ELMONT, N.Y. - Bernardini, the leading 3-year-old in the country, worked five furlongs in 1:03.33 Tuesday morning at Belmont Park, his final move in preparation for Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup. Exercise rider Simon Harris kept Bernardini even farther off the rail than usual, in part because of his dissatisfaction with Belmont's main track and in part because several horses had worked before him and the inside part of the track was chewed up.

EDMONTON, Alberta - Rindanica, a multiple stakes winner on this circuit, returns to the racing wars and faces five rivals in an optional $40,000 claimer at 6o1/2 furlongs that will be the featured seventh race here at Northlands Park on Wednesday.

A 6-year-old horse, Rindanica was retired to stud last fall after he was scratched out of a stakes engagement at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg because of a leg injury.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Stakes winner Midnight Shadow should be strongly favored in Wednesday's $125,000 Victorian Queen Stakes, a six-furlong dash for Ontario-sired 2-year-old fillies.

Midnight Shadow won her maiden convincingly second time out in June with a Beyer Speed Figure of 87, one of the highest Beyer Figures earned by a 2-year-old at Woodbine this year. She proved it wasn't a fluke when she took the July 16 Shady Well Stakes with an 82 Beyer.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Shillelagh Slew's season began in disappointing fashion, as his path to the Queen's Plate was compromised by illness. He was able to finish no better than fifth behind Edenwold in that $1omillion showpiece here June 25.

But Shillelagh Slew, who is owned by David James and trained by Mike DePaulo, has been making up for lost time since then, and now finds himself in the driver's seat for divisional honors following his emphatic score in Sunday's 1 1/8-mile Ontario Derby for 3-year-olds here at Woodbine.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Alex Solis and his agent, Scotty McClellan, faced a tough choice Sunday morning when entries were drawn for Wednesday's $60,000 Swingtime Stakes at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting.

Solis had two possible mounts for trainer Ron McAnally - Dream's, a 5-year-old mare that Solis has ridden to five victories, or Charm the Giant, a 4-year-old filly that he has ridden to four wins.

Solis is riding Dream's, the defending champion in the restricted Swingtime, a one-mile turf stakes for fillies and mares.

ELMONT, N.Y. - While the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Nov. 25 remains the most likely next objective for the undefeated 3-year-old Discreet Cat, his connections said they will wait until after this upcoming weekend to make a final decision regarding a possible start in the Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4.

And the $5 million Classic isn't the only race Discreet Cat's connections are contemplating. Rick Mettee, the assistant trainer for Godolphin Racing, said Monday that the $2 million Sprint could also be an option for Discreet Cat, who is 3 for 3 around one turn.

The combination of a fast track, quick early pace, and the outside post give Callmetony a slight edge in a contentious third-level allowance race Wednesday, which serves as the feature on Belmont Park's nine-race card.

There is a $60,000 pick six carryover heading into Wednesday's card, but the feature, contested at 6 1/2 furlongs, is not part of it.

Ball Four, Perfect Drift, and Premium Tap - the winner, runner-up, and beaten favorite in the Grade 2 Kentucky Cup Classic on Saturday at Turfway Park - all might make their next start in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic, according to their trainers.

Ball Four, a wire-to-wire winner as the longest shot in a field of six, came out of the race in good shape, trainer Patrick Biancone said Monday. "We may take a shot at the Breeders' Cup," he said. "Why not? We have almost five weeks to decide, anyway."

CHICAGO - Since It's No Joke has won 3 of 4 starts at Churchill Downs, site of this year's Breeders' Cup, and since on Saturday at Hawthorne Race Course he won a race over 1 1/4 miles - the distance of the Breeders' Cup Classic - It's No Joke's mild upset of the Hawthorne Gold Cup may not mark the culmination of his fall campaign. Owner Stan Fulton and trainer Becky Maker could well proceed to the BC Classic on Nov. 4 at Churchill, Maker said Monday morning.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Garrett Gomez will resume riding in Southern California at the end of October after a successful summer in New York and will be based here at least through the winter.

Gomez said Saturday that he will begin riding here on Oct. 25 for the final week of the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting. He will ride the Hollywood Park meeting in November and December and the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting.

Gomez did not detail his plans beyond the end of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting in April 2007, pending conversations with his agent, Ron Anderson.