meeting a lot better if we can win with one of them," McAnally said.

MIAMI - Wise Answer took advantage of the absence of division leader Big City Man and a mishap that caused Turnpike Tommy to lose his rider leaving the chute to register an easy 6 3/4-length triumph over Hey Byrn in Saturday's $150,000 Affirmed Division of the Florida Stallion Stakes.

The Affirmed was the sixth and last stakes on Calder's Juvenile Showcase program, which featured all 2-year-old races, and completed an all-stakes pick six that returned $8,123.40 for $1.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Owner Jim Scatuorchio could have two grass runners in the Breeders' Cup here following Icy Atlantic's course-record victory Saturday in the Grade 3, $150,000 Red Bank Stakes at Monmouth Park.

Scatuorchio, who resides in nearby Rumson, N.J., also owns English Channel, who posted a second straight win in the Gradeo1 United Nations Stakes here earlier in the season.

English Channel is being pointed toward the Breeders' Cup Turf, while Icy Atlantic has emerged as a candidate for the Breeders' Cup Mile on the turf. Both are trained by Todd Pletcher.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Speak Wisely notched her first stakes win in her turf debut Saturday at Woodbine in the $128,600 Ontario Colleen, a one-mile event for 3-year-old fillies.

Todd Kabel had Speak Wisely stalking in second on the backstretch as outsider Northern City set a fast pace until the top of the stretch. Speak Wisely hit the front exiting the turn, and then held off both favored Audacious Chloe and Sprung in the stretch to prevail by 2o3/4 lengths in a time of 1:34.71.

Nobiz Like Shobiz earned his second straight victory since switching to the turf, holding off a late charge from Twilight Meteor by a nose to win the Grade 3, $501,200 Kent Stakes for 3-year-olds Saturday at Delaware Park.

Trainer Barclay Tagg made the surface switch when Nobiz Like Shobiz, the Wood Memorial winner, started running down - burning his heels - on the main track.

Some racehorses are at their best when they have a target to go after. The same could be said for Suffolk Downs officials as they try to land this year's Massachusetts Handicap headliner.

When the $300,000 Mass Cap comes back Sept. 22 to the East Boston, Mass., track, it will be after a two-year absence and it will be ungraded. In 1995, when the race was run after a five-year absence, Suffolk officials initiated a bonus system that landed Cigar, who was in the midst of a 16-race winning streak.