Trainer Larry Jones readily admits he would prefer not to run two of his best female sprinters against each other. Given the circumstances, however, Jones said he felt compelled to give both the 5-year-old Miss Elsie and the 3-year-old Hello Liberty a crack at the $200,000 purse in Saturday's Grade 3 Endine Handicap at Delaware Park.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Magic Skier, a winner of two of three races at Monmouth Park this season, will make her turf debut Saturday in the $60,000 Thomas J. Malley Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, one of three grass stakes on the card that also includes the Grade 3, $150,000 Red Bank Stakes and the $60,000 Bob Harding Stakes.

Magic Skier will face seven rivals in the 5 1/2-furlong Malley with the meet's leading rider, Joe Bravo, replacing apprentice Stacy Podobinski.

FORT ERIE, Ontario - Trainer Daryl Ezra is on a mission. He aims to have Grab the Cat snare horse of the year honors at Fort Erie.

Twice before has the Fort's horse of the year come out of Ezra's barn - Ashagio in 2003 and Lucky Tec in 2004.

Grab the Cat will go for her fifth straight score in Saturday's $30,000 Longshots OTB Cup. The six-furlong race drew a field of seven fillies and mares.

Grab the Cat, 4, is undefeated in four appearances at the Fort Erie meet. Her latest win came in the 1 1/16-mile Golden Horseshoe Cup on Aug. 12.

ALTOONA, Iowa - More Than Regal, the Iowa Derby winner, returns to the scene of his biggest career score when he heads a field of nine in Saturday night's $75,000 Prairie Meadows Derby at 1 1/16 miles, the closing-night feature of the 36-day mixed meeting here.

More Than Regal scored his biggest win when he rallied for a half-length score in the $250,000 Iowa Derby going 1 1/16 miles here on June 30. Steve Asmussen trained More Than Regal when he recorded his Iowa Derby victory, but Scott Blasi has taken over while Asmussen serves a suspension.

Trainer Joe Petalino's current crop of 2-year-olds has earned $259,570 so far this year, and that total can grow when he starts top contenders Ramblin Sally and Best Colors in Saturday's $50,000 Princess at Louisiana Downs.

The Princess, for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs, drew a field of eight, including Kristi's Add On and Joangel, a respective second and third locally in the $100,000 Laurel Lane for statebreds, and Stormin Quality, a sharp debut winner for leading trainer Cole Norman.

MIAMI - Rehoboth moved to the top of the local 3-year-old handicap ranks after he beat older horses in Monday's Carterista Handicap. On Saturday, three more members of the 3-year-old division will try to emulate the new leader when they take on older rivals in the $45,000 Ambehaving Stakes at Calder. The overnight event will be decided at 1 1/16 miles.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Woodbine will be hoping for a strong influx of Europeans this fall, with the runnings of the $2 million Canadian International and $1 million E.P. Taylor on the not-so-distant horizon.

The first potential overseas candidate scheduled to arrive for one of those Grade 1 turf races on Oct. 22 is Almerita, a German-based 3-year-old filly who was expected to check in late Thursday with an eye toward the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor.

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - Saturday evening's final day of racing at Marquis Downs features not only the prestigious $15,000 Saskatchewan Derby but also a very competitive running of the Matron Handicap for older fillies and mares.

The main question in the Saskatchewan Derby is whether Excessively Sweet can run her local winning streak to four by beating the boys. The 1 1/16-mile distance of the derby could also be a challenge.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - He may only be his connections' second-best 3-year-old, but Good and Lucky will be well-supported Saturday at Assiniboia Downs in a first-level allowance going six furlongs.

Good and Lucky's owner, Robert Mitchell, and trainer, Bert Blake, also campaign The Max, who in three starts here this year has won two stakes and was narrowly beaten in Manitoba Derby.

Good and Lucky finished third against maiden special weight company at Woodbine in each of his two starts last year.

After setting records for all-sources handle for four consecutive years, business slumped by 4.3 percent at Del Mar this summer, but the all-sources handle of $582,604,451 was still the second-highest in track history.

The track released data on Wednesday after the conclusion of the 43-day meeting.

Last year's all-sources handle was a record $608 million. The 2004 meeting had total handle of $580 million.