HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - A quarter-mile into Saturday's Mervin H. Muniz Handicap at the Fair Grounds, trainer Helen Pitts's heart was in her throat. A half-mile into the race and it was a wonder she had any pulse at all after watching all the trouble her Grade 1 winner Einstein had encountered.

But to his credit, Einstein overcame every obstacle thrown his way and went on to a gutsy 1 1/2-length victory over Cloudy's Knight in the Grade 2 Muniz.

Gulfstream Park's second and larger slots room could be open for business as early as Wednesday, according to the track's president and general manager, Bill Murphy.

"The regulators will be testing the equipment into the night, but we're confident that if all goes well we'll have their approval to open the new room on Wednesday," Murphy said Monday afternoon.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - How slow can they go? That seemed to be the common thread linking Saturday's two Grade 3 stakes - the $200,000 Gotham for 3-year-olds and the $107,100 Toboggan for older sprinters.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Teuflesberg wired the field in the $250,000 Southwest last month at Oaklawn, but his trainer, Jamie Sanders, looks for him to face a different pace scenario on Saturday when he takes on new rivals Flying First Class and Curlin in the Grade 3, $300,000 Rebel. She also looks for him to adapt well after a key work here Sunday.

"I would think that he'll probably be sitting third," Sanders said. "He'll be close, but he won't be on it. He'll rate off a horse.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Lava Man is going to Dubai.

The 6-year-old Lava Man, winner of nine straight in California but unplaced in four starts outside the state, will work Sunday at Hollywood Park and leave for Dubai two days later.

Owned by Steve and David Kenly's STD Racing Stable and Jason Wood, Lava Man will aim for the $5 million Dubai Duty Free, a turf race over about 1 1/8 miles on Dubai World Cup Night, March 31. Lava Man has won his last three on grass and his connections believe he is most effective on that surface. Lava Man has not raced on grass outside California.

Famous Gal ($5.60), who fell a neck short of Against the Law in the Dancin at the Wire on Feb. 3, turned the tables on the favorite with a 3 1/4-length victory in Sunday's $45,000 Cactus Cup Stakes at Turf Paradise.

Sent off the 9-5 second choice in the field of six 3-year-old fillies going 6 1/2 furlongs, Famous Gal pressed pacesetter Extraordinary Girl early, went toe-to-toe with that rival from the end of the backstretch to midstretch but then put that rival away and drew off to win comfortably.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Rags to Riches uncorked a dazzling burst of speed at the quarter pole of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks, and in the blink of an eye the 3-year-old filly was gone. The question now, where is she headed?

A five and one-half length romp over Silver Swallow in the $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks stamped Rags to Riches ($2.80) as the nation’s leading 3-year-old filly. After the race, trainer Todd Pletcher and co-owner Michael Tabor considered the possibility of facing colts.

Bold Angel gave Stonerside Stable its third consecutive stakes win at Sam Houston Race Park, when she won Saturday night's $45,000 Sam Houston Oaks at 25-1, finishing a length and three-quarters in front of runner-up Hart's Sunset, who was 16-1. The 2-8 exacta paid $611.40.

Bold Angel ($53) was prominent throughout the one-mile race, leading the field through fractions of 23.89 for the opening quarter and 48.25 for the half-mile mark before going on to cover the distance over a fast track in 1:39.80.

Paul Nolan rode the winner for trainer Michael Stidham.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Allen Jerkens, in the midst of a terrific meet, added another notch to his belt this time at the expense of Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Round Pond when Miss Shop drew off to an impressive 6 3/4 length victory in Sunday’s $200,000 Rampart Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

Round Pond, making her first start since her easy victory in the BC Distaff four months earlier, finished a tiring and badly beaten fourth as the 2-5 favorite after taking a futile run at the leaders around the second turn.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Heavily favored Smokey Stover ($2.40) accomplished one new thing with his facile victory in the $100,000 Grade 3 Bay Meadows Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Bay Meadows on Sunday.

The 4-year-old, who has six victories and four seconds in 10 starts, won his third straight, recording his first graded-stakes victory.

“Off that big effort in the Sunshine Millions Sprint, you might look for him to regress, but he didn’t,” said winning jockey Aaron Gryder.