STICKNEY, Ill. - From a handicapping perspective, Monday's racing program at Hawthorne Race Course seems worthy of a fairly astute thinker. Maybe Albert Einstein, or Sir Isaac Newton.

It is a brain-crusher of a nine-race card, and the three allowance races that finish off the day offer for the most part no respite. If your bankroll can hang on until race 9, and you like to play chalk, the day well might end with favored Political Hostage in the winner's circle, but even that is far from a certainty.

STICKNEY, Ill. - What odds would be fair on a horse dropping in class from a decent Grade 2 stakes at Gulfstream Park into a modest nonwinners-of-two allowance race at Hawthorne?

The question arises in the featured seventh race here Tuesday at the National Jockey Club meet, and the horse in question is Johns Place, who finished ninth last month in the Grade 2 Shirley Jones Breeders' Cup Handicap, and who will be heavily favored in Tuesday's seventh.

Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. and jockey Abel Castellano got off to a fast start on Florida Cup Day by combining to win the first two stakes on the card with Electrify and Mr. Silver.

Electrify overcame traffic problems in early stretch to run down the leaders and drew off to a three-length victory in the $82,600 Sophomore Stakes. Vanilla Scoop finished second, a neck in front of the tiring R Smoken Star.

Eddie Castro capped off a big afternoon Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs when he guided Silver Tree to a victory in the $85,400 Turf Classic, the final of six stakes races on Florida Cup Day.

For Castro, it made a sweep of the day's last three stakes.

Silver Tree, the strong 3-5 choice, stalked the leaders inside for seven furlongs of the nine-furlong turf race. He eased off the rail into the stretch to take the lead from pacesetter Lord Robyn, then turned back a challenge from Icy Atlantic through midstretch and won by two lengths.

Lawyer Ron worked five furlongs in a bullet 59 seconds and galloped out six furlongs in 1:10.91 on Saturday at Oaklawn in his final prep for the Grade 2, $1 million Arkansas Derby. The 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby will be run at Oaklawn on Saturday.

Lawyer Ron came onto the track at about 7 a.m. and worked to the wire under regular rider John McKee. Clockers tracked him through an opening eighth-mile in 12.09 seconds, the first quarter in 23.94, three furlongs in 35.98, and carried him out seven furlongs in 1:23.46.

R. D. Williams won three races at Fonner Park on Friday, becoming the 48th jockey in North America to win 4,000 races. Williams registered victory No. 4,000 aboard Sweet Evil Hariet ($6.40) in the afternoon's ninth race.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Among the innumerable variables that horseplayers encounter each spring at Keeneland is this: How will horses who have raced during the winter at Turfway Park match up with horses who migrated south?

That question will be extremely relevant late Sunday afternoon when four Turfway horses square off against two Florida shippers in the Keeneland feature, the $100,000 Lafayette Stakes.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - If the rest of the meet unfolds this way, it's going to be a very long three weeks for chalk players at Keeneland.

Friday's opening-day feature of the 15-day spring meet, the Grade 3, $150,000 , was won by Chin High, the longest shot in a field of 10 3-year-olds. Chin High, trained by Neil Pessin, returned $139 to win after finishing a length ahead of Le Plaix, a 24-1 shot.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Every spring there are 3-year-olds that run far, and others that run fast. Sunday at Santa Anita, the accent is on speed - six quick sprinters entered the $83,000 San Pedro Stakes. Their goals do not include the word "Derby."

The horse to beat is , who romped in two stakes for California-breds early in the meet before finishing third as the odds-on favorite March 4 in the Baldwin Stakes. Da Stoops was not intended for the Baldwin until it came off the turf, and what looked like an easy spot for him became a 5 3/4-length loss.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Jealous Profit, who placed in graded stakes in 2005 before winning a maiden race last month, is bound for the $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park next Saturday, trainer Doug O'Neill said Friday.

Jealous Profit ended a three-month layoff with a victory in a maiden race at 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita on March 18. Owned by Paul Reddam, Jealous Profit made six starts at 2, finishing third in the Del Mar Futurity and Norfolk Stakes before finishing 10th in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Belmont Park in October.