INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A little adversity made a fighter out of Lava Man in Saturday's $750,000 .

In the most hard-fought win of his career, Lava Man overcame a poor start and a determined rival in 24-1 outsider Ace Blue to win the Grade 1 Gold Cup for the second consecutive year.

Lava Man joined Native Diver as the only horse to win consecutive runnings of Hollywood Park's showcase race. Native Diver won the Gold Cup from 1965-67.

Unlike last year, when Lava Man won the Gold Cup by a record 8 3-4 lengths, he nearly lost this year's running at the finish.

PLEASANTON, Calif. - Stone Rain ($6.60) was unchallenged on the lead as he romped to victory in the $51,200 Sam J. Whiting Handicap at the Alameda County Fair on Saturday.

Stone Rain, an $80,000 claim in March, notched his fourth straight victory as he ran six furlongs in 1:08.17 to beat late-closing Old Man River by five furlongs.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Dreamsandvisions rallied through the stretch to capture the $75,000 Assault in one of six restricted stakes run Saturday at Lone Star Park during the annual Stars of Texas Day.

Total stakes purses were $465,000.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - A different pace scenario made all the difference in the world for English Channel as he won the 53rd running of Grade 1, $750,000 on the turf Saturday at Monmouth Park.

In his previous race, the Grade 1 Manhattan Handicap at Belmont Park, English Channel ended up pressing the pace in a slowly run race and finished fourth. The U.N. was an entirely different story played out before a crowd of 11,063.

MIAMI - Locals will be well represented in each of the four graded stakes on Saturday's $1.96 million Summit of Speed program, most notably in the $300,000 Carry Back for 3-year-olds, which could attract as many as five Calder residents.

The home forces in the Carry Back may consist of Blazing Rate, Folk Festival, Mach Ride, R Fast Favorite, and Yes He's the Man. They will take on a group of invaders expected to include the multiple graded-stakes winner Too Much Bling, the undefeated Grade 2 winner Northern Soldier, and the Grade 2-placed Changing Weather.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Saturday marked the first day of Thoroughbred racing over Woodbine's inner-dirt track, a surface normally used for harness racing.

Apprentice Emma-Jayne Wilson, Woodbine's leading rider, won the first race aboard Driving Ms Chelsea.

"She handled [the track] pretty good," Wilson said. "It took her about five or six strides before she got a handle on the [first] turn. It's just a matter of adapting."

Shipping to Belmont Park to win stakes for 3-year-old fillies is getting to be a habit with trainer Larry Jones. His latest successful raid came in Saturday's Grade 1 , when Wildcat Bettie B came from off the pace under a perfectly timed ride by Mario Pino to win the $250,000 sprint by a neck over Wild Gams.

"We needed all of that stretch to get by Wild Gams," said Pino. "I'm glad it's a long lane."

Win McCool set fast fractions of 21.80 and 44.37, and clung to a short lead in midstretch, but faded as Wild Gams wrested command between calls.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Two-year-olds don't typically win early-season stakes with powerful inside rallies. But when Circular Quay prevailed that way Saturday in the Grade 3, $166,500 at Churchill Downs, it was difficult not to believe the Thunder Gulch colt has an unlimited future.

Circular Quay, ridden by Rafael Bejarano, glided past four rivals in the final eighth of the six-furlong Bashford Manor, remaining unbeaten in two starts. The colt also won his only previous start, a June 15 maiden race at Churchill, in rallying fashion.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The , it seems, is where Alex Solis gets it right.

For the second straight year, the veteran jockey was critical of his ride three weeks earlier in the Affirmed Handicap, then made adjustments that brought glory to himself and trainer Bruce Headley in the Swaps.

Bossier City, La. - Bamboo Gap kept his perfect record on the turf intact on Saturday afternoon at Louisiana Downs as he led throughout in capturing the $50,000 Excalibur Stakes. Clock finished second and Mighty Mystery reported home third.