AUBURN, Wash. - Royal Snowflight drops out of the stakes ranks to take on four other 3-year-olds in Sunday's feature at Portland Meadows, a 5 1/2-furlong sprint for $8,000 to $6,250 claimers.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Maggi Moss's presence in New York racing is felt virtually on a daily basis. Until Friday, her presence at a New York track had never been known.

On an unseasonably warm January morning, Moss stood outside trainer Gary Contessa's Aqueduct barn as her 19 horses were paraded before her. More often than not, Moss was able to correctly identify each of them though she had never seen any of them up close.

Desert Wheat looks like the horse to beat Sunday in the $75,000 Black Gold Handicap. But as the saying goes, you gotta be in it to win it, and in that respect Desert Wheat might not qualify.

Owner Jerry Lee and trainer Tony Richey also entered Desert Wheat in Saturday's Crescent City Derby, and as of Friday afternoon, Richey said he was leaning toward running in that 1 1/16-mile dirt race rather than the Black Gold, a 7 1/2-furlong turf race.

"It's not cast in stone, but it's probably 80 percent that we'll run there," Richey said.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - When jockey Jerry Bailey announced his retirement earlier this week, the news suddenly left trainer Frank Brothers without a rider for First Samurai when he opens his 2006 campaign in the Grade 2 Hutcheson Stakes on Feb. 4.

Bailey had ridden First Samurai in each of his last four starts, including victories in the Grade 1 Hopeful and Champagne stakes and a third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - It was all systems go on Friday morning for the additional backstretch security measures that the Arkansas Racing Commission is introducing this meet at Oaklawn Park. There is a new backstretch surveillance system with wireless cameras that can be moved to different barns; random, prerace blood testing on horses; and a monitor assigned to stables selected by the stewards.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - The most interesting race on the Bay Meadows card Sunday is a $40,000 optional claimer for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs, which includes Back Door Girl, who is running in this race rather than going a mile Saturday in the $75,000 Burlingame.

has run second and first in her two starts, respectively, losing to the talented $400,000 purchase Elusive Air in her debut, then winning her second start by four lengths.

Russell Baze, who had four wins Thursday to move back into a tie for the jockey lead with Martin Garcia, rides her again.

Keagan looks to affirm his position atop the local 3-year-old ranks in Sunday's $40,000 Rattlesnake at Turf Paradise, but it isn't going to be easy. The one-mile race is Keagan's first shot at a trip beyond a sprint, and he faces several who have pressed him before and at least one new shooter.

FLORENCE, Ky. - Unless you count the name of one of the traditional prep races, the WEBN Frog Stakes, there rarely is anything exotic about the Kentucky Derby trail during the long winter at Turfway Park.

But something out of the ordinary might well occur at Turfway within the next couple of months: The connections of a Derby hopeful from England are taking a long look at whether to use Turfway as a path to Churchill Downs.

ARCADIA, Calif. - A string of upsets on Thursday has led to a massive two-day carryover of $847,509 for Friday's card at Santa Anita.

There was only winning favorite in Thursday's pick six, which had a consolation of $8,599.80 for tickets that had five of the six winners.

Friday's program begins at 1 p.m., with the first race in the pick six, the third race, due off at 2:04 p.m.

Here is a glance at the pick six races, with changes from Thursday's scratch time.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The seven-furlong distance of the Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita last month was the undoing of Attila's Storm. After battling for the lead until midstretch, Attila's Storm could not get by Proud Tower Too, who edged away to win by a length.

Saturday, Attila's Storm returns in the Grade 2, $150,000 , and the six-furlong distance is firmly on his side.

The shorter distance of the Palos Verdes has given trainer Richard Schosberg confidence that Attila's Storm can win the second stakes of his career.