MIAMI - The 3-year-old Weigelia turned in one of the most impressive performances on Saturday's Florida Million card, defeating nine older rivals in the $150,000 Jack Dudley Sprint Handicap. He earned a 108 Beyer Speed Figure, matching his career-best figure, posted over this same track July 10 in the Carry Back Stakes.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - It's safe to say that no one connected with Financingavailable has required the kind of service her name advertises.

Purchased for $5,000 at the open yearling sale here, Financingavail-able was unraced last year at 2. In her first six starts, for owner and trainer Mark Casse, she collected $97,451.

Financingavailable was then acquired privately by owner K.K. Sangara, who said the purchase price was $150,000.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The eighth race Wednesday at Churchill Downs is the kind of race that horseplayers see every day. It's an entry-level allowance for horses that have not won a race other than maiden, claiming, or starter.

This particular race, however, drew a horse that did something that maybe no other horse has done in maiden claiming company. The horse is Tricky Devil and what he did was earn a sensational Beyer Speed Figure of 113 in winning a $40,000 maiden claiming sprint on Oct. 8 at Keeneland in his last start.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - With a pick six carryover of $105,610 up for grabs, there figures to be more interest than usual in Wednesday's nine-race card at Aqueduct. The pick six went unhit on both Saturday and Sunday, and there are several more inscrutable races awaiting handicappers on Wednesday.

Expecting a pool in the vicinity of $300,000, let's go with a $216 ticket to try and get flush for the upcoming holiday season.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Since winning the Florida Derby with Friends Lake in March, business has been quite slow for trainer John Kimmel.

"Slow is not the word," Kimmel said. "Nonexistent."

But times they are a changing.

Since Nov. 6, Kimmel has won five races at Aqueduct. More importantly, four of those wins have come with 2-year-olds, giving Kimmel hope as 2005 approaches. Of his last nine winners in New York, six have been 2-year-olds.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - At the start of the year, trainer Richard Mandella was loaded with quality 3-year-olds. Action This Day and Minister Eric had finished one-two in the previous fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Halfbridled was coming off an unbeaten championship year with her victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

It all looked so bright. But none of those three distinguished themselves this spring. Halfbridled, whose propensity to tie up kept her out of the Kentucky Oaks, was recently retired. Neither Action This Day nor Minister Eric has raced since the Kentucky Derby.

Sam Houston Race Park in Houston has raced almost nonstop this year, and its whirlwind schedule gets even more hectic on Wednesday with the opening of a 69-night meet for Thoroughbreds. Before the week is out, the track will have hosted one of its biggest programs, the annual $625,000 Texas Champions Day on Saturday.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Heading into Wednesday night's program at Woodbine, there are just 20 days of racing scheduled to be run at the meeting, which winds up Dec. 12.

In addition to the regular fare, there will be plenty of interest on the jockey and trainer fronts in the waning weeks.

Todd Kabel, who rode five winners on Sunday to bring his total for the meeting to 148, holds a seemingly insurmountable lead of 29 over second-place Patrick Husbands.

Kabel is named on just two horses Wednesday, while Husbands does not have a call.

CHICAGO - For all but the most hardcore Chicago horsemen, the first of December marks the time to head south for the winter. There are few prizes left at Hawthorne now that the six statebred-restricted stakes of Illinois Day have come and gone.

The Illinois-bred stakes horses ran Saturday. Now they are scattering in the wind, some to Fair Grounds, others to farms for rest, but a few will show up here again. Silver Bid, who bounced back from one of the worst races of his career to win the Lightning Jet Handicap on Saturday, could return next month in an open allowance race.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - After briefly considering other alternatives, trainer Paulo Lobo has come to the most logical choice on where to next run his championship-caliber sprinter, Pico Central.

"We will run in the Cigar Mile," Lobo said Sunday after Pico Central worked six furlongs in 1:14.20 at Hollywood Park.

Lobo had also considered this Saturday's Grade 1 De Francis Memorial Dash at Pimlico, but decided the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Nov. 27 was the best spot for Pico Central. He won the Grade 1 Carter Handicap over the same Aqueduct main track earlier this year.