NEW ORLEANS - Trainer Gamaliel Vazquez has a powerful tandem entered for owner Michael Gill in Thursday's feature race at Fair Grounds, an optional claiming race with a $62,500 tag at about 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf.

competed in graded stakes last year and has bankrolled $209,654 in his career while posting a 7-4-5 record in 36 turf starts. Wudantunoit finished second for a $50,000 claiming price on Dec. 12, when he failed to carry his speed all the way over a dead turf course that was tough on front-runners.

NEW ORLEANS - One of the stories developing out of this Fair Grounds meet is the apparent improvement in the overall quality of Louisiana-bred horses. Several instances of Louisiana-breds winning in open company have fueled this perception, none so dramatically as the stunning victory of The Beter Man Can in Saturday's $100,000 Tiffany Lass Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile. It was only the second time the race was won by a Louisiana-bred in 14 runnings of the Tiffany Lass.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Seeking an opportunity to make more money running against lesser competition, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. thought last fall was the time to try running Aggadan in route races.

The experiment paid off as Aggadan registered a win and a second-place finish in two distance races against Maryland-bred competition. Now, Dutrow sees an opportunity to finally get Aggadan a graded-stakes win, which is why the 6-year-old will return to New York for Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Aqueduct Handicap.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Handicappers will have a hard time choosing which layoff horse to back when Our Royal Dancer and Cativa return from seven-month breaks in Thursday's $54,000 allowance feature at Aqueduct.

Both 5-year-old mares were in excellent form before being sidelined by injury in June, both hail from trainers who excel off the layoff, and both have run well over the inner track.

NEW YORK - Trainer Greg Martin, Thoroughbred owner Gerald Uvari, and harness driver Rene Poulin pleaded not guilty in federal court on Tuesday to charges of conspiracy and fraud in the alleged milkshaking incident involving the Martin-trained A One Rocket at Aqueduct in December 2003.

Martin, Uvari, and Poulin were three of 17 defendants who appeared before Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum in Manhattan Federal Court after being indicted last week in an illegal gambling ring.

The New York Racing Association announced Tuesday that it will begin testing horses for banned substances known as milkshakes beginning in February and that it will cut off rebate shops named last week in a federal indictment that charged 17 people in connection with an illegal gambling operation.

Included in the indictment was an allegation that New York trainer Greg Martin administered a milkshake to a horse on Dec. 18, 2003, at Aqueduct. Martin has been ejected from NYRA's grounds.

ALBANY, Calif. - Three-year-old sprinters top a strong card Thursday at Golden Gate Fields. California Choice and Stellar Magic, who earned Beyer Figures of 91 and 90, respectively, in their debuts, head the field of six in the feature, a $30,000 allowance at six furlongs.

The card also includes a $50,000 optional claiming sprint and a pair of $25,000 claiming races.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The easy part of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting ended on Monday for Sharp Lisa, the winner of the $150,000 for 3-year-old fillies.

From here on, she is expected to tangle with the Grade 1 winners Sweet Catomine and Splendid Blendid in the division's top races of the meeting.

Sharp Lisa ($3.80) scored her first stakes win in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez. Ridden by Tyler Baze, she rallied from fifth to reach contention in early stretch and pulled clear late to win by 1 1-2 lengths.

ALBANY, Calif. - Favored Stormica ($5.20) got a perfect trip as she scored an easy victory in the $53,500 Richmond Handicap at Golden Gate Fields on Monday.

On a day when the outside was playing best and there was no speed bias, Stormica was fifth of six down the backstretch. She pulled her way into contention on the turn and was unchallenged in the lane, winning the six-furlong race by four lengths over Vaca City Flyer in 1:09.43.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Etamine and Kizka scored stylish wins in maiden races on turf last month. Both displayed the sort of performance that could lead to a stakes appearance in coming months.

Wednesday, they can move closer to a start in an important race when they meet for the first time in a $48,000 optional claimer over about 6 1/2 furlongs on turf at Santa Anita. There will be ample support for both, but Kizka could be a slight favorite.