ELMONT, N.Y. - Even with the absence of Summerly and Sis City, the leaders of the 3-year-old filly division, Saturday's $250,000 Acorn features a strong lineup, and its winner will likely have an impact on the divisional rankings.

ALBANY, Calif. - Russell Baze, horse racing's second winningest jockey, reached the 9,000 career mark at Golden Gate Fields on Thursday when he rode Queen of the Hunt ($2.80) to a wire-to-wire, one-length victory over She Made It Happen in the day's closing race.

Baze, who trails only Laffit Pincay Jr.'s total of 9,530 on the all-time win list, had ridden Somethinaboutlaura ($3.60) to an easy victory earlier on the card for win No. 8,999.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The return of Sense of Style, one of last year's top 2-year-old fillies, will not take place in Saturday's Grade 1 Acorn at Belmont Park as expected, but rather across the river in New Jersey.

On Thursday morning, Sense of Style's trainer, Patrick Biancone, said the filly "was not ready to come back in a Grade 1 race" and would be pointed to the $300,000 Mother Goose here on May 25. Later in the day, Sense of Style showed up in the entries at Monmouth Park for Saturday's $60,000 Revidere Stakes.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Though no horse has tested positive for the respiratory infection of strangles on the Belmont Park backstretch, New York Racing Association officials are taking extra precautions to allay any fears out-of-state horsemen may have shipping in for the Belmont Stakes or any other stakes race that day.

Suffolk Downs will bring back four previously canceled open stakes races for the 2005 meet after redistributing $100,000 in Breeders' Cup money that had been slated for the canceled James Moseley Breeders' Cup.

The money will be split four ways, and Suffolk will add another $25,000 to each race, making four $50,000 stakes, starting with the Rudy Baez for 3-year-olds at six furlongs June 11. Only Breeders' Cup nominees will be eligible for the full $50,000 purses.

ALBANY, Calif. - When Mister Acpen was last in the Bay Area, he scored an impressive wire-to-wire victory in the Grade 3 Bay Meadows Breeders' Cup Handicap on Sept. 27, 2003.

Adreamisborn wasn't even in northern California yet. He was, at that time, a 4-year-old maiden. By the time Adreamisborn won his first race, at age 5, Mister Acpen had gone nearly halfway around the world to run in the Hong Kong Mile and nearly died.

The two have traveled widely divergent paths but meet Saturday in the $100,000 Rolling Green Breeders' Cup Handicap.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Three stewards based in Southern California - Pete Pedersen, Merlin Volzke, and Jack Williams - are being dismissed by the California Horse Racing Board in coming weeks. The three men were informed of the decision last week, according to CHRB executive director Ingrid Fermin, a former steward.

"Their contracts have not been renewed," she said.

The contracts expire on June 30. Fermin said that Pedersen, 84, will continue as a steward at Hollywood Park through the end of the meeting, on July 17.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The rugged nature of Hollywood Story's victory last month in the Hawthorne Handicap has only toughened the 4-year-old filly.

In the first turn, she clipped heels with a rival, nearly fell, regrouped under Victor Espinoza, and rallied past six others to win by 2 1/2 lengths. She came out of the race uninjured, according to trainer John Shirreffs.

"It was an amazing race," he said.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Shaconage loves Churchill Downs in the springtime, and Churchill Downs loves Shaconage.

At least that's what trainer Mitch Shirota would like to believe. Shaconage has won 5 times in her 23-race career, and by far her two biggest triumphs came here at the 2004 spring meet, when she won the Distaff Turf Mile and Locust Grove, both Grade 3 handicaps.

Saturday, when she goes as one of the favorites in the $150,000 Mint Julep Handicap, Shaconage will be gunning for a third Grade 3 victory at Churchill.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Sense of Style was a surprise entrant in the $60,000 Revidere Stakes for 3-year-old fillies Saturday at Monmouth Park.

Trainer Patrick Biancone was looking for a comeback spot for the filly, who shot to the top of the 2-year-old ranks last summer when she debuted with three straight wins, including the Grade 2 Spinaway at Saratoga and the Grade 1 Matron Stakes at Belmont Park.

last ran in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, finishing ninth and suffering a chipped ankle bone.