ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The Last Drop has been shunned by the English punters in his last two starts, going off at 100-1 when fourth in the Great Voltigeur and 50-1 when second in the St. Leger.

But The Last Drop, an improving 3-year-old colt by Galileo, is expected to command significantly more respect here Sunday when he goes postward in Woodbine's Grade 1, $2 million Canadian International at 1 1/2 miles on turf.

Ballroom Deputy, the winner of the 2005 Maple Leaf Stakes, should be favored in Friday's headliner at Woodbine, a 1 1/16-mile allowance prep for this year's Maple Leaf on Nov. 11.

Ballroom Deputy has a second and four thirds in her five outings this year, all in stakes. Her best effort of the year may have come in the Feb. 23 Pippin Stakes at Oaklawn, where she finished second by a neck and earned a 91 Beyer Speed Figure.

Back at Hawthorne Race Course on Wednesday, with low-level maiden-claimers running six furlongs in 1:15 not 50 yards from her stall, was Vacare, who four afternoons ago had been standing on the Keeneland turf course draped in glory after winning the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, the first Grade 1 victory for Vacare, for trainer Chris Block - and for jockey Carlos Marquez.

Trainer D. Wayne Lukas will not have a stable at Santa Anita this winter for the first time since he began training Thoroughbreds in the late 1970's, he said Wednesday.

Speaking from his stable at Churchill Downs, Lukas said the cost of shipping a stable to California and changes in his client list have led to the decision to spend the winter at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas.

MIAMI - For the first time since early May, a name other than Cruz sits atop the Calder jockey standings after red-hot apprentice Jermaine Bridgmohan kicked off the Tropical at Calder meeting with a hat trick on Monday. The Calder meet ended Sunday.

Bridgmohan, who finished ninth in the standings during the Calder session despite not accepting his first mount until three months into the meet, figures to give Manoel Cruz a run for his money to defend the Tropical title that he won last season by a single victory over Jorge Chavez.

Dontbotherknocking has been unbeatable over Remington Park's turf course the past two years, and on Friday night he will attempt to push his local record to 4 for 4 when he defends his title in the $100,000 Remington Green.

The 1 1/16-mile turf race is one of five undercard stakes supporting the $250,000 Oklahoma Derby. Together the races are worth $675,000, making the program the richest of the meet at Remington.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Keeneland has become the first American track to make public the tracking and recording of the precise footage a horse actually runs in a race. As of Wednesday, the track is regularly displaying the results of the Trakus technology that computes those numbers shortly after the running of each race.

ARCADIA, Calif. - After a seven-week break, apprentice jockey Martin Garcia has quickly regained a place among the top riders in Southern California.

Garcia, who finished among the leading riders at the Hollywood Park and Del Mar meetings during the summer, returned from a suspension and a wrist injury on Thursday. He had not ridden since the first week of September at Del Mar.

On Friday's Oak Tree card at Santa Anita, Garcia has mounts in five of the eight races, including Wakanda in a $42,000 allowance race on the hillside turf course.

The makeup of Friday night's $250,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park is somewhat unusual as its top three contenders, Louisborg, More Than Regal, and Sensational Score, are all closers. They are dependent on pace, something that could be lacking in this year's running of the 1 1/8-mile race. With the expected scratch of Master of Disaster, there appears to be no dominant speed in what will become an 11-horse field, a situation that might place greater demands on the three favorites.

"It's going to make some difference," said Tony Richey, who trains Louisborg.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Relaxed Gesture and Meteor Storm, the one-two finishers in last year's $2 million Canadian International, arrived here at Woodbine early Wednesday morning for their rematch in Sunday's Grade 1, 1 1/2-mile turf feature.

Relaxed Gesture, trained by Christophe Clement, vanned up from Belmont along with stablemate Naissance Royale, who is slated to run in Sunday's Grade 1, $1 million E.P. Taylor for fillies and mares.