Only 98 horses have been made early nominees to the Grade 1 Florida Derby for 2005, well down from the last two years. Absent from the list were any of the top finishers in this year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile or a single horse from the barn of trainer Nick Zito, whose stable has been among the Florida Derby's biggest supporters over the past decade.

Zito's Sun King finished third in the Juvenile.

AmericaTab, a collection of online wagering sites, put together its second pick six play on behalf of its players on Sunday at Hollywood park, hitting with one ticket and 28 consolations on a mammoth $61,560 play.

The tickets returned a total of $132,024.80, on a payoff of $97,708 for the perfect ticket and $1,225.60 on each consolation ticket. After taxes, each of the 826 AmericaTab players who participated in the bet (at a $10 minimum) received a return of $1.74 for each $1 bet, or the approximate equivalent of betting on a horse who won at 4-5.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Early indications suggest horseplayers will have their work cut out for them when handicapping Aqueduct's inner-track races. Wednesday's card drew 90 horses, and a total of 93 runners - an average of more than 10 per race - filled the entry box for Thursday's program.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Several nicely bred 2-year-old fillies, including first-time starter Aliado, will start in Thursday's first race at Woodbine, a $25,000 optional maiden claimer scheduled for 5 1/2 furlongs.

Aliado, owned and bred by Kinghaven Farm, is a daughter of El Prado, who commands a $100,000 stud fee and is North America's second-leading sire. El Prado's juveniles have been striking at a 10 percent rate their first time out.

NEW ORLEANS - Destiny Calls is pre-entered for both the Ladies and Turf handicaps on Louisiana Champions Day on Dec. 11, and after a grueling victory in a mile allowance prep on Saturday for her sixth consecutive win, she is being closely watched by trainer Gary Palmisano.

Destiny Calls was a bit off her feed the day after the race. "She doesn't usually do that," Palmisano said. "She usually gobbles it right up. She didn't like that cuppy, tiring track and was fighting it all the way around."

ALBANY, Calif. - Six 3-year-olds running for a $40,000 claiming tag will get Thursday's card at Golden Gate Fields off to a fast start in the first race when they meet in the day's feature at one mile on the turf.

Trainer Dennis Ward sends out an uncoupled entry with Rare Request and Fanteria in the competitive race.

Rare Request is one of three members in the field with a turf victory, while Fanteria is making his first start on the turf.

Rare Request may end up being the speed of the race, but Ward is making an equipment change, removing the gelding's blinkers.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Smartest Thing, a promising 2-year-old filly trained by Roger Attfield, was humanely destroyed after breaking down during a main-track workout here Tuesday morning.

Owned by Attfield in partnership with Bill Werner and Mickey and Phyllis Canino, Smartest Thing was a leading contender for Sunday's $150,000 Ontario Lassie, a 1 1/16-mile race for Canadian-bred 2-year-old fillies.

"She was having a little breeze for the race and going along very nicely," said Attfield. "Then she snapped her right front leg."

Delta Downs is kind of like Nad Al Sheba in Dubai. It is not easy to get there, but the financial rewards can be great. And so, 2-year-olds from Southern California, Florida, and New York are scheduled to travel to the small town of Vinton, La., for the $1 million Delta Jackpot on Saturday.

The 1 1/16-mile race is the second richest 2-year-old stakes in North America behind the $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and it is the richest race in Louisiana.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Though Remsen winner Rockport Harbor had a piece of his right hind foot the size of a silver dollar trimmed on Monday, trainer John Servis doesn't think it will inhibit Rockport Harbor's preparations for a run at next year's Kentucky Derby.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - A pick-six carryover and a rainy forecast help usher in Aqueduct's inner track meet on Wednesday. Racing for the next three months will be conducted over the winterized one mile oval, known for its tight turns and speed-favoring nature.

Sixty-five racing cards are scheduled between Wednesday and March 6. Of course, Mother Nature will help determine how many are actually run. Parts or all of 21 cards have been lost because of inclement weather the last two winters.