VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Champagne Royale figures to be a short price when she takes on five other fillies and mares in an optional $35,000 claiming race at Hastings Friday evening. Her toughest challenge in the 1 1/16-mile race could come from the lone 3-year-old filly and the only stakes winner in the race, Country Kat.

AUBURN, Wash. - Sugar Pine invades from Hastings Park on Friday when she takes on six other 3-year-old fillies in the Emerald feature, a mile test for $25,000 to $30,000 claimers.

Sugar Pine, a daughter Mud Route who races for Janis Witham, finished a close second in last year's Fantasy Stakes at Hastings and she won at the optional $50,000 claiming level earlier this year in Vancouver. She has gone unplaced in three stakes attempts this year, however, and she is coming off a seventh-place finish at odds of 44-1 in the 1 1/16-mile Nanaimo Handicap on Aug. 20.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Singhalese already is a Grade 1 winner, having taken the Del Mar Oaks in her last start, and she may be on her way to a date in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland after racing Saturday at Arlington Park in the $200,000 Pucker Up Stakes.

But snuck onto the Federal Express flight that carried Singhalese to Chicago on Tuesday was another California-based 3-year-old filly, Royal Copenhagen. She might not be quite on a par with Singhalese - and then again, she might.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The Atto Mile suffered a blow on Wednesday with the news that Artie Schiller would not be making the trip for Sunday's Grade 1, $1 million feature here at Woodbine.

Artie Schiller, based in New York with trainer Jimmy Jerkens, had been targeted for the Atto Mile since winning the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch at Saratoga on Aug. 1. His defection left a probable field of nine for the Atto Mile, which was to be drawn Thursday.

Before a pair of unbeaten 2-year-olds clashed on July 29, 2004, in the Grade 2 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga, there was no way to know that one would go on to stardom and the other into oblivion.

Afleet Alex was an easy winner of the Sanford, while Lunarpal, who had opened his career with four straight wins, finished sixth. And while Afleet Alex proceeded to become the most accomplished horse in his class, Lunarpal hasn't even had another race.

ELMONT, N.Y. - With the news that Bellamy Road is out for the year and Commentator is likely to turn back to shorter distances, the connections of the front-running handicap horses Alumni Hall and Ice Wynnd Fire are thinking about the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup here on Oct 1.

Before learning about Bellamy Road, trainer Neil Howard had been targeting the $500,000 Meadowlands Cup for Alumni Hall, who earlier this year won the Grade 3 Ben Ali Handicap at Keeneland and who is coming off an allowance win at Saratoga last month.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Vaca City Flyer, one of the best claims of 2004, returns to action at Bay Meadows on Friday night in a tough spot. She has five rivals in a $50,000 optional claimer at six furlongs and gives away a conditioning edge to each of them as she makes her first start in seven months.

Champion 2-year-old Ocean Runaway returns to the site of his greatest victories when he starts in the trials to the Grade 1, $125,000-estimated PCQHRA Breeders Derby on Friday night at Los Alamitos.

Ocean Runaway, winner of three Grade 1 stakes and holder of a six-race winning streak at Los Alamitos, summered at Ruidoso Downs and finished second to the sensational DM Shicago in the Grade 1 Rainbow Derby. DM Shicago also won the Ruidoso Derby and All American Derby to become only the third horse to win all three derbies at the New Mexico track.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Soaring Free used last year's Play the King Handicap as a stepping-stone to victory in the Grade 1 Atto Mile here at Woodbine.

On Sunday, Vanderlin will be attempting to follow that same blueprint when he goes postward in the $1 million Atto Mile over the E.P. Taylor turf course.

But the similarity between the two Play the King winners ends right there.

Soaring Free won the Play the King as the 3-5 favorite for the highly successful local team of Sam-Son Farm, trainer Mark Frostad, and jockey Todd Kabel.

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - An increase in purses, including moving the purse for bottom claimers from $2,500 to $3,000, helped fuel fuller fields and higher handle at the 2005 Marquis Downs meet, which ended Saturday.

With purses up, more horsemen were here this summer and the average number of horses running per race increased from 6.5 in 2004 to 8 in 2005.

This, in turn, stimulated the mutuels, and track management saw the live handle increase by about 22 percent to about $27,200 per day, up from $22,300 in 2004.