LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The familiar dilemma of whether a flashy first-out Beyer Speed Figure can trump less spectacular but more established form will be part of the handicapping equation Saturday when French Park steps up in the one-mile Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill Downs.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The absence of turf racing at the Hollywood fall meeting has made Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 at Santa Anita the most important turf race in California between now and the resumption of racing at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.

A one-mile race for fillies and mares, the Las Palmas has drawn 10, including Mea Domina, the winner of the Grade 1 Gamely Breeders' Cup Handicap at Hollywood Park in May.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Trainer Craig Lewis and owners Al and Sandee Kirkwood had three races to choose from on Sunday's California Cup for their millionaire mare Valentine Dancer. The choices were the $150,000 Matron at 1 1/16 miles on the main track, the $150,000 Distaff at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course, or the $100,000 Distance Handicap at 1 1/4 miles on turf.

Valentine Dancer is proven in longer races on both turf and dirt, which made their decision to go for the Distaff a surprise.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Hollywood Park will conduct a trimmed-down autumn meeting without turf racing, and purse money from Hollywood will be redirected to Golden Gate Fields to augment the northern California turf racing purse structure. The Hollywood meet begins Wednesday.

Hollywood officials and the Thoroughbred Owners of California are finalizing a revised purse agreement that reduces the 31-day fall meet to 27 days, increases overnight dirt-only purses 12 to 14 percent, and allows for $166,000 in purse money be allocated to turf races at Golden Gate.

ALBANY, Calif. - Trainer Lonnie Arterburn understands the importance of timing in racing.

He hopes the time is right Saturday for Aizarunner, who makes his stakes debut in the Grade 3, $100,000 Silky Sullivan Stakes on the turf at Golden Gate Fields.

Arterburn was the breeder, owner, and trainer of Lava Man but lost him to a claim before he won the Grade 2 Californian and Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup this year. He purchased Rings a Chime and she won the Grade 1 Ashland and finished second in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in 2000 for him.

Jockey Roberto Perez was suspended for seven years and fined $7,000 by the Great Lakes Downs stewards on Thursday for placing a wager on his own behalf and excluding the horse he rode, in the fourth race on Oct. 4. Perez, who had ridden 101 winners at the meet, finished eighth in a field of 10 on the 3-2 favorite, A Songandapromise.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Those who were aiming for Saturday's $135,375 Ontario Fashion Handicap at Woodbine certainly didn't mind seeing Fifth Overture show up in last Sunday's Grade 2 First Flight Handicap at Belmont.

Fifth Overture, the top older filly or mare sprinter at Woodbine, would have been the prohibitive favorite in the Fashion, a six-furlong race. In her absence, Silver Bird will most likely be favored.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Guard Force will try to carry his speed around three turns for the first time when he faces a tough group of older horses in the sixth race at Hastings Saturday. Only five horses have been entered in the optional $20,000 race at 1 1/16 miles, and any one of the five could win it.

Guard Force has turned out to be an excellent claim by trainer Tom Longstaff. A Washington-bred son of Skywalker, Guard Force has won two races since being haltered for $5,000 Aug. 28, and in his latest start he finished a very good second in a $20,000 sprint Oct. 22.

Total all-sources handle on the eight Breeders' Cup races on Saturday at Belmont Park was $116,465,923, a Breeders' Cup record and up 6 percent from last year's final number, according to figures provided by a Breeders' Cup official on Thursday.

Trainer John Locke appears to have both ends of the pace spectrum covered Saturday night with his coupled entry of Fly Slama Jama and Oncearoundtwice in the $40,000 Buffalo Bayou at Sam Houston Race Park.

A competitive field of 12 will go in the Buffalo Bayou, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and up, including Middleweight, Crowned King, and Charming Socialite.