Fort Erie Racetrack and the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of Ontario have reached an agreement to reduce racing dates for the next three years in order to maintain the track's current purse structure.

In his third trip to Woodbine, Atticus Kristy will contest Sunday's Grade 2, $500,000 Nearctic Stakes, a supporting feature on Canadian International Day.

Based at Churchill Downs with trainer Merrill Scherer, Atticus Kristy finished third over yielding ground in the 2005 Nearctic. This year, he has been first or second in 6 of 9 starts over six different tracks.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - When Meteor Storm blew into town for a second-place finish in last year's $2omillion Canadian International, he was making the eighth start of a campaign that had started in early March at Santa Anita.

But when Meteor Storm runs in Sunday's Grade 1 Canadian International over 1 1/2 miles of turf, he will be making only his second start of the year, after finishing fourth in the Grade 2 Kelso over one mile of turf at Belmont on Sept. 30.

Marianne Rose makes herself at home wherever she goes. A winner this year at Emerald Downs, Hastings Park, and Fairplex, she has traveled to Zia Park in search of her third straight stakes win Sunday in the $60,000 Permian Basin.

The six-furlong race is for 2-year-old fillies, and the field of seven also includes Lunarlady, the winner of the $40,000 Prairie Meadows Debutante, and Sis Got Game, a winner at Retama Park of her last two starts. Lunarlady was cross-entered in a stakes Friday night at Remington Park.

Barring an unforeseen form reversal, Mr. Mink should win his third consecutive Brickyard Stakes at Hoosier Park on Sunday.

Mr. Mink is such an imposing presence among Indiana-bred sprinters that bettors will be hard pressed to make a legitimate case for any of the other Brickyard starters, which include a veteran $10,000 claimer and a hopelessly overmatched maiden.

The one opponent who would have had an outside chance, Father Art, probably won't run if Mr. Mink runs, as they share common ownership and both have Tom Pompell named to ride.

Golden Gate Fields averaged $2,695,536 in all-sources handle on its races for its 36-day fall meet that ended on Sunday. Precise comparisons with the same period last year are impossible because the fall meet was run last year at Bay Meadows, which conducted 33 days of racing. The 2005 Bay Meadows meeting had an average all-sources daily handle of $2,883,979, 6.5 percent greater than this year’s Golden Gate fall meet.

Total all-sources handle through mid-October on races at Golden Gate and Bay Meadows is down about 5 percent from last year.

Golden Gate Fields averaged $2,695,536 in all-sources handle on its races for its 36-day fall meet that ended on Sunday. Precise comparisons with the same period last year are impossible because the fall meet was run last year at Bay Meadows, which conducted 33 days of racing. The 2005 Bay Meadows meeting had an average all-sources daily handle of $2,883,979, 6.5 percent greater than this year’s Golden Gate fall meet.

Total all-sources handle through mid-October on races at Golden Gate and Bay Meadows is down about 5 percent from last year.

EDMONTON, Alberta - Deputy Fudge is dropping from a third-place finish against allowance company to take on four others for a $30,000 tag here Sunday, the final day of the 2006 Northlands Park meeting.

After an inauspicious early season campaign in which the 6-year-old managed to light the board only once in five starts, Deputy Fudge found his form in August and strung together a three-race winning streak that saw him win for a $22,000 tag and twice at the $30,000 level for trainer Wendy Kadar.

ARCADIA, Calif. - There is a pick six carryover of $71,703 for Friday's card at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting, the second carryover since the meeting began on Sept. 27.

Friday's pick six covers the third through eighth races on a program that begins at 1 p.m.

ELMONT, N.Y. - New York-breds have made such tremendous strides the last several years that even a sheikh from Dubai has gotten with the program.

Two months ago, Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed al Maktoum, the son of Sheikh Mohammed, purchased West Virginia privately from Donald and Mary Zuckerman. On Saturday, West Virginia heads a field of 10 entered in the $250,000 Empire Classic, the most prestigious race run for New York-breds.