ARCADIA, Calif. - Both Apalachee Tiger and Follow the Rainbow scored consecutive victories at Del Mar, and they will try to extend their streaks in Thursday's featured $49,000 allowance race at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting.

As far as Bob Baffert is concerned, either can win, since he trains both. But the Baffert duo - who race as separate betting interests because of different ownership - face formidable challenges from Steal Your Thunder, who is dropping out of stakes races at Del Mar, and Aragorn, a European newcomer.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Duchess Stakes runner-up Hatpin deserves top billing in Thursday's Woodbine feature, an $80,000 optional claimer at seven furlongs.

Hatpin is in the midst of a productive 3-year-old campaign for trainer Mark Frostad, winning 2 of 7 starts while banking $177,033. After winning a six-furlong allowance on the main track May 15, she won the Alywow Stakes, a 6 1/2-furlong grass race, with authority in June.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The final week of the Del Mar meeting, trainer Dan Hendricks had the choice of running Brother Derek in the Del Mar Futurity or in the I'm Smokin against California-breds two days earlier. Hendricks took what seemed the path of least resistance, running Brother Derek in the I'm Smokin, and he has been angry at himself ever since.

"It didn't work out, and I take the blame," Hendricks said.

POMONA, Calif. - Less produced more this fall at Fairplex Park, where a shortened race meet generated record handle for the Los Angeles County Fair meet, which ended Monday. Fairplex trimmed its meet by a day, racing 16 days with Tuesdays off, and the experiment produced all-time high handle of $113.8 million, a daily average of $7.1 million. The total handle was $4.6 million above the previous high over a 17-day meet in 2003.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - There were lots of reasons why trainer Art Sherman and client Robert Bone liked Ugotadowhatugotado when they claimed her for $25,000 on Sept. 10.

One was that they knew there would be a race for her like Thursday's Bay Meadows feature, a $32,000 claiming sprint for fillies and mares at five furlongs on the turf.

"I thought she came out of a very productive race," Sherman said. "She'll be sitting just off the pace here."

ANDERSON, Ind. - Participants for Saturday's Grade 2, $500,000 Indiana Derby began filing in Tuesday morning as a field of anywhere from eight to 11 horses was expected to enter Wednesday morning for the 1 1/16-mile centerpiece of the Hoosier Park meet.

Scrappy T, the runner-up in the Preakness, was due in Tuesday afternoon on the heels of his five-furlong tune-up in 1:00 at Bowie on Sunday morning. Also on the grounds or expected in during the day were Purim, Southern Africa, and Greater Good. It's Time to Smile was also expected to arrive from his Penn National base Tuesday.

MIAMI - The primary purpose of last Saturday's 13-race card was to showcase top 2-year-old talent for Calder's marquee event, the $1.6 million Festival of the Sun on Oct. 15. And in that regard the day proved a rousing success in light of impressive victories turned in by Blazing Rate in the $150,000 Foolish Pleasure Stakes, Mia's Reflection in the $150,000 Brave Raj Stakes, and Stolen Prayer in an allowance race.

A.P. Arrow looks like a triple threat in the Grade 2, $750,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs on Saturday. He is the lone horse in the field with a win over the race's mile and a quarter distance, he is a late foal just now coming into his own, and he is trained by Wayne Lukas.

Lukas is dangerous with promising 3-year-olds who want a route of ground, as evidenced by his 13 victories in Triple Crown races. Lukas has also won the Super Derby twice, with Island Whirl and Editor's Note, and on Tuesday said the distance of the race is one of the main draws for A.P. Arrow.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The prospect of life without the "bug" isn't the least bit intimidating to apprentice rider Corey Fraser.

"Mentally, I'm not affected by it at all," said Fraser, after making his rounds with his agent, Lorne Spearman, here Tuesday morning. "I'm more excited about it, if anything."

Fraser has just a couple more days to contemplate his upcoming status as a journeyman rider, which will kick in with Saturday's card.

ARCADIA, Calif. - There are higher objectives for Elusive Diva and Valentine Dancer than the Grade 3 Sen. Ken Maddy Handicap, the feature race Wednesday, opening day of the autumn Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita.

Elusive Diva is launching a mini-campaign geared toward the Grade 1 Matriarch this fall at Hollywood Park; Valentine Dancer is nearing the all-time earnings mark by a California-bred filly or mare. The $100,000 Maddy, a 6 1/2-furlong turf sprint, is only a means to an end. In that regard, the race symbolizes the entire Oak Tree meet.