OCEANPORT, N.J. - Park Avenue Ball, the most successful active New Jersey-bred, will miss most of the summer while recuperating from throat surgery.

The procedure was performed June 5 at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center. The

5-year-old returned to trainer Jim Ryerson's Monmouth Park barn earlier this week.

A breathing problem was detected after Park Avenue Ball ran sixth last time out, in his turf debut in Monmouth's Elkwood Stakes on May. 26.

"The surgery could help him for the races in the fall," Ryerson said.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Lone Star Park track-record-holder Miss Missile suffered her first career defeat Saturday when a troubled fourth in the Texas Thoroughbred Association Sales Futurity, but the loss will not change long-held plans to test her in graded stakes company.

Charlie Smith, who owns and trains Miss Missile, said she is scheduled to start next in the Grade 3, $100,000 Debutante at Churchill Downs on Julyo7.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Over a span of seven weeks, in consecutive starts, Time to Get Even went from winning a maiden race to his first graded stakes win. The sudden rise of the 3-year-old has left trainer Walther Solis and the partnership that owns the colt in an enviable position.

Solis says the phone rings occasionally with offers to buy Time to Get Even, who cost a grand total of $5,000 at the 2005 Keeneland September yearling sale. Solis insists that Murrietta Racing Stable and its partners and are not interested in selling.

This track is still abuzz about Chad Johnson's appearance here last weekend. Johnson raced the Thoroughbred Restore the Roar, and won by 12 lengths. After the race, Johnson talked about taking on Floyd Mayweather in boxing, Lebron James in basketball, and Jeff Gordon in an automobile race. Johnson donated his time to the charity fundraiser and did not charge an appearance fee. An estimated crowd of more than 8,000 people turned out to watch the event, promoted as "Man vs. Beast."

The catalog for the inaugural Oklahoma City Summer Thoroughbred yearling sale on Aug.18 is expected to number between 50 and 60 horses, said sales manager Terri Carter. Consignments closed last Friday, with catalogs due out July 10.

The sale will be held at a new, state-of-the-art sales pavilion at the state fairgrounds in Oklahoma City, about 10 minutes from Remington Park.

The sale will begin at 11 a.m. Central.

Trainer Ronnie Allen and jockey Mary Doser celebrated milestone wins this past week.

Allen saddled Valley Loot to win the $50,000 Regret Stakes for his 1,000th career win. His daughter Kimberly owns the Michigan-bred filly, who led all the way, and Allen's son, Mike, was aboard for the win.

The lineups have been set for the $100,000 divisions of the D.S. "Shine" Young Futurity, which will anchor Louisiana Legends Night here on June 30. Four trials were held for fillies and four for colts and geldings last Friday and Saturday, with the top three finishers from each trial moving on to the finals.

In the filly trials on Friday, Countess Noel recorded the fastest time. A Count the Time filly trained by Dale Angelle, Countess Noel outfinished the Steve Asmussen-trained Hisse in a time of 59.40 seconds for the five furlongs.

Apprentice Jenna Joubert won her first career race last Thursday on the Minnesota-bred maiden Marina Nolan.

Joubert, 22, piloted Marina Nolan to victory in a statebred contest for 2-year old fillies. The mount was the seventh of Joubert's career and her second aboard Marina Nolan, a Red Rarick trainee who finished fourth in her career debut last month.

Retama Park near San Antonio will run its two premier stakes, the $100,000 El Joven and the $100,000 La Senorita, on Oct. 27, almost two months later than usual. The conditions for the 2-year-old stakes will remain the same as in the past, with both set for one mile on turf. Nominations close July 6.

The new date was necessitated in part by a change to Retama's racing calendar. The track will not open its fall Thoroughbred meet until Sept. 7 this year, as opposed to August in past years. The 32-night season will run through Nov. 17.

Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., is accepting entries for its two-day qualifying tournament to the Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship. Oaklawn's qualifier will be held on Aug. 18-19. The first three finishers will earn a trip to the championship next January in Las Vegas.

The first-place finisher in the Oaklawn tournament will win $10,000. The tournament will pay back to 10th place.