HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - With the Wednesday commitments of both Music School and Kings Challenge to Saturday's $250,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, the field of probables for the race has grown to 10.

The one-mile Southwest was originally set for Monday and had eight entrants, but when a winter storm forced the cancellation of the card, the Southwest was postponed. It was to be redrawn Thursday.

STICKNEY, Ill. - Its very existence in jeopardy last fall, the National Jockey Club starts its 2006 race meet Friday at Hawthorne Race Course with at least a sliver of hope.

STICKNEY, Ill. - One of the best Illinois-breds in training, the 2005 statebred horse of the year, is wintering far from Illinois - but Original Spin's vacation is almost over now.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Brother Derek emerged unscathed, apparently, from an unexpected adventure Wednesday morning that began as a routine gallop. It was 8:30 when Brother Derek pulled up next to a pony and reared as if he wanted to mount the pony.

When Brother Derek's exercise rider pulled him away, the colt's rear end slipped from under him and he nearly flipped over.

"He kind of sat down on his hind quarters, and got right back up," trainer Dan Hendricks said. "The rider never turned him loose. It was as smooth as something like that could happen, and no big deal."

ARCADIA, Calif. - Eternal Melody has fallen short without an apparent alibi in both starts of her comeback. When she runs 1 1/8 miles on turf Friday at Santa Anita, she may not need an excuse.

Five fillies and mares entered the classified allowance, which goes as race 2 and has a $68,000 purse, and Eternal Melody enters as the most likely winner even though conditions favor Dream's. Written for nonwinners of $45,000 at a mile or more since Sept. 1, Dream's sneaks in just under the restrictions.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Private Vow and Bluegrass Cat have a lot in common. Both finished their 2-year-old campaigns near the top of their division, both have spent the winter training at Palm Meadows, and neither will even see Gulfstream Park before heading back north early this spring.

Bluegrass Cat made his 3-year-old debut last weekend, winning the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, and will return to the same venue for the Tampa Bay Derby on March 18.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Capote's Crown will be following in some very fast footsteps when she launches her 3-year-old campaign against 11 other fillies in Friday's $33,000 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park.

Capote's Crown is the baby sister of the multiple graded stakes winner Smokey Glacken, who has already won a pair of Grade 3 stakes here this winter, including the Hurricane Bertie last weekend.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Bruce Levine had just finished formulating Plan A when the trainer learned he already had to go to Plan B with his ace sprinter Big Apple Daddy.

Beulah has averaged $1,661,042 in handle per day for 31 racing programs through this past weekend, compared to $1,306,745 per day for 25 days in 2005 during the same time period. Ontrack handle is up 3.5 percent in 2006, averaging $60,649 per day. Weather and track conditions caused the cancellation of six racing programs in 2005. Beulah has not lost any racing days in 2006.

Last weekend's winter storm, which forced the cancellation of the Friday and Saturday cards, seemed like a distant memory, as temperatures quickly rose into the high 40's on Tuesday and Wednesday. The warmer weather resulted in full workout tabs both days, and the forecast heading into this weekend is a tremendous improvement.