CHICAGO - The annual foal crop of Thorougbred horses in Illinois has been going down every year, but one wouldn't know it judging by entries taken Wednesday for Arlington's Prairie State Festival on Saturday. The six Illinois-bred stakes races on Saturday drew a total of 65 entries, even though one of them, the Isaac Murphy, got just seven horses.

MIAMI - Passionate World Cup soccer fans can be found everywhere these days, including inside the Calder jockeys' room. Local riders have spent most of their free time gathered around the television monitors rooting on their favorite teams since the tournament began June 9.

Among the jockeys with the closest ties to this year's World Cup are leading rider Manny Cruz, a native of Brazil, and Luca Panici, whose Italian team played to a 1-1 tie with the United States in a roughly played contest on Saturday.

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - A field of nine fillies and mares will go postward Friday in the first stakes of the 2006 Marquis Downs meet, the $6,000 Early's Farm and Garden Handicap at six furlongs.

Topping the field are Brite Steel, the Saskatchewan division of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's 2005 champion older filly or mare, and Celtic Dance, the equivalent honoree from the local Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Cifercat could have been claimed for $32,000 here at Woodbine this spring, and was.

Now, Cifercat is heading into Sunday's 1 1/4-mile Queen's Plate, a $1 million race for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds, with at least a fighting chance of collecting a lucrative prize.

Interestingly, Cifercat was not even the No. 1 choice of trainer Abraham Katryan and trainer Bruno Schickedanz when they were looking to claim a horse from a maiden race here April 23.

BOSSIER CITY, La. - Key West Breeze, a 3-year-old now in the care of perennial local training champ Cole Norman, appears ready to take another step through his conditions in Friday's allowance feature. He will square off against six rivals and travel six furlongs in quest of the $25,500 purse.

A total of 174 Louisiana-breds were pre-entered in the 10 stakes races worth a total of $720,000 that make up the Louisiana Legends Night, to be held at Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino on July 1. Entries will be drawn Wednesday.

Each of the 10 races honors individuals who have had an impact on Louisiana racing. In only its second year of existence, Louisiana Legends Night has quickly established an identity as a showcase evening not just for Evangeline Downs but also for all of Louisiana racing.

Jockey Newil Wall, 59, picked up his first victory in more than three years on June 15 at Lincoln. Wall suffered a broken leg in a starting gate accident here in 2003, and just resumed riding when this year's meet opened, although he had resumed duties as an exercise rider eight months after the accident.

The Minnesota Thoroughbred Association has released the catalog for its annual yearling auction. Breeders' anticipation of the possibility of added gaming at Canterbury Park can be seen in the sales entries, which perhaps are the strongest ever assembled for the sale. Of the 84 yearlings nominated, only 73 will be offered due to limitations in stall space. The remaining 11 yearlings would draw into the sale in the event that any of the first 73 yearlings were withdrawn for any reason.

Trainers Ronnie Allen and Gerald Bennett dominated the stakes this past week at Great Lakes Downs. Allen saddled Its His Time, owned by the Volar Corp., for a 2 1/2-length win in Monday's $50,000 Wolverine Stakes over Above the Wind, whom Allen trains for the Hamco Group LLC. Bennett checked in third with past Michigan champion Demagoguery, owned by Mary Mazur.

Mike Allen, son of the trainer, rode Its His Time, who paid $6.80.

Jockey Tim Doocy has taken control of the rider standings here and is on his way to a third straight Prairie Meadows Thoroughbred meeting riding title.

Doocy, 50, who trailed Glenn Corbett through much of the meeting, has taken a commanding 59-48 edge over Corbett with nine racing days left in the 45-day meeting. The lead figures to increase this weekend as Corbett serves one of two separate three-day suspensions that the stewards have issued to him.