ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The days of Woodbine's main track came to an end here on Monday when Town Thief scampered home a 1 1/2-length winner in a six-furlong maiden special weight race.

Racing will be moved to the inner track beginning Saturday while a Polytrack surface is being installed on the main track.

Town Thief may not have been a particularly appropriate footnote for the occasion, since he is trained by the California-based Ben Cecil and has been stabled at Fort Erie with trainer Edward Freeman.

FORT ERIE, Ontario - Local speedball Bermuda Triangle is headed to Florida for next Saturday's $1.9 million Summit of Speed program at Calder.

Trained by Bob Williams and owned by Bob Unruh, Bermuda Triangle will try to be the third consecutive Canadian runner to capture the $50,000 Rocket Man Stakes at two furlongs.

In last year's Summit, Thats the Problem got the gold. The year before it was Pembroke Hall.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - For the fifth time this season, trainer Carl Anderson heads into a stakes race with multiple entrants as he saddles three in Saturday's $40,000 Manitoba Maturity here at Assiniboia Downs. The Manitoba Maturity, a 1 1/16-mile race for Manitoba-bred 4-year-olds, drew a field of eight.

Anderson, who finished first and second in last year's Maturity with Albarino and Simply Regal, sends out the geldings Resurgent and Brinello and the filly Gold With Honor.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - It still looks like all systems go for Woodbine's converted Standardbred track, which is to take up its temporary duties as a Thoroughbred surface on Saturday.

The cushion of the former dirt track here is being moved to the seven-furlong Standardbred track, which will be used while Polytrack is installed in place of the former dirt surface. That process is scheduled to be completed by the end of August.

Commander Buck and apprentice Cody Meche each earned the first stakes win of his career on Saturday at Louisiana Downs, when they teamed to capture the $75,000 Independence Handicap.

The 1 1/16-mile race was moved from the turf to the main track because of inclement weather, and Commander Buck set a strong pace and finished well, covering the 1 1/16 miles over a track labeled wet-fast in 1:42.74.

"He ran a big race," said Tom Howard, who trains Commander Buck. "I was very proud of him. He ran his race, the kind of race he likes to run."

First Copy finished in a tie for most wins during the Thoroughbred meeting at Prairie Meadows with four victories, which was not only good news for his connections but also for Ken Richman, an Iowa resident who was one of three winners in a virtual owner promotion held by the track.

Hez Comin Thru scored his fourth straight victory at the Nebraska State Fair Park in Lincoln this season to put the exclamation point on a long holiday weekend.

Sunday's featured State Fair Futurity for Nebraska-breds, won by You and I Are Wild ($29.20) under Armando Martinez, was marred by a pair of spills in the stretch in separate incidents.

Federico Mata, a two-time riding champion at Great Lakes Downs, returned to the saddle last Saturday after being sidelined for about five months and lost no time finding his way back to the winner's circle, winning with his first mount.

Mata won the third race with Jr Madeitpossible, who is owned and trained by one of his longtime clients, Odin Londono Sr. Jr Madeitpossible ($8.20) broke on top and led all the way.

Quarterback Jake Delhomme of the NFL's Carolina Panthers has enjoyed many big wins on the football field, and in 2004 guided his team to the Super Bowl. This past Saturday night at Evangeline Downs, Delhomme had his biggest thrill in racing when Woozy, whom he owns, captured the $150,000 Shine Young Futurity at Evangeline Downs.

Delhomme has been involved in racing since he played college ball at the nearby University of Louisiana in Lafayette, La.

Monmouth Park cancelled the Thursday card as the New Jersey state government budget crisis entered a sixth day.

All racetracks, Atlantic City casinos and the lottery are closed until Governor Jon Corzine and the state legislature agree on a budget. No legal gambling can take place in the state without supervision and the regulatory bodies, including the New Jersey Racing Commission, have ceased operation until passage of a budget.