The racing days are down to a precious few for Habiboo. Owner and trainer Amy Tarrant will retire Habiboo at the end of this season, leaving only a handful of races to go, including the $60,000 Lighthouse Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile and 70 yards Saturday at Monmouth Park.

A 4-year-old filly, Habiboo has run only five times this year, including a fifth in the Lady's Secret Stakes on Monmouth's Haskell Day undercard. She has battled some respiratory problems, and Tarrant is trying to send her off on a winning note.

During an eight-month stretch beginning last November, Sensibly Chic was a model of consistency, finishing first or second in all seven of her races.

That string was highlighted by a decisive victory as the 5-2 favorite in the Grade 2 Vagrancy Handicap at Belmont Park in June.

It's the most recent line in Sensibly Chic's past performances, however, that causes a lot of head-scratching for handicappers. She finished last of six in the Grade 2 Princess Rooney at Calder.

Two horses who prefer to be close to the early pace and three others who do their best running coming from far back provide an intriguing puzzle for handicappers attempting to decipher Saturday's $100,000 Charles Hadry Stakes at Laurel Park.

Cherokee's Boy, already a three-time stakes winner this year, and Unforgettable Max, who has faced graded stakes horses in 4 of his last 5 races, figure to be prominent early in the one-mile Hadry.

First it was the stewards who threw a wet blanket on jockey Dyn Panell's milestone party. Now it's the record keepers.

As a result, a celebration by the second-leading rider at Suffolk Downs has been put on hold as he seeks his 1,000th career victory.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Any alphabetical listing of candidates for this year's Atto Mile has to start with A to the Z.

But Paula Capestro, who trains A to the Z, is less concerned with the start than the end of the Grade 1, $1 million Atto Mile, which will be run at Woodbine on Sept. 18.

"He's been sort of a rags-to-riches story," said Capestro, who checked in with A to the Z from California last Thursday and is visiting Woodbine for the first time.

"A friend of mine mentioned this race, and said I should consider it. It could be right up his alley."

FORT ERIE, Ontario - On Monday morning the jockeys tested the turf course here at Fort Erie and gave the green light for the afternoon's two Cup races, the Centre Stage Anne and the Puss N Boots.

Because of soggy conditions, turf races the previous two days had been switched to the dirt.

"I would have just died if they took the races off the turf," said trainer Robert Williams. "All three of my runners are just turf, with big, flat feet. I'd been aiming for the Centre Stage Anne since last year."

DEL MAR, Calif. - Stevie Wonderboy moved to the head of the West Coast 2-year-old division on Wednesday with a powerful, five-length victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 on Del Mar's closing day.

Stevie Wonderboy ($7) was ninth in the 11-horse field as the field moved down the backstretch, but he unleashed a devastating kick while wide to roar past his rivals and win going away. The Pharaoh was second, a half-length in front of Jealous Profit. Both the second- and third-place finishers were recent imports from Calder.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Horse vans and moving trucks were scurrying around the back roads and entrances of these grounds Wednesday morning as the New York Racing Association prepares for Friday's opening of a most significant 38-day Belmont Park fall meeting.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - An often tense and heated two-hour meeting Wednesday at Churchill Downs between officials from the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority and about 100 horsemen and veterinarians failed to break the stalemate regarding new race-day medication rules in Kentucky, resulting in two more programs at Turfway Park noticeably lacking in quality and depth.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - There was a certain something missing when entries were being taken for Friday's races on Wednesday at Arlington Park. A certain someone, to be more exact.