Lawyer Ron is not the only 3-year-old by Langfuhr on a win streak. Sweet Idea has come to hand over the Sam Houston Race Park meet, and won her last three starts by a combined 34 lengths. She will get the biggest test of her career next month, when she starts in the $100,000 Instant Racing Breeders' Cup at Oaklawn Park on April 15.

Sweet Idea won at a mile in her last start, capturing the $40,000 Sam Houston Oaks on March 11. In that race, she showed a new dimension, rallying for a 4 1/2-length win over a field that included stakes winners.

Mr Playwright was beaten just a head and neck in last Saturday's $40,000 Tempe Handicap, but rider O.A. Martinez Jr. felt lucky to get that close.

"Mr Playwright ran his race in the warm-ups," said Martinez. "He was washed out and misbehaving in the gate, something he's never done before."

STICKNEY, Ill. - Trainer Mike Maker and owner Ron Peltz just took down first prize last weekend in the $500,000 Lane's End Stakes with 48-1 shot With a City, but that's not the only weapon in their 3-year-old arsenal.

Maker confirmed on Monday that he and Peltz plan to start Devilofarush next Saturday in the $500,000 Illinois Derby. And yes, Devilofarush will be a longshot, but he won't look as improbable on paper as With a City did in the Lane's End.

Tampa Bay Derby winner Deputy Glitters will make his next start in the $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 8, trainer Tom Albertrani said.

Albertrani chose the Wood over the April 15 Blue Grass because the horse would have four weeks between his final prep and the Kentucky Derby on May 6.

"The Wood is a better spot," Albertrani said. "The timing is better for us. We have a little extra time to get him ready for the Derby. I do like the extra week."

The field for Saturday's $1 million Florida Derby grew to 11 horses by the time the race was closed and drawn on Wednesday with the additions of Hesanoldsalt and Sam's Ace. The turn of events may have provided an unexpected stumbling block for the undefeated Barbaro, who drew post 10 for the Grade 1 race, the marquee event on the Gulfstream Park stakes schedule.

Trainer Michael Matz, who has pointed Barbaro for the Florida Derby ever since his victory in the Holy Bull Stakes here on Feb. 4, did not attend the draw but took the news of Barbaro's post position in stride.

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - The similarities, at least to this point, are inescapable. Sharp Humor is following so closely in the footsteps of Funny Cide that Dale Romans can only shake his head and smile.

"Let's just hope we can keep following," said Romans, who trains Sharp Humor for the Purdedel Stable of Ed and Mara Edelberg and Chris Purdy.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Tom Albertrani nominated Balletto for last Saturday's Grade 2 Rampart Handicap, then said she wasn't quite ready for that type of race. But she should be plenty ready for Thursday's $37,000 feature at Gulfstream Park, a one-mile optional claiming event for fillies and mares, four of whom will compete under a claiming tag of $250,000.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The Santa Anita winter meet has more than three weeks left, but it is not too soon to start to thinking about Gold Rush Day for California-breds April 30 at Hollywood Park.

In the seventh-race feature Thursday at Santa Anita - an optional claiming race at one mile for statebred 3-year-old fillies - a field of six prep for the $200,000 Melair Stakes on Gold Rush Day. Purrfectly Fitting and Awesome Empress face the same challenge - lightly raced fillies trying to make a successful transition from a maiden sprint to a two-turn race for winners.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Owner Jim McIngvale will start speedball sprinter Fast Parade in the Santa Anita Derby on April 8. If you don't like it, take a hike.

That is exactly what trainer Peter Miller did Tuesday, severing ties with the eccentric owner after McIngvale directed him to run Fast Parade in the Santa Anita Derby.

It is not the first time McIngvale and a trainer have parted ways, although the latest split carries Grade 1 repercussions and may ultimately affect the chances of Derby favorite Brother Derek, who also is a front-runner.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Jimmy Bond is a neck from rolling a perfect Oaklawn Park meet, and on Thursday he can win for the third time this meet in the featured ninth race. The 1 1/16-mile optional claimer drew a field of eight horses, and .

Either horse is capable of winning Thursday, but Jimmy Bond might be able to secure an uncontested lead. He was a wire-to-wire winner of a $30,000 claiming race three starts ago in his first start at the meet Feb. 12. He returned one race later and captured an optional claiming race on the front end March 2.