Mr. Sulu reaffirmed his dominance over Louisiana-breds on Saturday, holding off a late charge from Bebe Garcon to win by a neck in the $75,000 Dixie Poker Ace Handicap at Fair Grounds.

Robby Albarado bided his time early in the 7 1/2-furlong turf race, sitting in next-to-last place aboard Mr. Sulu as Lonnie Meche rated Lac Laronge on the front end through fractions of 25.80 seconds for the quarter-mile and 49.29 for the half-mile. Approaching the far turn, Albarado moved closer to the pace along the rail, but had to steady briefly when Two Ducks In a Row stopped in front of him.

Dutchie, who tumbled all the way down to the $14,000 claiming level last year, won her fifth race in a row Saturday at Hawthorne, taking the $42,800 Kissapotamus Stakes by a neck over stablemate Pass the Pepper.

Trained by Michelle Boyce, Dutchie paid $4.20 to win, running six furlongs in 1:10.49.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Uninhibited Song ($12.20) got a perfect trip and defeated troubled stablemate Secret Corsage to win the $55,550 San Mateo Handicap at Bay Meadows on Saturday.

Uninhibited Song sat off pacesetting Yerevan Star and Platinum Princess while outside Secret Corsage in the one-mile race for fillies and mares. Uninhibited Song got a clear run despite racing wide and took over with a strong move into the lane.

"At the three-sixteenths, she gave me everything," winning jockey Frank Alvarado said.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The depth of Nick Zito's 3-year-old class was on display again Saturday when he won a strong entry-level allowance race with Noble Causeway and a maiden race with Pinpoint.

Noble Causeway, a son of Giant's Causeway, probably earned himself a berth in the $1 million Florida Derby here April 2 with a 3 1/4-length victory in a 1 1/8-mile allowance race. It was his second straight victory here, both at 1 1/8 miles.

Noble Causeway is added to Zito's group of potent Kentucky Derby hopefuls, which includes Sun King, Andromeda's Hero, and High Fly.

NEW ORLEANS - The nine older fillies and mares entered in Monday's feature race at Fair Grounds, a $30,000 allowance at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf, all appear better suited to an off-the-grass scenario. Out of a collective 32 grass starts, only two of these contestants have managed a win on the turf.

Princess Tish has won one of her nine grass starts, and Popozinha one of eight. Princess Tish has exhibited retrograde form on both surfaces in seven starts since winning a maiden race at Fair Grounds last March. In her last two starts, she has shown speed before tiring badly.

STICKNEY, Ill. - Some horsemen in Chicago call it "going to the Mountain," taking a horse to try to win a race at Mountaineer Park in West Virginia. But in the Monday feature here at Hawthorne, a second-level allowance race for female route horses, "the Mountain" is coming to Chicago.

CHICAGO - It is like a no-man's-land for handicappers, this early phase of the National Jockey Club at Hawthorne meet. The racing surface ping-pongs between sticky and speedy. There are stray horses in from Mountaineer Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Oaklawn, Fair Grounds, and Turfway.

And then there are the layoffs.

OLDSMAR, Fla. - Jill Jellison rode into racing history on Friday, when she booted home her 1,770th career winner to become the third all-time leading female rider. Jellison now ranks behind only Julie Krone (3,704 wins) and Patti Cooksey (2,137).

OLDSMAR, Fla. - Slipping through along the inside through the far turn, Joyful Ballad was able to swing to the middle of the track turning for home and rally past favored Slews Final Answer for a convincing 2 1/4-length victory in the 27th running of the $60,000 Wayward Lass Stakes on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs.

Under a skillful ride by Jose Lezcano, Joyful Ballad kept her record perfect at Tampa as she scored her fourth win from as many local starts - three main-track victories and a turf win.

High Strike Zone took the initiative from the start and led throughout for a three-quarter-length win over favorite Mauk Four on Friday night in the $50,000 Delta Mile at Delta Downs in Vinton, La.

The one-mile race for older horses was a prep for the $125,000 Gulf Coast Breeders' Cup Classic, a 1 1/16-mile race to be held at Delta on April 2.

Mauk Four was a clear second in the Delta Mile, finishing 3 3/4 lengths in front of third-place finisher and closer Golden Glen. Snorter, who was part of an entry with fourth-place finisher Shaky Town, was scratched.