It's not often the Bay Meadows Fair sees a horse who would have been among the favorites for a Kentucky Derby. Wimbledon, injured just days prior to the 2004 Kentucky Derby, runs in Sunday's fourth race, an optional $50,000 claiming event at a mile on the turf.

Despite being a graded stakes winner, Wimbledon probably won't impress the bettors at Bay Meadows. He figures no better than second or third choice in the wagering in the $32,000 feature, which lured a field of seven. Unlike Wimbledon, who makes his turf debut, several in the field are proven commodities on this surface.

When a 2-year-old is good enough to win the Bashford Manor Stakes, as Deputy G did at Churchill Downs on July 10, the next logical move often is Saratoga.

Instead, Deputy G will turn up next at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. "We thought about Saratoga," said David Pate, who trains Deputy G for Spade Stable, a 19-member syndicate based in Louisville. "But not a lot of the owners wanted to do that. They're Kentucky people, and they want to keep the horse running where everyone can go and see him."

BOSSIER CITY, La. - Due to Win Again's victory in optional-claiming company in her last start could not have come at a better time for trainer Howard Scarberry. The win was the mare's first this year and - the obvious play on words aside - it should set her up well for another good effort in Sunday's $50,000 Sangue Handicap at Louisiana Downs. Eleven entered the 7 1/2-furlong grass race.

The Potters Hand was struggling in low-level claiming races when trainer Marie Vaught decided to try him on the turf in May. The change in surface breathed new life in The Potters Hand, who has registered 2 wins and 2 third-place finishes in 5 grass starts at River Downs this summer.

Three weeks removed from a turf allowance win over the champion statebred Ben's Reflection, The Potters Hand is poised to add a stakes win to his resume Sunday in the $40,000 Buckeye Native for accredited Ohio-breds at River Downs.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Blonde Executive, Canada's champion sprinter of 2004, has been retired to the breeding shed.

A homebred 4-year-old filly owned by Bruno Brothers Farm and trained by Radlie Loney, Blonde Executive had her last campaign cut short in October and did not return to the racetrack until June.

Blonde Executive's preparations appeared to be proceeding well when she drilled four furlongs in 47.80 seconds here July 23, but that work turned out to be the last of her career.

FORT ERIE, Ontario - Roman Romance, a stakes-winning mare from the barn of John Simms, towers over her opponents in the Golden Horseshoe, the second of a pair of $30,000, 1 1/16-mile Cup races here Sunday.

The Cup races are restricted to horses that have had at least two previous starts at the meet. The Golden Horseshoe is for fillies and mares, and the Peace Bridge is for male runners.

Roman Romance, 7, is a winner of eight races and $510,982. Her four opponents on Sunday include a maiden and two one-time winners.

AUBURN, Wash. - Poker Brad is out of the Aug. 21 running of the Grade 3, $250,000 Longacres Mile after being injured in a workout here on Tuesday, according to trainer Tim McCanna.

McCanna said that Poker Brad, a 7-year-old with career earnings of $424,790, pulled up badly after working a half-mile in 47.80 seconds in preparation for the Mile.

"He took a bad step after he crossed the wire and hyperextended his right front," said McCanna. "It's a soft-tissue injury, but it is hard to say exactly what it is quite yet. I know it's bad enough that he'll be out a long time.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - During the middle of rainy Wednesday training hours there was a man in a nondescript untucked polo shirt standing alone at the edge of a local trainer's Arlington barn. Through Ron McAnally you could trace a lot of history.

History keeps coming up this summer. This is the 20th anniversary of the Miracle Million, when the old Arlington Park went up in flames and came down in rubble, and they still ran the race three weeks later.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Jimmy Toner scratched Wonder Again from the Diana Handicap at Saratoga in large part because the mare was assigned a far outside post. Toner was hoping for a better draw for Saturday's Grade 1 Beverly D. at Arlington, but as luck would have it, Wonder Again again drew the outside post in a field of 10.

So when a steady rain started falling Thursday morning at Arlington, Toner was glad to hear some good news.

"Finally, something's going right," Toner said with a laugh.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - When officials from Jacobs Investments held a press conference at Pimlico the day before the May 21 Preakness, they could not have known how much impact their unveiling of a new bonus offering would carry into August.