FLORENCE, Ky. - The repositioning of the Kentucky Cup series to a later date than what had been customary is the most noticeable change to the routine at Turfway Park this fall.

Normally run in mid-September, three weeks before the "FallStars Weekend" series of Breeders' Cup preps are run at Keeneland, the five-race Kentucky Cup series is being run this year on Sept. 30, one weekend before the major Keeneland races are held.

Turfway president Bob Elliston said the switch was made for several reasons.

DEL MAR, Calif. - At the age of 7, Captain Squire can occasionally pose a challenge for trainer Jeff Mullins.

A winner of 9 of 32 starts and $1,278,065, Captain Squire has days when he trains better than others. He was not doing particularly well last month when Mullins and co-owner Bob Bone decided to skip the Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs.

"He wasn't ready for it," Mullins said. "He tells us when it's time."

The mood has shifted in a positive direction for Wednesday's $85,000 Pirate's Bounty Handicap at Del Mar.

ALBANY, Calif. - Dead heats are relatively uncommon, but there were two of them at Golden Gate Fields in two days over the holiday weekend.

There was a dead heat between 1-2 favorite Wallstreet Whisper and 43-1 All Pro in Saturday's sixth race.

Sunday's sixth race produced a dead heat with 3-5 favorite Sounds Like a Plan and 12-1 Bold Mystique.

Both All Pro and Bold Mystique are trained by Rhoda March.

"How improbable is that?" asked March after Sunday's dead heat.

Then, answering her own question, she said, "That's gotta be very, very improbable."

Laurel Park intends to make heavy use of its turf course and provide an incentive for small-budget bettors to play the pick six when it launches its fall meet Wednesday.

The revamped and widened grass course, which opened last September, is expected to account for 40 percent of Laurel's live races during the 73-day meet.

To help ensure large fields, Laurel will race only four days a week - Wednesday through Saturday - for most of the meeting. Sunday racing will be added beginning Thanksgiving weekend.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Hasty Double started his career a long way from home with a tour of Texas and Louisiana

Things have picked up for the 3-year-old New Jersey-bred gelding since he returned this year to the Garden State.

Hasty Double is a key contender Wednesday in the $60,500 second-level allowance feature for statebreds going six furlongs at Monmouth Park.

CINCINNATI - Claiborne Farm and trainer Frank Brothers struck a familiar refrain Monday when Passport drove to victory in the 30th running of the $200,000 Cradle Stakes, the annual highlight and meet-ending feature at River Downs.

Ridden by Corey Lanerie, Passport prevailed by a hard-fought neck over Izzie's Halo in the Cradle, which at 1 1/16 miles is the first substantive two-turn race for 2-year-olds in the Midwest region. Passport, a homebred by Pulpit out of Trip, marked the third Cradle winner for Claiborne and Brothers, following Haint in 1996 and Laity last year.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Xchanger survived a bumpy stretch run to win the Grade 3, $150,000 for 2-year-olds Monday at Monmouth Park.

Joe Bravo was aboard for his fourth win on the card. He went on to win two more on the 13-race card to tie the track record.

Xchanger ($11.60) is unbeaten in two starts, both at Monmouth. Trained by Mark Shuman, he debuted on Aug. 9 with a commanding 4 1/2-length win that convinced everyone connected to take the graded-stakes plunge.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Preachinatthebar, utilizing a change of tactics and finding Monday's $89,445 Windy Sands Handicap at Del Mar far easier than the Pacific Classic, rallied from last in the six-horse field to win the one-mile race. Preachinatthebar saved the day for trainer Bob Baffert, who saw favored stablemate Sinister Minister cooked on a hot pace in his first start since the Kentucky Derby.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Before he became a graded stakes-class turf horse, Fort Prado showed more than middling talent on dirt, scoring his best main-track win in the one-turn mile Springfield Stakes in June 2004 at Arlington. And while Fort Prado has made his mark on turf, winning 11 of his 22 starts on the grass, trainer Chris Block had no suitable local grass spot for Fort Prado and entered him in Wednesday's featured eighth race at Arlington, carded at one mile on dirt for open allowance horses or $100,000 claimers.

SELMA, Texas - Going Ballistic ran a career race Saturday night in the $100,000 El Joven at Retama Park, and later this month will attempt to keep his perfect turf record intact when he heads to Louisiana.

Going Ballistic is being pointed for the $100,000 Juvenile at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Louisiana Downs on Sept. 23, his trainer, Donnie Von Hemel, said Monday.