ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Every good race is enhanced by an element of mystery, and Sunday's $1 million Queen's Plate at Woodbine scores high on that count.

The nine-horse field contains three bona fide dark horses - Leonnatus Anteas, Alezzandro, and Daaher - who may appear to lack the requisite preparation but might have enough talent to overcome that obstacle.

Leonnatus Anteas ordinarily would not be considered an unknown quantity, having won three stakes last year in as many starts and being voted Canada's champion 2-year-old.

CHICAGO - Bettors looking to play against Time Squared in the Native Dancer, an overnight stakes race on Sunday at Arlington Park, can shelve those plans for now. Though Time Squared probably would have been favored in the Native Dancer, a 1 1/16-mile Polytrack race for 3-year-olds, he always was a longshot to actually run in the race.

Indian Ink took advantage of a mid-afternoon rain squall that softened the ground at Royal Ascot on Friday as she swept past three 1,000 Guineas winners to win the $498,000 Coronation Stakes by six widening lengths.

In what was expected to be a battle between English and Irish 1,000 winner Finsceal Beo, her French 1,000 conqueror Darjina, and undefeated German 1,000 winner Mi Emma, Indian Ink crushed them all with a scintillating turn of foot on a good to soft turf course over which none of her 12 rivals were completely comfortable.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Valid Lil appears to be a stakes-winning sprinter in the making. She has won her two starts by a combined margin of 18 1/2 lengths, a record that makes her look imposing Sunday in the featured fifth race at Lone Star Park. Valid Lil's record also suggests it won't be long before she turns up in some statebred stakes in her native Texas.

"I would say she could show up there, and possibly some open stakes," said Bret Calhoun, who trains Valid Lil for Circustown Stables.

MIAMI - Versatility is a valued commodity for any racehorse to possess, but nowhere is it more important than in south Florida during the summer rainy season.

Any horse capable of running on both turf and dirt is worth its weight in gold during the majority of the Calder meet, when sudden downpours can render the grass course useless at a moment's notice and daily rains will force the course to close for weeks at a time.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Trainer Terry Jordan is planing to bring True Metropolitan back to the West Coast after he runs in the Grade 3, $200,000 Dominion Day at Woodbine on July 1.

The main reason for bringing True Metropolitan back is that the purse for the Aug. 19 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs has been boosted to $400,000. Jordan is also planning on running True Metropolitan in the B.C. Cup Classic at Hastings Aug. 6.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Under different circumstances, Neil Howard wouldn't be quite so demanding of one of his horses. But Howard feels he needs up to make up for lost time with Brilliant in trying to make the Grade 2 Firecracker Handicap next Saturday, thus explaining an inordinately busy workout schedule of four breezes in a 15-day span.

"I won't deny that I've kind of been squeezing him a little bit," said Howard.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Last Sunday was Father's Day. Trainer Dominic Galluscio hopes this Sunday is Brother's Day.

Galluscio will saddle full brothers Organizer and Dr. V's Magic in two stakes 33 minutes apart at Belmont Park. The sons of Raffie's Majesty out of the unraced mare Treasure Always figure in the mix of their respective races.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Hollywood Park's announcement Thursday that wax will be added to the top layer of the synthetic main track was greeted with support Friday by several trainers, some of whom questioned why the issue was not addressed earlier.

Citing the results of recent tests that revealed a breakdown in wax content, Hollywood Park will add wax in July, according to track general manager Eual Wyatt Jr. The date of the application has not been finalized.

The material is scheduled to arrive next weekend, Wyatt said. The spring-summer meeting ends July 15.

AUBURN, Wash. - Shampoo won the six-furlong U.S. Bank Stakes under Kevin Radke and she won the 6 1/2-furlong Federal Way Handicap under Mick Ruis. On Sunday, it will be up to Ricky Frazier, the leading stakes rider at Emerald Downs in each of the last three seasons, to keep her streak alive in the $45,000 Irish Day Handicap for 3-year-old fillies at a mile.