MIAMI - The summer meet at Calder is generally known for developing promising 2-year-old talent. But one of the up-and-coming stars of the current session is a 4-year-old Argentine-bred colt named Anjiz Crypto, who registered his second consecutive one-sided victory here Sunday when he easily defeated a good group of third-level optional claiming and allowance horses, including the multiple stakes winner Cin Cin.

BOSSIER CITY, La. - With over a million dollars at stake, interest in Saturday's Louisiana Breeders' Festival continues to run high. A total of 124 were entered Wednesday morning for the 13-race, all-stakes program that will represent all divisions of Louisiana-breds. Eight Thoroughbred and five Quarter Horse events are on the program, which begins 1:10 p.m.

The two stakes for 2-year-olds generated the most attention, with 10 colts and geldings entered in the Stardust and 11 fillies entered in the Laurel Lane.

AUBURN, Wash. - Chestnut Lady came into last Saturday's $89,290 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes for 2-year-old fillies with just one race under her girth, a six-furlong maiden win Aug. 6. Owner Mike Feuerborn said he realized it was asking a lot of his filly to take on more seasoned rivals at a mile, but figured he had an ace in the hole.

"If anybody can do it, it's the Penneys," he said a few moments before the field of 10 left the gate.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - It has been a long time since trainer Bob Meeking has won a major race at Hastings. In the 1970's, Meeking won two British Columbia Derbies: the 1970 derby with Mincemeat and, in a thriller, the 1977 running with Bucksaw, who got up in the last few jumps to nail Skovinsky at the wire.

Meeking is hoping for a strong performance from Karis Makaw in the $40,000 Delta Colleen Stakes on Saturday. If she runs well, Karis Makaw figures to be one of the favorites in the $150,000 Ballerina Breeders' Cup Oct. 15.

EDMONTON, Alberta - Sparhawk will be in quest of his third straight victory, and fifth in his last seven outings, when he heads a field of nine 3-year-olds sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs in an optional claimer here Friday at Northlands Park

Since being claimed by trainer Monica Russell from a second-place finish against $12,000 claimers, Sparhawk has handily won two in a row for a $17,500 claiming price for owner Mickey Demers.

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. - As the live racing season in Nebraska draws to a close, Horsemen's Atokad Downs will roar back to life this weekend for a three-day mini-meet of six-race cards on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Sam Houston closed out its Quarter Horse meet Sunday with average daily attendance of 4,853, and an average daily handle on its live races of $406,798. The meet ran 38 nights in a much shorter session than last year's 95-date meet, which was designed to help Lone Star Park accommodate the Breeders' Cup.

Purses for the Quarter Horse meet this year averaged $87,874 a day.

James Brooks, 54, won his first riding title since 1973 at Les Bois Park, and he did it in dominating fashion. He won 51 races at Sam Houston, which was 25 more than runner-up Mark Page.

Jb's Golden Regret, who won the $100,000 M2 Technology La Senorita for 2-year-old fillies at Retama, could make her next two starts at Delta Downs. Her trainer, Gilbert Ciavaglia, is mapping out a fall campaign that could focus on both the $75,000 Chargedupsycamore at seven furlongs on Nov. 4, and the $250,000 Delta Princess at one mile on Dec. 2.

"That will give us all of September to freshen her up," said Ciavaglia. "We're going to give her a little breather, probably 30 days of just light training. She has already run five times this year."

Whiskey for Me is coming home. The 3-year-old colt, who has won five races in Texas since March, will make his next start in his native Oklahoma in the $40,000 Oklahoma Classics Day Turf, said his trainer, Cody Autrey. The one-mile turf race will be held Sept. 24, and shares a program with six other Oklahoma-bred stakes as part of the Oklahoma Classics Day program at Remington.

Lone Star Park will host its first Quarter Horse meet since 2003 beginning Sept. 30, and the track has laid out 24 stakes worth $2.7 million for the season. Last year, Lone Star hosted the Breeders' Cup in the fall and its Quarter Horse dates were run at Sam Houston Race Park.

This year's meet will continue through Nov. 27. Among the most prestigious stakes are the $1 million Texas Classic Futurity on Nov. 26; the $450,000-estimated Dash for Cash Futurity on Oct. 22; and the $100,000 Refrigerator Handicap on Nov. 25. Each race is a Grade 1 for Quarter Horses.