Despite facing competition from the Cleveland Browns home opener on Sunday, Thistledown posted records for wagering last weekend.

The track's director of mutuels, Bob Hickey, said that $960,144 was bet offtrack on Saturday's card, a record for a card other than an Ohio Derby Day. On Sunday, $843,215 was wagered offtrack. That figure would have been a record if not for Saturday.

Hickey said that Thistledown has established a presence in the New York City offtrack betting market.

ERIE, Pa. - A field of eight was entered on Wednesday for the $400,000 Presque Isle Masters, the highlight of this inaugural meet. The six-furlong race over Tapeta is for fillies and mares and will be run Saturday along with two $175,000 supporting stakes.

The expected favorite is Shaggy Mane, who finished second in the Grade 1 Princess Rooney at Calder in her last out July 7 at Calder. She will ship in from Southern California for trainer Don Chatlos after working on the synthetic surfaces at Del Mar and Hollywood Park.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Reade Baker and jockey Jim McAleney will have plenty of stakes on their plates this weekend.

On Saturday, Baker will send out Bear Holiday for the $125,000 Swynford, a seven-furlong stakes for 2-year-olds that goes as the fourth race at Woodbine.

Bear Holiday is undefeated in three starts and will be seeking his third consecutive stakes score under regular rider Jerry Baird.

In the eighth race, Baker and McAleney will team up with Dash It Darling in the $125,000 La Prevoyante, a one-mile turf race for Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies.

BOSSIER CITY, La. - Next Saturday's Super Derby is the highlight of the biggest day of the Louisiana Downs meet, but the four supporting turf races, all worth $200,000, have drawn a lot of interest themselves.

"It has been crazy," said Tommy Sibille, the track's stakes coordinator, during a brief lull in what seemed to be a constant stream of phone calls Wednesday morning. "This has got to be some kind of record for nominations. It seems everybody is interested in those turf races."

Leonnatus Anteas, the champion 2-year-old last year in Canada, could make his first start outside of his home country next weekend at Louisiana Downs. He is being seriously considered for the Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby on Sept. 22, according to his trainer, Kevin Attard.

"We're looking at it," Attard said Tuesday. "We haven't confirmed it yet, but it's looking like a strong possibility. I've got a meeting with the owners tomorrow, and we're going to discuss it."

The director of racing at Portland Meadows, Jerry Kohls, has released a schedule of 20 stakes and 12 invitational handicaps to be run at the track's upcoming meeting, which will include 60 days of racing from Oct. 7, 2007, through Marcho11, 2008.

More than $327,000 will be up for grabs in the 20 stakes, with the biggest chunk allocated for the March 10 running of the $30,000 Portland Meadows Mile. The mile's purse is up $5,000 from last season. Also up $5,000 is the purse for the Marcho11 Oregon Derby, which now stands at $25,000.

A ground-saving trip under Martin Pedroza produced an upset in Monday's $64,350 Foothill Stakes at Fairplex. Prime Ruler stayed inside, cut the corner into the stretch, and won over two rivals who lost significant ground rallying wide. The runner-up, I'm All Out, hung after a six-wide rally, while Lit'sgoodlookngray finished a length farther back in third after a four-wide rally.

MIAMI - Take D' Tour has returned to her Calder base following Saturday's disappointing fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Ruffian at Belmont Park.

"This is a tough game to figure," trainer David Fawkes said. "She couldn't have been training any better going into the race. Her last work was perfect, and then she goes out and doesn't beat a horse on Saturday. She wasn't training nearly as well before we took her up there the last time when she beat Ginger Punch to win a Grade 1," in the Ogden Phipps.

AUBURN, Wash. - Sixty-nine horses have been nominated to contest the seven stakes races on Sunday's fifth annual Washington Cup Day card, but most of the attention and a big chunk of the wagering will be focused on The Great Face in the $50,000 Muckleshoot Tribal Classic at 1 1/16 miles.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - A total of eight shippers from the United States are slated to run in Sunday's Grade 1, $1 million Woodbine Mile.

As of Tuesday the only invader on the grounds was Becrux, last year's Woodbine Mile winner, who arrived a week earlier.

Dead Red was due in from Florida on Wednesday, with Remarkable News, Shakespeare, Art Master, Kip Deville, Host, and Galantas all expected to arrive on Thursday.