Average daily attendance was up slightly, ontrack handle was even, and overall handle was up 6.7 percent at the Belmont Park fall meet when compared with last year's figures. In calculating its numbers, the New York Racing Association did not include attendance and handle from Breeders' Cup Day 2005.

Things are going so well for trainer Todd Pletcher this year that he can even win a graded stakes on dirt with a son of Theatrical.

Roman Dynasty, a son of the 1987 turf champion, rallied four wide on the turn and outfinished On Board Again and Valid Notebook to win the Grade 3, $107,300 Discovery handicap by a half-length before an on opening-day gathering of 2,374 at Aqueduct.

On Board Again finished second by 2 3/4 lengths over Valid Notebook after coming over on that horse in the stretch. The stewards posted the inquiry sign, but made no change.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Mark Casse, who is at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky sales, was pleased to learn on Thursday that Skip Code had made it into the main body of the field for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

A Kentucky-bred colt owned by Charles Laloggia and based here at Woodbine, Skip Code was among 15 pre-entrants for the Nov. 4 Juvenile and has already checked into Churchill Downs.

In his last start, the Grade 3 Grey at 1 1/16 miles here at Woodbine on Oct. 9, Skip Code was a convincing winner, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 80 under regular rider Patrick Husbands.

CHICAGO - At about 10 a.m. on Wednesday, there already was a decent amount of early speed entered in Friday's featured eighth race at Hawthorne. By the time the race was drawn later in the day, the speed quotient had been seriously multiplied, thanks to the presence of stretchout sprinter It's Handsome I Am, who drew the widest post and seems sure to make for the early lead under jockey Jerry LaSala.

ARCADIA, Calif. - In an eight-race campaign this year, Texcess has nearly earned back the $300,000 that Carl Van Burger and Andy and Scott Anastasi paid for him at the Barretts January mixed sale earlier this year.

Not bad for a 4-year-old gelding on a 16-race losing streak.

Saturday at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting, Texcess has a chance to end that losing streak and provide the partnership and trainer Mike Mitchell with a windfall. Texcess is a leading contender for the $250,000 California Cup Classic, the most lucrative of 11 races for statebreds on Saturday.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - At 8:50 Wednesday morning, Bernardini and Discreet Cat simultaneously walked onto the Belmont Park main track preparing to work out. Unfortunately for racing fans, that's as close as the two will get to each other in the next 10 days.

EDMONTON, Alberta - The 2006 Northlands Park meeting showed a small uptick in all-sources handle on its live Thoroughbred races. The meet, which ended Sunday, handled $10,514,599, a 2.5 percent gain from 2005, when $10,257,863 was bet. There were 72 days of Thoroughbred racing in both 2005 and 2006.

Similarly, purses at the meet were up 5.1 percent, going from $8,599,392 in 2005 to $9,039,410 this year.

Although dates have not been confirmed for 2007, the number of race days is expected to drop to 61, allowing the Standardbred meet to begin earlier.

Remington Park opened a casino the final week of November 2005, and since then has recorded significant gains in handle. A high point came Oct. 20, when Remington handled a meet-best $1,783,106 on its Oklahoma Derby card, which included six stakes. The live handle contributed to the highest all-source handle at Remington since 1999.

When a 66-1 shot came in for horseplayer Keith Davis, it lifted him to a victory over 145 other contestants in the Louisiana Downs qualifier for the Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship. The finale will be held in Las Vegas in January.

ARCADIA, Calif. - It did not take long for trainer Barry Abrams to choose Friday's $60,000 Hidden Light Stakes on turf over Saturday's $125,000 California Cup Juvenile Fillies for the promising Spenditallbaby.

"I want to run on the turf," Abrams said. "I can run on the dirt all the time. She's better on the turf, I believe."

Spenditallbaby has won 2 of 6 starts, with both wins coming on grass. She beat maidens in her second start on the surface at Del Mar in August and returned to win an allowance race at a mile on turf at Golden Gate Fields on Sept. 9.