BALTIMORE - Dennis Narlinger's quest to buy into Closing Argument started long before the colt finished a close second in the Kentucky Derby. Narlinger, the head of JMJ Racing, has long admired Closing Argument and was delighted to close a deal on Friday that makes him and partner Becky Thomas 50-percent owners of the 3-year-old colt.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Judiths Wild Rush used his fitness edge to topple champions Mobil and A Bit O'Gold in the seven-furlong Vigil Handicap, but the tables could be turned Monday at Woodbine when they all meet again at 1 1/16 miles in the $164,850 Eclipse Handicap.

Judiths Wild Rush, who had a productive winter campaign in Florida, was beaten a nose in the six-furlong Jacques Carter Stakes here opening day, his first start for trainer Reade Baker. In the April 30 Vigil, he rallied wide under Slade Callaghan to mow down Mobil and A Bit O'Gold in the stretch to win by daylight.

Essence, a graded stakes winner last fall, gets her second tuneup of the season on Monday at Delaware Park.

The 4-year-old Essence, trained by Todd Pletcher, heads a group of eight fillies and mares in a $50,000 overnight stakes at 1 1/16 miles. The race serves as the local stepping-stone for the $100,000 Obeah Handicap at 1 1/8 miles here on June 18.

MIAMI - Take a look at the past performances of the dozen horses nominated to next Monday's $100,000 Memorial Day Handicap and you might want to recheck the conditions of the race. Five of the 12 older runners eligible for the Grade 3 race made their last start on turf, and another, defending champion Twilight Road, is a graded winner on grass.

The 1 1/16-mile Memorial Day Handicap may have a bit of an identity crisis, having been decided on grass seven times in its 30 year history, while the 2005 edition, like the last six before it, is carded for the main track.

CALGARY, Alberta - A Shaky Start will be out to atone for her loss three weeks ago as the favorite in the M.R. Jenkins Memorial at six furlongs when she stretches out to a mile in Monday's $50,000 Ken Pearson Memorial.

A Shaky Start, a 5-year-old mare, was voted champion of her division on this circuit last year.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Racing secretary Lorne Mitchell has put together an excellent holiday card that will take serious studying to locate winners. Adding to a handicapper's dilemma is the North American debut of Century Star in the featured event, a $75,000 optional claiming race at 1 1/16 miles.

BALTIMORE - Trainer Mark Hennig admits he may have overstressed his instructions to jockey Eibar Coa to be patient aboard Eddington in last month's Oaklawn Handicap. And it may have cost him the race.

Friday, prior to the running of the Grade 1 Pimlico Special, Hennig said to Coa in the paddock, "We're not talking."

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Officials in New York and Kentucky took separate actions Friday to address confirmed cases of equine herpes in horses stabled at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

The New York Racing Association placed a temporary restriction on horses stabled at Churchill whose trainers want to ship to New York, while Kentucky Department of Agriculture officials paved the way for a return to limited training for horses in three quarantined barns. Equine herpes is a potentially fatal virus that causes upper respiratory problems and a loss of coordination.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Can't make it to the French Riviera this year? For horseplayers who can't get to France, a taste of France comes to them in Sunday's 47th running of the $150,000 Sheepshead Bay Handicap at Belmont Park.

No fewer than five of the eight fillies and mares in the Grade 2 turf marathon began their careers in France. Four of them - Barancella, Dreams Come True, Kate Winslet, and Sauvage - peaked with similar Timeform ratings in the 104-108 range overseas. But it is Angara, whose best Timeform rating was a mere 93, who shares the role of highweight at 118 pounds.

BOSSIER CITY, La. - At first glance, it should come as no surprise to see John Jacinto atop the rider standings during the first three weeks of the young meeting. After all, he is the logical heir apparent to the crown after finishing second to last year's champion, Lonnie Meche, who is serving a six-month suspension.