SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - As much experience as Kodiak Kowboy had winning three of his first four starts, he had never been down on the inside before or had to come through horses.

In Thursday's Grade 2, $150,000 Saratoga Special, Kodiak Kowboy showed his trainer Steve Asmussen that those obstacles were no problem. Kodiak Kowboy overcame his rail draw and split horses sweetly in upper stretch en route to a three-length victory over the late-running The Roundhouse. It was 5 1/4 lengths back to Riley Tucker in third.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer John Charalambous had a lucrative Woodbine meeting in 2006, with his trio of London Snow, Soul Rebel, and Summer Girlfriend leading the way.

London Snow, owned by Kirk Bradden Racing Stable, won four races, including a pair of stakes, and earned $250,980.

Soul Rebel, owned by Richard Day's Kingview Farm, won three allowance races and was stakes-placed while banking $139,790.

Summer Girlfriend, owned by Allen Abbot's Equilease Racing Stable, won the Star Shoot and $108,517.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Lava Man's rail post position for Sunday's $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar does not concern trainer Doug O'Neill as much as the other 12 entrants in the 1 1/4-mile race.

With a run of nearly three furlongs to the first turn, O'Neill expects Lava Man to be in a stalking position before the field reaches the backstretch. After that, the horse's ability will have to carry him to his first victory on a Polytrack synthetic surface.

FORT ERIE, Ontario - Lyle "Butch" Morden is rolling along at a 44 percent win rate as the Fort Erie meet rounds out the summer.

In addition to his local stable, Morden has a number of runners at Woodbine and has had four winners there from 27 starters, a 14 percent mark.

Morden, who lives in Fort Erie, commutes back and forth six times a week between the two tracks for a good part of the spring and summer.

Now, he has cut back to three trips per week and has given his son Richard the opportunity to oversee more of the Toronto operation.

HENDERSON, Ky. - Although there is no shortage of stakes races in North America restricted to 3-year-old fillies, trainer Gary Hartlage is bucking conventional wisdom by running High Heels against older fillies and mares in the Gardenia Handicap at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Not only is the Massachusetts Handicap coming back to the Suffolk Downs schedule on Sept. 22, so is its companion sprint race, the James B. Moseley Memorial Handicap, track management announced Thursday.

The six-furlong Moseley, which will carry a $100,000 purse, will join two $45,000 stakes on Massachusetts Handicap Day, as the track's new owner, Richard Fields, pushes to put Suffolk back on the national stage. Fields announced the return of the handicap in June.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - After watching C P West and Helsinki turn in satisfactory workouts Thursday morning, trainer Nick Zito said both 3-year-olds would challenge Street Sense in the $1 million Travers Stakes here on Aug. 25.

"Right now, these two are in; they're definites provided there are no problems," Zito said.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Dreaming of Anna ran her best race of the year winning the Virginia Oaks last month, and she is headed to the Pucker Up Stakes on Sept. 8. Lewis Michael just aired in the Washington Park Handicap, and could be on track for a start in the Dubai World Cup. And to hear trainer Wayne Catalano talk, he and owner Frank Calabrese have added a third horse to the upper echelon of their rampaging stable.

Horseplayers from 17 different states are signed up to participate in Oaklawn Park's qualifying tournament for the Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship, said Jason Milligan, a spokesman for the Hot Springs, Ark., track. The tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday, with the first three finishers earning a trip to Las Vegas to compete in the 2008 Championship on Jan. 25-26.

Tempting Date has a date with the California Cup, according to her trainer, Chris Hartman. The winner of the $50,000 Adena Springs Turf Sprint earlier this month at Remington Park, Tempting Date has as a year-end goal a second victory in the $150,000 Cal Cup Distaff Handicap at Santa Anita on Nov. 3.

"That's our goal, to get to the Cal Cup at the end of the year," said Hartman.