Sunland Park closed its 2006-2007 meet Sunday with solid gains in handle, according to track figures. The El Paso, Texas, track had an increase of 8.4 percent in total ontrack and daily average ontrack handle on its own races over last year’s meet. Total handle on Sunland’s races for the recent 79-day meet, which ran from Dec. 15, 2006, through April 29, came to $8.7 million, compared with $8 million for the 2005-2006 meet of the same length. That amounts to an average daily handle increase to $110,394, up from $101,852.

SHAKOPEE, Minn. - The future of Canterbury Park appeared to be at a crossroads last autumn when construction on the Dean Kutz Memorial Chapel was halted while track officials weighed the possibility of developing the portion of the property where the chapel and the backstretch area are situated.

Construction on the chapel - named in honor of the deceased jockey - has now resumed, though, and the main beams of the vaulted chapel roof were raised and bolted into place during the past week, signaling that Canterbury Park will continue to be a fixture on the Midwest racing circuit.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Two new faces and one old face will likely have a major impact on the 2007 Assiniboia Downs meet, which opens Saturday.

Trainers Jonathan Nance and Jim Ferguson, the top two trainers at Portland Meadows this past winter, both will run horses locally for the first time and should challenge perennial leading trainer Ardell Sayler for the top spot.

Veteran trainers Carl Anderson, Tom Gardipy Jr., Emile Corbel, and Clay Brinson can also be expected to produce solid numbers.

FORT ERIE, Ontario - Fort Erie opens an 84-day meeting Saturday that runs through Oct. 30. That's a reduction of 20 days from last year's schedule.

Total purse money last year for the 104-day meet was $13 million. This year, the projection is for $10 million.

The drastic measures were taken due to dramatically reduced revenue in recent years from the 1,200 slots in the adjoining casino. About 75 percent of the purse money comes from this source.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - There appears to be a shortage of stakes-caliber fillies and mares in California.

Sunday's $100,000 Hawthorne Handicap over 1 1/16 miles at Hollywood Park might have only five starters. As of Wednesday, the probable starters were Ballado's Thunder, Cantabria, Flow Chart, and Seafree.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - For the stakes winner Reata's Rocket, the trail to the $1 million Queen's Plate will run through Lone Star Park. He was flown here late last month and has been training toward a start in the Grade 3, $300,000 Lone Star Derby on May 12.

"We thought it would be a nice stepping-stone on our way to the Queen's Plate, and with a little luck, we show up and run our race," said Joe Orseno, who trains Reata's Rocket.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Winter- and spring-raced horses figure to dominate during the early portion of the 110th Fort Erie meeting, which begins Saturday.

Nick Gonzalez, Fort Erie's leading trainer last year, said many horsemen are behind schedule because of poor track conditions resulting from bad weather this spring.

AUBURN, Wash. - Rider Leslie Mawing caught a bad break when he was injured at Turf Paradise on March 12. A deep contusion on his left thigh cut short a successful season in Phoenix, causing Mawing to be sidelined for more than a month.

Some clouds have a silver lining, however, and from his current vantage point Mawing feels his forced vacation was probably for the good.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Godolphin Stable, which had a banner 2006 season in New York while winning stakes with Discreet Cat, Ashkal Way, and Afrashad, got off to a fast start when Utopia ($6.80) posted a game come-again victory under Mike Luzzi in the Grade 3, $105,700 Westchester Handicap on Wednesday's opening day at Belmont Park.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Two years ago, the Kentucky Derby was all about Nick Zito. With a record-tying five Derby starters, Zito went so far as to have Churchill Downs personnel construct a barrier around his barn to keep out the media and other curiosity-seekers: "The Great Wall of Zito," as it became informally known.

This year, there was no such need. Zito has no Derby starter, which he said "kind of" bothers him.

"I've had enough experience to last a lifetime," said Zito, referring to his 19 career Derby starters, "although I wouldn't mind some more of it."