LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Marathon grass races such as the Louisville Handicap at Churchill Downs typically unfold with a moderate, slow, or even crawling pace. Those races often morph into little more than a group gallop, followed by a sprint to the wire, with a slight edge perhaps belonging to the horse with the most potent turn of foot.

Given the startling lack of speed in the field for Monday's Grade 3 Louisville, horseplayers must decide whether the race shape will hinder Rapid Proof, who otherwise appears to be the most logical winner of the 1 3/8-mile grass race.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Hal Wiggins knows a little something about hard-knocking grass horses, having trained Chorwon, who in 2001 captured a graded stakes at the ripe old age of 8.

Now Wiggins is stepping forth with Rapid Proof, a 5-year-old gelding whom Wiggins has entered in Monday's Louisville Handicap at Churchill Downs.

"He's sound as a dollar and just now maturing into a top horse," said Wiggins. "Obviously, I'd love to have him around as long as we had Chorwon."

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - For several of the horses entered in Monday's Mister Gus Stakes at Arlington, the race functions like the hub of an airline, a stop on the way to somewhere else.

launches his 2005 season six months after turning in a career-best effort, finishing a close second in the Grade 3 River City at Churchill Downs. Some kind of decent performance Monday slots him in a higher-profile stakes next time out.

The June 25 Black Tie Affair, a $75,000-added turf race restricted to Illinois-breds, has Fort Prado's name written on it.

AUBURN, Wash. - It was just two weeks ago that Slewicide Cruise injured a suspensory ligament in a workout and trainer Robbie Baze lost the best horse he has ever saddled, at least for this season.

The racing gods giveth as well as taketh away, however, and Baze recently received an unexpected boost in the form of Marsh Creek, who will contest Monday's $50,000 Pepsi-Cola Handicap for 3-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Free Bonus will be a big favorite in the First Lady at Indiana Downs.

Wally's Choice, a 4-year-old gelding, will be the youngest member in a field of eight when he runs in Monday's $50,000 1 1/16-mile Jim Rasmussen Memorial at Prairie Meadows. The average age of his seven rivals is 7 years old.

It has been a few years since owner Jeff Neilsen started a horse at Canterbury Park, but he will return in style, when his homebred Wimplestiltskin takes on eight others in the $40,000 Honor the Hero Turf Express.

Multiple stakes winner Free Bonus looms a short-priced favorite, when she squares off against six other Indiana-bred 3-year-old fillies in the $40,000 First Lady Stakes on the turf at Indiana Downs.

Free Bonus has won 6 of her 9 career starts and is undefeated in five tries against Indiana-breds, including four stakes scores.

In her most recent start, Free Bonus stalked the pace to the stretch before rallying to score a 2 1/4-length victory here in the Shelby County at six furlongs on May 6.

Death Trappe returns from California and Thundering Verzy makes his first start since early April when a field of nine goes in the $20,000-added Big Red Mile Handicap.

Death Trappe, trained by Tom Garry, led the field to the stretch in this race last year before he was caught in the final sixteenth. Last season, he won two stakes in Nebraska, then went unraced until this spring. He has shown speed in his two starts this year at Hollywood Park, against $28,000 and $40,000 claiming company. Armando Martinez has the ride from post 1.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The absence of Megahertz from the Grade 1 Gamely Handicap on Monday at Hollywood Park was supposed to make the grass race easier for the fillies and mares that did enter.

But with Megahertz out - 124 pounds is more than her trainer, Bobby Frankel, was willing to accept - the 1 1/8-mile Gamely got messy.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Last Wednesday, owner Paul Reddam and trainer Doug O'Neill paid $7,000 to supplement Andujar to Monday's Grade 1 Gamely Breeders' Cup Handicap at Hollywood Park. After looking closer at the probable starters for the turf race, though, Reddam and O'Neill decided to pass the Gamely in favor of Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Milady Breeders' Cup Handicap over 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

O'Neill thought the Gamely looked tough even with Grade 1 winner Megahertz passing the race.