Maid in China, who has won three of four career starts, and Indigo Girl, who has never been beaten at five furlongs, will meet Friday night in the $50,000 Azalea at Delta Downs. A five-furlong race, the Azalea is restricted to 3-year-old fillies bred in Louisiana.

Maid in China won all three of her starts as a 2-year-old last year, capping her campaign with a win in the $50,000 Southern Belle at Louisiana Downs in August. She returned to action Feb. 27 at Fair Grounds and, in her only start at 3, finished second to The Beter Man Can in the $75,000 Battler Star.

One lucky bettor took down the entire pool in the daily double on the first two races at Charles Town last Saturday night.

A single $2 wager on extreme longshots Dana's Pet ($126.80) and Private Isle ($52.60) produced a payoff of $7,869.80.

Both horses were obviously difficult to come up with via any logical handicapping method.

Dana's Pet, a 4-year-old maiden who had lost seven times without finishing better than sixth and had a top Beyer Speed Figure of 28, scored by 4 1/2 lengths going 4 1/2 furlongs in race 1, earning a 55 Beyer.

Uncle Denny, winner of the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby at Bay Meadows in his last start, will go next in the $500,000 WinStar Derby at Sunland Park on April 2, according to trainer Rafael Becerra. Uncle Denny races for Stan Fulton, who owns Sunland.

A California-bred son of In Excess, Uncle Denny won the 1 1/16-mile El Camino Real Derby by more than two lengths for his fourth win in five starts. His lone loss was a fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Sham Stakes on Feb. 5 at Santa Anita.

"It was a real nice win, because I knew how good this horse is," Becerra said.

He is the richest of them all, by far. But when the field assembles Saturday for the $500,000 Lane's End Stakes at Turfway Park, Texcess will only be among the middling wagering choices and just one wayward step from being bumped off the Kentucky Derby trail.

Indeed, among the nine 3-year-olds being pointed to the Grade 2 Lane's End, Texcess might be regarded as one of the lesser lights, even though his career earnings stand at a robust $763,427, most of it earned in December in the $1 million Delta Jackpot.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Fresh off another winter meet training title, Richard Dutrow Jr. gets one of his most reliable campaigners back to the races when Well Fancied runs in Thursday's six-furlong feature.

A multiple stakes winner who has been sidelined since finishing eighth in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap last April, Well Fancied drew the outside post in a salty field of six older males, including, from the rail out, Dashboard Drummer, War's Prospect, Spooky Mulder, Ironton, and Albert E.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Uncertain weather may be sufficient reason to delay handicapping the Thursday card at Santa Anita. With more rain possible, neither of the two grass races is guaranteed to be run on the intended surface.

But does it matter? There might be a lock, anyway. Overnightsensation towers over six rivals in the race 7 feature, a one-other-than allowance race for California-bred fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on the turf.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Graded-stakes winners Laura's Lucky Boy and Twice as Bad have changed barns again. Trainer Vladimir Cerin confirmed Tuesday that eight horses owned by Ernie Moody's Mercedes Stables have been transferred to other trainers, including turf runner Laura's Lucky Boy, sprinter Twice as Bad, and stakes-placed She's a Jewel.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Trainer Bill McLean is facing one of those delightful dilemmas that can crop up in racing.

He has two horses who fit perfectly in Thursday's Bay Meadows feature, a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on the turf. The bad news is that stablemates Sixty Two Lincoln and Dancin Candy have similar styles. Both have good early speed and could be involved in a pace battle.

, an $8,000 claim on Feb. 15, 2003, did not win for McLean until last Sept. 6, in a $6,250 claimer on turf here.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Malika's Gold is one of two stakes winners who will be making their 3-year-old debuts Thursday in the featured ninth race at Oaklawn Park. The two-other-than allowance for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs also drew Queansco, a stakes winner who will add Lasix for her first race since last fall.

Tests are being conducted on several horses stabled at the Palm Meadows, Fla., training center who have shown symptoms of strangles, a highly contagious disease that has already been confirmed in several horses stabled at the Trackside training center in Louisville., Ky. The testing was confirmed Tuesday by Scott Savin, Gulfstream Park's president and general manager.