PORTLAND, Ore. - It was brutal at Portland Meadows last weekend, and the weather was only part of the reason.

Okay, it was a big part.

One of the ice storms that occasionally plague Portland came barreling down the Columbia River gorge early Saturday morning, and it didn't loosen its grip on the city until late Sunday afternoon. Freezing rain encased cars and roadways alike, so most fans couldn't have made it to the track even if live racing had been offered. It was impossible to race because the track was frozen solid.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Even though Smarty Jones will be a tough act to follow, Oaklawn Park appears positioned for an outstanding meet this year. Some of the country's best 3-year-olds are already stabled on the grounds, and a host of new stables are here, including divisions from Michael Gill, the leading North American owner in wins and earnings the past two years, and Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - drew the outside post, but still looks like the one to beat in Friday's feature, a third-level allowance with a $48,000 purse and an optional claiming price of $65,000.

A field of seven older males entered the 1 1/16-mile route, including the Sunny Meadow Farm entry of Stellianos and Limero, who scored upset wins at 8-1 and 20-1 on back-to-back days here last month for trainer Mitchell Friedman.

The effort to legalize slot machines in south Florida cleared another hurdle Tuesday when the Broward County Commission voted 8-1 to put an amendment on the March 8 county-wide ballot that would legalize slots at parimutuel facilities in the county. A similar vote was scheduled to be taken by the Miami-Dade County Commission on Thursday.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Nothing is easy for .

If he's not tackling the circuit's best in the Oak Tree Mile or Citation Handicap, as he did last fall, he is being challenged by a tough set of opponents in allowance races.

On Dec. 27, Buckland Manor held off a late run from Inesperado to win a one-mile turf allowance by a neck. He faces Inesperado again and three others in a $65,000 allowance race at Santa Anita on Friday.

ARCADIA, Calif. - As comebacks go, the fifth-place finish by McCann's Mojave in the Grade 3 El Conejo Handicap on Jan. 2 was not what trainer Leonard Dorfman and owners Nikki Hunt and Mike Willman had envisioned.

The race marked McCann's Mojave's first start in eight months, and was quickly dismissed by all involved. Blame the wet-fast track, jockey Jose Valdivia Jr. said.

This Sunday, McCann's Mojave returns in the $150,000 Palos Verdes Handicap over six furlongs at Santa Anita, and the weather should not be a factor.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - A return to allowance company and a little break in the post position draw should be enough to put back in the winner's circle in Friday's $39,000 optional claiming feature over the Gulfstream Park turf course.

A 5-year-old, Derrianne had an auspicious start in the U.S., winning two of her first three starts in the country, including a Grade 3 stakes. She was blanked in her last three tries, however, all against stakes opposition and each time after breaking from post positions near the outside of the pack.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Bobby Frankel has plenty of options for Midas Eyes's 2005 debut. Being a Florida-bred, Midas Eyes is eligible for both the Classic and Sunshine Millions Sprint on Jan. 29. Or Midas Eyes could be held back an extra week and try to add another Grade 1 victory to his resume in the Donn Handicap.

But in the end the decision was easy.

"What's the purse for the Sunshine Millions Classic?" Frankel asked rhetorically. "A million dollars, right?"

ALBANY, Calif. - Mountain Mustang will seek his third straight victory when he meets five rivals in a $40,000 claimer at six furlongs Friday at Golden Gate Fields.

Mountain Mustang won a bottom-level $25,000 maiden claimer at Hollywood Park last summer and was later claimed by trainer Art Sherman for $20,000 at Del Mar. Mountain Mustang was then taken north, and he won at first asking for his new connections when dropped to the $16,000 claiming level in September.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Trainer John Servis is moving in. Last year, he expected his sojourn to Oaklawn to be a one-time proposition, with his young family living more than 1,000 miles away in Pennsylvania. But now, his family, along with the undefeated 3-year-old Rockport Harbor, will be calling Hot Springs home for the next few months. Servis said the decision was a no-brainer.