HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Jewels N Gems should be happy to feel the grass under her feet again when she takes on seven other fillies and mares in Friday's $49,500 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park.

Jewels N Gems has finished off the board in each of her last three starts, all on dirt, two of which were originally scheduled for the turf but were switched to the main track. She had not finished worse than third in any of her five starts before that, all on the grass, a streak that includes two stakes wins, one in Gulfstream's $50,000 Bob Slater Stakes last April.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Riche Americaine makes her U.S. debut in a $63,000 allowance race at Santa Anita on Friday, coming off a career-best performance - and with the full support of her new trainer.

The 4-year-old filly won a minor stakes in France in her last start, in September, a 36-1 upset in a race over about 1 1/4 miles on turf. And Riche Americaine has so impressed trainer Julio Canani with her recent training that he is quietly hoping that she can develop into a contender for the $200,000 Santa Barbara Handicap here in April.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - When trainer Rusty Arnold announced last fall that he was pulling out of New York after more than two decades of stabling here, he said that he would come back for selected races.

"We can't survive without New York racing," Arnold said last September.

The first New York race of 2007 that Arnold has selected to participate in is Saturday's $65,000 Dearly Precious Stakes, in which he will run the well-bred but lightly raced Aspiring.

Leah's Secret will be the starting 118-pound highweight Saturday in the $300,000 Barbara Fritchie Breeders' Cup Handicap, one of two Grade 2 races during the Presidents Day weekend at Laurel Park.

The Fritchie is the feature of a Saturday card that also includes the $115,000 John B. Campbell BC Handicap. The Grade 2, $300,000 General George BC Handicap on Monday will round out the stakes action at the Laurel, Md., track.

The Neil Howard barn already has won one third-level allowance for older route horses at this Fair Grounds meet, and should be favored to take another with Crossword in the featured ninth race on Friday in New Orleans. Student Council won well for Howard in a one-mile third-level allowance race on Jan. 4, then went to Sam Houston and captured the Maxxam Gold Cup. Stakes action also could await Crossword if he can handle a class rise Thursday.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Less than 90 minutes before Sunday's seventh race, trainer Pete Anderson received a call from clerk of scales Victor Sanchez informing him that jockey Manoel Cruz had taken ill and could not ride his 3-year-old Delightful Kiss in the entry-level allowance race.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Trainer Sal Gonzalez wants to start Proud Tower Too one more time before a scheduled start in the $2 million Golden Shaheen in Dubai on March 31.

The winner of the 2006 Golden Shaheen, Proud Tower Too has started twice at the current Santa Anita meeting, placing in two stakes. The 5-year-old horse is likely to try for his first win of 2007 in Saturday's $150,000 San Carlos Handicap at seven furlongs.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Handicappers had an additional 48 hours to pore over Friday's card at Aqueduct, since the nine races are the exact same ones that were carded for Wednesday, when live racing was canceled due to a winter storm.

A few extra days probably doesn't hurt Carminooch, who is running in Friday's featured $65,000 Champagneforashley Stakes for New York-breds. Carminooch is running back just 19 days after winning the Proud Appeal overnight stakes by a head over Successful Affair. That race was run at 1 1/4 miles, while the Champagneforashely is run at a mile and 70 yards.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Every six months, Siren Lure's career seems to go in a different direction.

Last winter, Siren Lure seemed best running in turf sprints. By the fall, the gelding had switched to dirt and was a leading contender for the Eclipse Award for outstanding sprinter.

For 2007, the plan may change again. Trainer Art Sherman has his eye on stretching out Siren Lure to two turns, particularly in races on turf.

"I think it will be easier on him and we can keep him around longer," Sherman said.

Turfway Park canceled its Wednesday and Thursday programs, marking the sixth and seventh full or partial cancellations at the Florence, Ky., track since the winter-spring meet began Jan. 1.

Track president Bob Elliston said the cancellations were attributable to severe weather that made conditions unsafe for jockeys.

Weather.com reported at 3:30 p.m. Eastern that the temperature in Florence was 19 degrees, with a wind chill of 5 degrees. Similarly frigid temperatures were forecast for Thursday.