LEXINGTON, Ky. - Maryland invader Bright Gold notched her fifth straight victory when she overcame early trouble and proved clearly best Thursday in the $113,300 at Keeneland.

Owned by Hazel Marsh and trained by Mary Eppler, Bright Gold drew clear in the final furlong to prevail by two lengths over Tara's Touch. Bright Gold paid $5.80 as the favorite in a field of 10 fillies mares and finished 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:02.53 over a firm turf course.

Horacio Karamanos was aboard Bright Gold, a 5-year-old Virginia-bred by Hold for Gold.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Patrick Valenzuela provided Santa Anita stewards with documentation from a doctor on Thursday stating he could not ride through Sunday because of an ailing foot, according to stewards and Valenzuela's agent, Ron Ebanks.

Valenzuela was removed from his mounts prior to the first race on Wednesday when he did not appear at the track or contact the stewardsbefore the card began. According to the terms of his conditional license, Valenzuela must notify stewards if he does not appear to ride.

Construction at Gulfstream Park has encountered cost overruns that have increased the budget for the project by $26.5 million, the owner of Gulfstream, Magna Entertainment Corp., said late Wednesday.

The overruns will not have a significant impact on the timetable for the reconstruction of the track, according to Scott Savin, Gulfstream's president. Gulfstream is scheduled to start its 2006 meet on Jan. 4.

ALBANY, Calif. - Nine runners will be asked to cover an increasingly rare distance in Saturday's $100,000 Tanforan Handicap at Golden Gate Fields.

This is the first 1 3/8-mile turf stakes in northern California since the 2002 Yerba Buena at Bay Meadows.

The Jerry Hollendorfer-trained entry of Shadow Raider and Adreamisborn looms the favorite.

CHICAGO - Wayne Catalano has a wagonload of earthy sayings, enunciated in the distinctive cadence and accent he acquired growing up in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

One of them is, "He run out the screen," as in, a horse drew off to lead by so much that a camera operator following the race's action left the horse in front to pan back to the battle for second and third place. Get it? The horse ran out of the screen.

Mr. Trieste will spot his rivals from five to 10 pounds when he attempts to win his sixth consecutive race Saturday in the rescheduled $60,000 Kachina Handicap at Zia Park in Hobbs, N.M.

The one-mile race was to be run Oct. 15, but after heavy rains hit the area, the handicap, along with eight other races on the card, was canceled. There were 10 horses set to start in the original Kachina, and seven entered back for this week's running, including leading contender Perfect Moon, who will carry 118 pounds, seven fewer than Mr. Trieste.

Seven of the eight Ohio-bred fillies and mares in Saturday's $40,000 Bobbie Bricker Memorial Handicap at Beulah Park recorded Beyer Speed Figures between 61 and 67 in their last start, indicating little separates the runners in terms of current form.

Upon closer inspection, Patti's Clown, trained by Mike Nance, is the pick. Patti's Clown raced close to the pace and finished fourth, beaten four lengths, against the state's top mares last time out in the 1 1/8-mile Best of Ohio Distaff on Oct. 1.

Ellens Lucky Star goes after her second straight stakes win when she headlines a field of 11 Indiana-bred fillies and mares in the $40,000 Merrillville Stakes at Hoosier Park.

The winner of this six-furlong race in 2003 and third last year, Ellens Lucky Star has consistently been in the money this season but had not won until the Richmond Stakes on Sept. 30. Hoosier's seven-furlong oval has been the scene of her biggest efforts and she sports a lifetime mark of 6-2-2 from 10 starts over the surface.

Bisquik has stepped up his game since the addition of blinkers, and shoots for his second stakes race since September in the $20,000 Woodlands Derby at The Woodlands.

The 1 1/16-mile race drew a field of nine. Other leading contenders include Scarlet Jeff, the winner of the Kansas Thoroughbred Association Derby last out who will add Lasix, and Proper Carson, winner of a recent allowance at The Woodlands.

Given a choice, trainer Tony Dutrow would have preferred to see his 2-year-old filly Loosends make her second career start in a two-turn allowance race.

Rather than wait for the ideal spot, Dutrow has chosen to take a shot with Loosends in Saturday's $100,000 Blue Hen, a 1 1/16-mile stakes at Delaware Park.