OLDSMAR Fla. - As Tampa Bay Downs begins its 2004-05 season, handicappers can expect to see entrants from tracks all around the country and horses with varying time gaps between their last starts, not to mention new stables and jockeys.

Probably no track in the country challenges the horseplayer with more variables in the early days of its meet before patterns and trends begin to surface.

With that in mind, here are thumbnail sketches of several stables that bettors need to give added consideration to during these first few weeks.

MIAMI - Hall of Fame jockey Walter Blum will retire as the state steward in south Florida on Dec. 30.

Blum, 70, who became a racing official following his retirement from the saddle in 1975, has served as a state steward in Florida since 1977. The Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering has not yet named Blum's replacement.

"I've been thinking about it for a while," Blum said Saturday at Calder. "I rode for 25 years and have been working for the state for another 25, so I finally decided it's about time I relaxed, did a little traveling, and played some golf."

MIAMI - Wire Bound rebounded from a pair of disappointing efforts to defeat Caballero Negro in a very evenly matched field of 3-year-olds in Saturday's $100,000 Pete Axthelm Stakes at Calder.

Only one length separated the top four finishers in the 7 1/2-furlong Axthelm, with Wire Bound rallying down the middle of the track to outfinish Caballero Negro by a half-length. More Bourb overcame a slow start to finish a wide-running third, another neck back, while Gin Rummy Champ weakened to be fourth after drawing clear near midstretch.

Silmaril, under Abel Castellano Jr., captures the $100,000 Geisha Handicap in the slop at Pimlico.

Jockey James Lopez made a successful return to the Kentucky circuit by giving Two Mile Hill a textbook ride Saturday when the 4-year-old filly posted a clear-cut victory in the 25th running of the $49,500 My Charmer Stakes at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.

Ranging up along the outside in midstretch, Hostile Witness put away a stubborn Sounds Impossible to come away with a hard-earned 1 1/2-length victory in the $60,000 Inaugural Stakes as Tampa Bay Downs began its live 2004-05 racing season.

Silmaril returned to the ranks of Maryland-breds and made the best of it, winning the $100,000 Geisha Handicap by 1 1/4 lengths over Pour It On at Pimlico.

Winner of the Jameela Stakes at Laurel in February and the Maryland Million Oaks at Pimlico in October, both restricted, Silmaril failed against graded company last month, finishing fifth in the Grade 3 Anne Arundel at Pimlico.

Ocean Runaway scored a convincing win in the $1,481,424 Los Alamitos Million Futurity on Friday evening, making a strong claim for the Quarter Horse of the Year title.

The victory was Ocean Runaway's third major stakes win of the year, preceded by the Governor's Cup Futurity in June and the Golden State Million last month, both also at Los Alamitos. His seasonal earnings of $1,158,104 lead the nation's Quarter Horses.

Misty Glo ($29) became a stakes winner on Friday night when she rallied from well back to win the $40,000 Gardenia by 2 1/2 lengths over Sheza Diva at Delta Downs in Vinton, La. It was a head back in third to Notrestrainable.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Woodbine's thoroughbred card was cancelled after the second race on Saturday due to poor track and weather conditions.

The first two races were run without incident over a sloppy track, but the jockeys refused to ride the rest of the 10-race program because of the conditions. Light snow fell throughout the afternoon, and the temperature hovered around 32 degrees.

The Woodbine meeting is scheduled to conclude with an 11-race card on Sunday. Saturday's feature, the $138,250 Kennedy Road Stakes, was not rescheduled.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A.P. Adventure came a long way in a short amount of time, going from an unstarted maiden to the undefeated winner of a Grade 1 race in three starts in 3 1/2 months last winter. It takes a special filly to do that, which is why trainer Wally Dollase decided to leave well enough alone and not push forward after A.P. Adventure tailed off in the Kentucky Oaks.