Texas and turf apparently did not agree with Sandias Peppermint, but he appears to be back in his element as he carries high weight of 120 pounds against 11 other juveniles in Red Hedeman Mile at Sunland Park. The $125,000 event is for New Mexico-bred 2-year-olds at one mile.

Bruce on the Loose will try to rebound from his second in the Indiana Futurity on Nov. 7 when he heads a field of nine in Sunday's closing day feature, the $40,000 Indiana Stallion Stakes.

A six-furlong race, the Indiana Stallion is for 2-year-olds sired by registered Indiana stallions.

Bruce on the Loose, trained by Robert Lester, was sent off at 4-5 in the Futurity and carried a three-length lead to midstretch. He continued on willingly but could not hold off the late-closing Snack and settled for second, beaten a half-length.

Brent's Challanger returns from a 10-week layoff in Sunday's $40,000 Ruff/Kirchberg Memorial Handicap for Ohio-breds at Beulah Park.

Brent's Challanger faded to finish ninth in the 1 1/4-mile Governor's Buckeye Cup at Thistledown on Sept. 6 and has been rested since by his owner-trainer, Lori Grace.

During the summer, Brent's Challanger had a three-race winning streak that culminated with a victory in the $45,000 Gendelman Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile race over the turf at River Downs. That win makes him the only member of the Ruff/Kirchberg field with a stakes victory in 2004.

ALBANY, Calif. - Russell Baze rode four winners at Golden Gate Fields on Thursday, including the final three races of the day, to move ahead of Pat Day into the No. 3 spot for career victories for jockeys.

Baze now has 8,772 victories, one ahead of Day, who scored one victory at Churchill Downs on Thursday. Bill Shoemaker is second on the all-time list with 8,833. Laffit Pincay Jr. is the all-time leader with 9,530 victories.

In 2001, Delaware Township finished sixth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, got a rider change to Jerry Bailey, and three weeks later won the Grade 1 . Dallas Stewart, the trainer of Clock Stopper, is hoping history repeats on Saturday.

Clock Stopper finished sixth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint and will get a rider switch to Bailey for Saturday's $300,000 De Francis Dash. This year's De Francis will be run at Pimlico because Laurel Park's track surface is undergoing a makeover.

Trainers Shug McGaughey and Todd Pletcher have some decisions to make. What they decide will determine how strong a race Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Laurel Futurity at Pimlico turns out to be.

McGaughey has entered the promising Defer, while Pletcher entered the uncoupled entry of Funk and Killenaule in the 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-old colts. As of Thursday morning, McGaughey was still considering keeping Defer in New York for next weekend's Remsen Stakes. Pletcher said he would run just one, with the other being pointed to the Remsen.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Sometimes it's better not to have a plan.

Trainer Graham Motion had no plan for Dr. Brendler when he ran him in an allowance race at Keeneland last month. But the race, which Dr. Brendler lost by a neck, seems to have him set up perfectly for Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 at Aqueduct. The Red Smith is scheduled for 1 3/8 miles on the turf, though forecasted showers could move the race to the dirt.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Potential champions Norfolk Knight and A Bit O'Gold will clash on Saturday in the Grade 3 Woodbine Slots Cup Handicap, a 1 1/16-mile race worth $157,950.

Norfolk Knight, a huge 5-year-old trained by Hugo Dittfach, is a leading candidate for this year's Sovereign Award as champion older runner. He notched his first stakes win in the June 12 Steady Growth, but then failed to hit the top two spots in his next four outings.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Declan's Moon was a surprise winner of the Del Mar Futurity two months ago, a victory that kept his unbeaten record intact after two starts.

When Declan's Moon returns in Saturday's $100,000 Hollywood Prevue Stakes over seven furlongs at Hollywood Park, the focus of the race will almost entirely be on him. A victory would keep him in the running for the Eclipse Award as the nation's outstanding 2-year-old.

PORTLAND, Ore. - One Fast Cowgirl will be out to prove on Saturday that her surprising victory in the Nov. 6 Janet Wineberg Stakes was not a fluke, when she takes on seven other 2-year-old fillies in the $10,000 Lassie Stakes at six furlong.

The Lassie heads an attractive nine-race program that also includes the $6,000-added Portland Meadows Fall Derby Final for Quarter Horses at 400 yards and the $8,000 HBPA Invitational Handicap for 3-year-olds at a mile.