CHICAGO - Arlington struggled to attract horses for its races last week, but perhaps this meet will go out with more of a shout than a whimper after all, since Thursday's card, sixth-from-last in the 2006 Arlington season, drew a surprisingly healthy 85 entries.

In the normal place of a feature - race 8 on a nine-race card - sits a highly bettable entry-level turf allowance race, while the day's highest-class race is the third, a third-level allowance also open to $62,500 claimers and carded for 1 1/16 miles on turf.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The Malcolm Pierce-trained entry of Provocative Touch and Baradore should be favored in Thursday's Woodbine feature, a 1 1/16-mile allowance on the grass.

AUBURN, Wash. - Ten-year-old Themanwithebigcigr will be shooting for his third straight win when he takes on six rivals in Thursday's feature at Emerald Downs, a 1 1/16-mile affair to be run under $3,500 starter handicap conditions.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Seven was jockey Victor Espinoza's lucky number on Monday at Del Mar. He won seven races on the card, setting a single-day record at the track, and by winning the first six races of the day he won seven races in a row, including the finale on Sunday. It proved a highlight to what has been a dominant summer for Espinoza, who long ago wrapped up his second straight riding title at Del Mar, which was to close on Wednesday.

Average daily handle from all sources was down at the Ellis Park meet that ended Monday despite a reduction in race dates.

Daily handle at the 36-day meet averaged $2,679,596, a 5 percent decrease from the $2,816,343 average during the 41-day 2005 meet. The gross all-sources handle of $96.4 million was down 17 percent from last year.

Ontrack handle and attendance averaged $320,045 and 3,519, for respective increases of 5 and 20 percent, but those figures were not enough to offset the overall downward trend.

MIAMI - Trainer Marty Wolfson may have two potential starters for this year's Breeders' Cup following Pomeroy's impressive victory in last Saturday's Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga.

Pomeroy sprinted to a 2 1/4-length decision over War Front in the Forego. The victory gave Wolfson his third Grade 1 win in as many tries at Saratoga, his first two coming with Chaposa Springs in the 1996 Test and 1997 Ballerina.

David Hutson's Silverleaf Farm purchased Pomeroy privately and turned him over to Wolfson after the horse underwent surgery to remove a chip from his ankle last winter.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Class carried the day at the yearling sales stakes extravaganza here Monday as Barbeau Ruckus and Financingavailable both won as expected on the holiday program at Woodbine.

Barbeau Ruckus, an Ontario-sired 7-year-old gelding who was moved into trainer George Newland's barn this year, continued to make the Elgin his personal preserve.

With Todd Kabel aboard, Barbeau Ruckus recorded his third win in the $125,800 Elgin, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for colts and geldings, 3 years old and upward.

Multiple graded stakes winner Splendid Blended ($3.60) returned from a four-month layoff to dominate Tuesday's $100,000 Steve Van Buren Handicap at Philadelphia Park.

Freshened since finishing off the board in the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs on May 6, Splendid Blended cruised to a four-length win over seven outmatched filly and mare sprinters. Racing for the first time over an off track, she completed seven furlongs in the slop in 1:26.18.

Notimetoquit edged She's Fancy Free by a neck for second.

To call the last week a productive one for jockey Lonnie Meche would be a gross understatement. He not only moved to a one-win lead in the rider standings at Louisiana Downs, but he also locked up a mount for the track's richest race, the Grade 2, $500,000 Super Derby.

Meche guided Louisborg to victory in the $100,000 Prelude last Friday, and Louisborg is now being pointed for the Super Derby on Sept. 23, said his trainer, Tony Richey. The win was one of 75 at the meet for Meche.

SELMA, Texas - Trainer Randy Mayfield has a serious 2-year-old filly on his hands in Wrenice, and he has laid out next-race plans for her following a recent 17-length allowance win at Retama Park.

Mayfield said Wrenice, who earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 95 for her latest victory, will be pointed to the $125,000 fillies division of the Texas Stallion Stakes here Oct. 14. The six-furlong race is one of six restricted stakes that make up the annual Texas Hall of Fame Night.