FORT ERIE, Ontario - The 2005 Fort Erie meet will end will a flair on Nov. 1.

The Tour de Fort, at two miles and 70 yards, is the longest race run in Ontario and a tradition on the meet's final weekend. And this year it will be run on that day for a purse of $30,000, up from $10,000, according to racing secretary Tom Gostlin.

"And Cheldon, a sponsor, will present trophies to the winning owner, trainer, and jockey," said Gostlin of a company that does trophy engraving. "Next year, it will likely become a part of the Cup races."

CHICAGO - The Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth Challenge Cup for 3-year-old fillies on grass is run Saturday at Keeneland, about a 6 1/2-hour drive south from Hawthorne Race Course. The ungraded, $150,000 Hawthorne Oaks is a nice enough spot, but it clearly takes a back seat.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Trainer David Forster is no stranger when it comes to the Grade 3 Ballerina Breeders' Cup, which runs this Saturday at Hastings. Forster has won the race four times. His first win came in 1993 with Pilgrim's Treasure, and, beginning in 1998, he won the Ballerina three years in a row with Magic Code.

Forster started the 2005 season with four stakes-winning 4-year-old fillies: Overact, Gold Accent, Summer Symphony, and Socorro County. He is down to two, Summer Symphony and Socorro County, and they will be trying to upset Raylene in the Ballerina.

AUBURN, Wash. - History suggests that it takes a truly exceptional filly to win the Gottstein Futurity, which will be contested for the 68th time Saturday at Emerald Downs.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Already in the midst of a four-race winning streak over a span of nine months, Rock Hard Ten remains on course for the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Belmont Park on Oct. 29 after a flashy six-furlong workout on Wednesday at Santa Anita.

Rock Hard Ten worked in 1:12.80, leaving trainer Richard Mandella enthused about the 4-year-old's chances in the richest race in the United States later this month.

"Everything is going great so far," trainer Richard Mandella said.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The board of directors at the Keeneland Association took a major step Wednesday toward having the weather-resistant racing surface Polytrack installed on its main track, voting to proceed with the design and engineering stages of what eventually would be a multimillion-dollar project.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A field of seven 3-year-old fillies has firmed up for the fourth and final Grade 1 race of the Keeneland fall meet, the $500,000 , which will be run here Saturday for the 22nd time.

The Maryland Million, rescheduled for Saturday at Laurel Park, drew 109 entrants for 12 races when it was redrawn on Wednesday, just three fewer than for the original card.

The Million card was initially scheduled for last Saturday, but it was canceled that morning when 7 1/2 inches of rain fell at Laurel Park. At the time, 112 horses had been entered for the 12 races, which carry total purses of $1.5 million and are restricted to the offspring of Maryland sires.

The stable areas at Gulfstream Park and the Palm Meadows training center remain slated to open as scheduled next month. Palm Meadows, located 45 minutes north of Gulfstream in Boynton Beach, will begin accepting horses on Nov. 1, while the Gulfstream barn area will open its doors on Nov. 14.

Gulfstream is undergoing a major renovation project that began last year with the construction of a new main track and turf course as well as several state-of-the-art barns. The efforts will culminate with the unveiling of a new grandstand, scheduled for completion by opening day, Jan. 4.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Surely nothing worse can happen to the Perryville Stakes that hasn't already happened.

For months, the Perryville had been targeted as the long-awaited comeback spot for Declan's Moon, the unbeaten 2-year-old champion of 2004. But he did not progress as hoped when returning from knee surgery and was recently taken out of training again.