Nikki Nine, a two-time stakes winner at Fonner Park this spring, returns to action Sunday when she heads a field of seven 3-year-old fillies in the $15,000 Princess Stakes at six furlongs.

Nikki Nine is coming off a fifth-place finish in the Goldfinch Stakes at Prairie Meadows on April 21. She contested the pace in that race before fading in deep stretch. Trained by Kim Veerhusen, she should be a solid favorite here for trainer. Larren Delorme has the mount from post 1.

Ordinarily, it would be foolhardy to plan a comeback for an 8-year-old horse who has been unable to race for 3 1/2 years. But as trainer George Yetsook and owner Randy Funkhouser can attest, Confucius Say is an extraordinary Thoroughbred.

Past performances for Churchill Downs' Saturday and Sunday $100,000 guaranteed pick fours will appear at the end of the full-card file for the following tracks:

Arlington
Belmont Park
Delaware Park
Hollywood Park
Lone Star Park
Louisiana Downs
Monmouth Park
Pimlico
Turf Paradise
Woodbine

:: (Pick 4 races are 7,8,9,10)

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Monmouth Park, the queen of New Jersey racetracks, opens for the 61st season on Saturday.

With the Breeders' Cup coming in 2007, the old girl is getting an extensive facelift.

Renovations will continue throughout the meet, which runs through Sept. 24. First post for the 11-race card will be 12:50 p.m. Eastern, a change from the 1:15 p.m. start time last year.

All told, about $30 million will be invested in getting the track ready for the eight championship races.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Joe Bravo will face stiff competition from two Eclipse Award winners in his bid for a 12th riding title at Monmouth Park.

Jorge Chavez, the Eclipse Award-winning jockey in 1999, and Eddie Castro, the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice in 2003, will challenge Monmouth's perennial kingpin when the meet opens Saturday.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - In his first three campaigns, there has been one constant in Grey Swallow's brilliant career. He has always won his first start of the year.

In 2003, it was a maiden race. In 2004, his seasonal debut came in a minor stakes, and the ensuing campaign included a win in the Irish Derby. Last year, he won the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup in Ireland.

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Wanna Runner will attempt to run the tables on the Southwest derby circuit before he heads out of the country for next month's Queen's Plate in Canada. The winner of the $600,000 WinStar Derby at Sunland Park on April 1, he is returning to this region from his California base on Saturday for the Grade 3, $300,000 .

Wanna Runner will start as a solid favorite in the Lone Star Derby on the strength of his WinStar victory and his third-place finish to Brother Derek in the Grade 2 San Rafael at Santa Anita.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - One Saturday after Kentucky Derby Day, 3-year-olds once again will be in the spotlight at Churchill Downs.

Only this time, they're fillies, and they'll compete for $100,000 at five furlongs on the turf, not for $2 million at 1 1/4 miles on the dirt. These slight disparities surely will translate into roughly 145,000 fewer people in attendance, but that's not to say the Open Mind Stakes won't provide a thrill or two.

ELMONT, N.Y. - In recent years, the Bold Ruler has served as an opportunity for aging sprinters who were slowing down to still earn stakes glory. This year's Grade 3 Bold Ruler could act as a launching pad for a pair of sprinters who aren't getting older, they're getting faster.

Neither Pisgah nor Tiger has won a stakes race. But they look like the two horses to beat in Saturday's $100,000 Bold Ruler at six furlongs over Belmont Park's main track. A field of five was entered for the Bold Ruler, including Grade 1 Carter winner Bishop Court Hill.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Vaca City Flyer loves to win races, but trainer Art Sherman didn't know what to expect when he entered her in a turf stakes in her last start.

All she did was smash a 31-year-old course record and win her second straight stakes.

On Saturday, she will have the outside post as seven fillies and mares meet in the $60,000-added Monterey Handicap at five furlongs on turf.

The field includes Awesome Lady, who won this race last fall, and Heavenly Humor, who has five stakes wins but will be making her turf debut.