ARCADIA, Calif. - With Cambiocorsa having been retired, the queen of the hill has abdicated her throne. Cambiocorsa was the undisputed queen of Santa Anita's hillside turf course, over which she won several stakes, including last year's Irish O'Brien Stakes. Six older California-bred fillies and mares are signed up for this year's $125,000 Irish O'Brien on Saturday, and though River's Prayer and Gn. Group Meeting are the most accomplished of the group, La Tormenta is an intriguing alternative, most notably because of her aptitude over the tricky 6 1/2-furlong turf course.

NEW ORLEANS - Trainer Al Stall Jr. wanted to give his talented 3-year-old filly Total every chance to earn a spot in the best races for her division this spring, but her seventh-place finish in Fair Grounds Oaks has convinced him to return her to sprinting. Accordingly, Stall has mapped out a new plan for Total.

Dale Romans isn't concerned about the WinStar Derby being an ungraded race. If Solemn Promise, the colt he is shipping to Sunland Park for the $600,000 race on Sunday, "shows he's worthy of hitting the Kentucky Derby trail by winning this race, we'll be sure to find a graded race for him next time," said Romans.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Eddie Martin Jr. has found a home in New York.

The longtime rider from New Orleans arrived late last year and has settled into a comfortable groove at Aqueduct.

Entering Thursday, Martin was seventh in the standings. With the inner-track season winding down, Martin has no plans to leave. He will remain for the main-track meet, slated to start April 4, and then head to Belmont Park when it opens on May 2.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – With weather forecasts predicting 4 to 6 inches of snow in the New York area, Aqueduct canceled its Friday card.

The announcement was made early Thursday afternoon.

There will be no simulcasting at the track Friday but account holders can wager through the New York Racing Association's telebet system.

Jockey Casey Lambert is out indefinitely after being injured in a spill at Sunland Park last week. Lambert was aboard Slooter Scooter in Sunland's 10th race March 6. Slooter Scooter was prompting the pace when he stumbled on the far turn and fell. Lambert suffered a compound fracture of the arm and a broken jaw. Lambert ranked ninth in the standings with 14 wins from 134 mounts before his fall.

No Fortune quietly gave trainer Marv Johnson his 1,500th career victory last Sunday.

Johnson, a seven-time winner of the training title at Fonner Park, had no idea he had accomplished the feat when he was notified by phone on Wednesday morning. Johnson began his training career in 1976 and has amassed a total, through last Sunday, of 1,501 wins from 9,663 starters for earnings of over $8.5 million. Early in his career he trained Ogataul, who won eight stakes. He has won numerous training titles in Nebraska and now breeds many of his own runners.

Fass Feat, who is unbeaten and untested in three career starts, is shipping into Delta Downs for Friday night's $75,000 Bayou State. He will be making his two-turn debut in the seven-furlong race for 4-year-olds and up, which is restricted to Louisiana-breds who have never won a stakes. The Bayou State drew a competitive field of 10.

The race is one of two restricted stakes on the card. The other is the $75,000 Azalea for statebred fillies and mares who have never won a stakes, and its leading contenders are Golden Demand, who is stakes-placed, Boro and Queezee Deezee.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Special Dream will make her graded stakes debut Saturday in the $100,000 Cicada Stakes at Aqueduct.

The Grade 3 Cicada, for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs, is the main event at Aqueduct this weekend.

The Cicada looks like an opportune time for Special Dream to take the plunge, following a commanding eight-length win in the Big A's Dearly Precious Stakes on Feb. 17.

Trained by Philadelphia Park-based trainer Guadalupe Preciado, Special Dream will make her fourth straight start over the inner track in the Cicada.

Fair Grounds on Wednesday announced the third purse increase of its ongoing meet, and beginning Thursday will add $12,000 to every non-stakes race during the remainder of the season.

The track, thanks to a fat purse account entering the 2006-2007 season, plus steady business on its live product, and at offtrack betting and video poker parlors, is offering the best purse structure ever in Louisiana.