LEXINGTON, Ky. - The frigid whispers of approaching winter were supposed to reach the Bluegrass region Wednesday night, meaning the nine-race Thursday card will have a dramatically different feel than what Keeneland fans were fortunate enough to experience during a terrific first few days of the fall meet.

No big deal. Despite temperatures in the mid-40's, the action should still be hot, with big fields and the usual classy brand of racing on tap. Three allowance races are among the offerings, including two in which Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel figures prominently.

Bonfante ($4.80), content to sit off the leaders early, moved into contention on the turn and rallied through traffic to capture the $75,000 Fort Mason at Golden Gate Fields by 1 1/4 lengths.

Mr. Ching was second in the five-furlong turf race for California-breds, with Slew's Prince running third. The final time was 56.31 seconds.

Beaulena, an invader from Emerald Downs, closed furiously to post a big upset in the $40,000 City of Phoenix Stakes at Turf Paradise on Saturday. Sent off at 20-1, Beaulena found room between rivals and finished strongly to get up by a head under Hector Ventura Jr.

Beaulena, trained by Blaine Wright, paid $43.40 to win and covered the six furlongs in 1:09.26.

Katy Smiles also finished strongly to be a good second, a neck in front of Shesa Private I. Muir Beach rallied to be fourth as the 8-5 favorite.

Tac It Like a Man overcame a sound bump from a rival 200 yards from the finish to score his second major stakes win of the year in the $450,000 Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Futurity for 2-year-old Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos.

Ridden by Sam Thompson, Tac It Like a Man ($6.80) finished a nose in front of 21-1 Check This Runner. Checknbac, the 9-10 favorite, finished third in the field of 10.

Trainer Jaime Gomez saddled the first three finishers.

Tac It Like a Man ran 350 yards in 17.48 seconds.

Facing what appeared to be imminent defeat in the final sixteenth, Star Dabbler took one final lunge at Cielo Gold, and the two finished in a dead heat in the Grade 2, $500,000 Indiana Derby at Hoosier Park. The dead heat was the first in the 12-year history of the race.

CHICAGO - Saturday's Hawthorne Derby is the last graded stakes of the year in Chicago, and if things fall the right way, it could turn out to be a good one.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The stakes-a-day policy that Keeneland adopted years ago for its spring meet does not apply in the fall. With the first weekend of the fall meet front-loaded with a slew of important Breeders' Cup prep races, it would have been unreasonable for fans to demand at least one stakes race on all 17 fall programs, and in fact there are four days without one.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Circumstances have forced Sky Conqueror to take an unorthodox route to this year's Canadian International here at Woodbine.

But after winning an open allowance race at a mile on the turf in his first start in 11 weeks on Sunday, Sky Conqueror is nonetheless on target for the Grade 1, $2 million Canadian International on Oct. 22.

Sky Conqueror, under regular rider Todd Kabel, came from well back with a powerful move to mow down his rivals and win here on Sunday by a measured length.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Street Lights ran second to stablemate Spot the Diplomat in the I'm Smokin Stakes for California-breds at Del Mar last month. Fortunately for Street Lights, Spot the Diplomat has moved on to the graded stakes level, finishing third in the Grade 2 Norfolk Stakes at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting on Sunday.

Street Lights could make a stakes appearance later this month, pending his results in a $50,000 allowance race for statebred 2-year-olds on Wednesday at Santa Anita.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Polytrack was supposed to put an end to the track biases that long existed at Keeneland, but the small sampling of 22 Polytrack races that opened the fall meet last weekend suggests that early speed might not be very effective over the new surface.

Only one front-running winner could be found among the 22 races run Friday through Sunday, and that winner - Cat and a Half in the fourth race Sunday - was a dominant class-dropper who returned $3.60 after winning off by 5 1/2 lengths.