Many of the bigger stables on the Kentucky circuit keep a string locally during the winter while sending their best horses elsewhere. At times, the players are interchangeable, depending on which horses fit what races best.

Ken McPeek has yet to decide whether Moon Berry will be better off joining his 27-horse contingent at Gulfstream Park or remaining behind with the balance of the stable at McPeek's farm, located next to the Victory Haven training center in Lexington, Ky. He will get a better idea Saturday when Moon Berry runs in the $50,000 My Charmer Stakes at Turfway Park.

CHICAGO - There were 11 horses entered Thursday in the Pat Whitworth Debutante, a 1 1/16-mile dirt race for Illinois-bred 2-year-old fillies. Only three of them have raced around two turns, and the question of who will stay the trip is central to the larger question of who will win the Whitworth.

What is not in question is that Magnetic Miss, one of the favorites and the winner last month of the Showtime Deb Stakes, will break from a terrible spot, post 11.

"Tell them to redraw the race," said the ever-colorful trainer Spanky Broussard.

More Than Regal looks like a solid favorite Saturday in the $150,000 Zia Park Derby, with perhaps his biggest challenge coming from one barn. Trainer Chris Hartman will send out two capable starters in Guiding Hand, who is rapidly improving, and Wait in Line, who was third to More Than Regal in the $250,000 Iowa Derby in June.

"We're looking for good efforts from both our horses," said Hartman. "I like our chances."

OLDSMAR, Fla. – There is nothing more daunting to a horseplayer than a full field of young runners coming from a number of different racetracks, but that’s exactly what players will face on Saturday when 11 2-year-olds go to the post in the $60,000 Inaugural Stakes, the opening day feature at Tampa Bay Downs.

OLDSMAR Fla. – A new racing secretary and a state of the art infield video screen to help fans better follow their runners are some of the changes Tampa Bay Downs has made for its 94-day season that begins Saturday and runs through May 6. But, as has been the case here for several years, the main attraction of the Tampa meet will be full fields of competitive runners racing over a safe and consistent main track and a lush turf course.

MIAMI - After Soldier's Dancer ran off the screen winning his grass debut by a widening 6 3/4 lengths in the Arthur Appleton Juvenile Turf Stakes on Nov. 11, trainer David Vivian tried his best to temper his enthusiasm for his latest 2-year-old prospect.

"Let's see if he can do that again before we get too excited," said Vivian.

The Ontario Racing Commission has issued a notice suspending the license of owner-trainer Ken Parsley for 10 years.

An ORC investigation found that Parsley had purchased or received various illegal drugs and medications, including EPO, which boosts the production of red blood cells and is illegal to possess or use on a horse.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Jockey Patrick Husbands took off his mounts Wednesday night and will not ride here at Woodbine again this year.

"Mr. Husbands submitted a letter to the stewards today, asking to be released from his riding commitments for the last five days of the meet," said Brent Stone, supervisor of Thoroughbred racing for the Ontario Racing Commission, on Wednesday. "Obviously, it relates to the situation surrounding him and Constant Montpellier. I really can't say anything much more than that."

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Sensational Score's last two starts make assessing this 3-year-old colt difficult. He won the Pomona Derby at Fairplex Park on Sept. 23, but returned to finish seventh in the Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park a month later.

Trainer Mike Machowsky is convinced that Sensational Score is as good as his win in the Pomona Derby. His opinion will be tested when Sensational Score starts in an optional claimer at 1 1/16 miles at Hollywood Park on Friday. A win would propel him into stakes at the upcoming Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.

Since he was a child growing up in Sunset, La., Joseph Stanley Boxie has fooled around with horses, sometimes more than others. He rode match races at central Louisiana bush tracks before Evangeline Downs even opened, until in 1957 he took a spill and broke both his arms.

Boxie drove a city bus in Opelousas, La., while training a couple horses on the side. Retired from bus driving, Boxie dabbled in part-time landscaping, and was working on the lawn of one Charles Castille in Lafayette, La., when his ship came in.