CHICAGO - From Reno Rumble to Mystery Giver, and now Fort Prado, the lineage of excellent Illinois-bred grass horses trained by Chris Block grows longer by the year, and 3-year-old Creative Force might be next. A solid turf allowance win May 20 at Arlington earned Creative Force a starting berth in the Arlington Classic on Saturday, and the race will tell Block whether he has another Illinois-bred worthy of open stakes competition.

Pie N Burger, who for years ruled as one of the top handicap horses in Louisiana and Texas, died of a heart attack during a routine gallop two weeks ago at Louisiana Downs, said his longtime trainer, Cole Norman.

, who was 8, won 14 of 43 starts and $924,133. Of his wins, six came in stakes races, among them the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap; the Ark-La-Tex Handicap at Louisiana Downs; and two runnings of the Evangeline Mile. Pie N Burger also shipped from Louisiana Downs and won the $150,000 Seabiscuit Handicap on the Breeders' Cup undercard at Santa Anita in 2003.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Stretching, who has come to hand rapidly over the past several months in Texas, is being pointed for the Grade 3, $150,000 Modesty Handicap at Arlington Park on July 22, said her trainer, Michael Stidham.

Stretching last raced at Lone Star Park, and finished a big third in the Grade 3, $200,000 WinStar Distaff on May 29. She came into the race off three consecutive victories at Sam Houston Race Park: a maiden score in December, an allowance win in February, and the $40,000 Jersey Lily in April.

OPELOUSAS, La. - The stage was set for the biggest night of the Evangeline Downs season when entries were drawn Wednesday for Saturday's Louisiana Legends Night.

The card will have 10 stakes, all restricted to Louisiana-breds and worth a collective $720,000. All the events are named for Louisiana horseman who made contributions to the state's horse racing industry.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Gilded Gold seeks her fourth straight stakes victory Friday when she heads a full field of 12 fillies and mares entered in the $65,000 Elizabeth Bay Stakes at Belmont Park.

In order to be successful, will have to stretch out to six furlongs for the first time. Her last three victories have come at 5 or 5 1/2 furlongs.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Bushfire will try to build on her resume as the nation's top 3-year-old filly when she runs in Saturday's $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park. Though trainer Eddie Kenneally expressed some concern running Bushfire back just three weeks after her victory in the Grade 1 Acorn here June 10, he confirmed Wednesday that Bushfire would ship from Churchill Downs by plane Thursday.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Park Avenue Ball and Network turned out none the worse for wear following their encounter with Flower Alley in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile.

The presence of Flower Alley made last Saturday's Salvator one of the toughest in years. Last year's Travers Stakes winner, Flower Alley was making his first start since running second in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Flower Alley won by 3 1/4 lengths in the slop over Park Avenue Ball, who finished a head in front of Network.

PLEASANTON, Calif. - A strong maiden race tops Friday's Alameda County Fair race card.

The 5 1/2-furlong race offers a mix of everything from first-timers to some consistent runners that have been knocking at the door.

The first thing to catch the handicapper's eye is the sizzling 1:11-flat six-furlong work by Tapped at Bay Meadows on June 18.

Most trainers try to find races in which their horses carry the least amount of weight. But in last Sunday's ninth race at Thistledown, trainer Burton Sipp entered Magoo's Magic for a $12,500 claiming tag and accepted 148 pounds.

Canterbury Park will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Dean Kutz Memorial Chapel on Saturday. A fundraising drive for the new facility was started last summer and the project has received generous support from the family of Canterbury Park chairman Curtis Sampson. The 3,000-square-foot facility is named after the late Dean Kutz, the leading rider at Canterbury Park in 1987 and 1988, who later in his career was lauded by his colleagues with the George Woolf Memorial and Mike Venezia awards.