ARCADIA, Calif. - The California Horse Racing Board on Thursday unanimously approved a rule allowing for the testing of alkalizing agents, the key ingredient in a milkshake, but the state will not yet begin testing because a concurrent change in state law has yet to be passed.

Delta Downs stewards have fined trainer Kearney Segura $1,000 and referred him to the Louisiana Racing Commission for further action after finding that Segura ran the wrong horse in the seventh race at the track on Jan. 1.

Association steward Aaron Emigh said it was still not clear whether the mix-up was intentional.

NEW ORLEANS - Trainer Steve Asmussen had a disappointing afternoon at Fair Grounds on Road to the Derby Kickoff Day last Saturday.

First, jockey Jerry Bailey got delayed coming in from Florida and missed riding two of Asmussen's 3-year-olds, the filly Punch Appeal in the Tiffany Lass Stakes and the colt Smooth Bid in the Lecomte Stakes. Smooth Bid just missed, losing by a neck, and Punch Appeal led most of the way but could not hold on as the 2-5 favorite, finishing third The Beter Man Can.

NEW ORLEANS - Chance Dance poses the kind of problem for trainer Merrill Scherer that all trainers wish they had - he can't figure out if she's better on turf or dirt.

"Every time I run her she messes me up," he said with a laugh. "She wins on the turf, so I think she's a turf horse. Then the race comes off the grass and she wins on the dirt. She's just a nice hard-running filly."

will start on the dirt Saturday in the Truly Bound Handicap, a $60,000 stakes for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles.

Last summer, Bernie Flint started three of the 11 fillies in the Bassinet Stakes at River Downs, and nearly swept the race. His runners - Im a Dixie Girl, Runway Model, and Angel Trumpet - finished first, second, and fourth.

Four and a half months later, Flint is again in a position to dominate a stakes race in the Cincinnati area, starting Angel Trumpet and Im a Dixie Girl in the $50,000 Cincinnati Trophy Stakes at Turfway Park.

OLDSMAR, Fla. - The road to this year's Grade 3, $250,000 Tampa Bay Derby begins Saturday in the $60,000 Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, which has a wide-open field of 14 3-year-olds.

Although marquee trainers such as Nick Zito and Christophe Clement will be represented in the Pasco, two stables that have succeeded while racing under the radar could have the horses to beat.

Lil Cream Puff has much in her favor Saturday night when she starts in the $50,000 Genesis for 3-year-old fillies at Delta Downs in Vinton, La., but two things stand out. The first is that she will return to racing over her favorite trip, two turns, in the 6 1/2-furlong race. The second is her company lines. In her last start she was second to The Beter Man Can, subsequent winner of the $100,000 Tiffany Lass at Fair Grounds.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Florida-breds have dominated California-breds in the first two runnings of the Sunshine Millions, but from the look of the final pre-entry list for the 2005 edition, released on Thursday, things could even out a bit this year.

PHOENIX - Estacada is out to dismiss concerns over her flop as the favorite last out when she returns in Saturday's $40,000 Sun Devil. The mile race for 3-year-old fillies has lured a field of seven, and because of Estacada's Dec. 27 dud as the even-money shot in the Funallover - and the presence here of some talented shippers - favoritism is up for grabs. But how you approach the race from a wagering standpoint likely depends on your assessment of Estacada.

Hollywood Gone will attempt to separate herself from the pack of New Mexico-bred 3-year-old fillies in Saturday's $132,200 La Senora Handicap at Sunland Park. It isn't going to be easy, however, as new shooter Bay View Sue invades from Ruidoso while local up-and-comers My Desert Lady, Alley's Lady, and Excessive Hearts are among the 11 fillies in the six-furlong event.