Discreet Hero never gave his many backers an anxious moment when he cruised to a front-running, 14-length victory in the $50,000 Prairie Bayou Stakes at Turfway Park.

Ridden by the meet's leading jockey, Dean Sarvis, Discreet Hero returned $3 as part of a heavily favored entry trained by Bernie Flint. After breaking fastest of all among a field of seven older horses, Discreet Hero maintained a slight advantage until turning for home, where he steadily drew off to finish the 1 1/8-mile race in 1:47.52 over a fast track.

Few horses are capable of stretching out from six furlongs to 1 1/8 miles in consecutive starts. Aggadan, however, proved up to the challenge.

After winning a sprint stakes last month, the New York-based Aggadan returned to Pimlico to score a half-length victory in the $100,000 Jennings Handicap at nine furlongs.

Ridden for the first time by Ariel Smith, Aggadan launched his winning move between horses at the three-sixteeenth pole and withstood a late rally by Irish Colony to win for the 12th time in 30 career starts. His time on a fast track was 1:52.80.

Valid Faith became a stakes winner Friday night, when he drove to a 2 1/2-length win over Cort's P.B. in the $40,000 Cocodrie at Delta Downs. It was another half-length back in third to Mister Ajax.

Valid Faith ($14.60) raced in second early, pushing Cort's P.B. through an opening quarter in 23.81 seconds and a half-mile in 48.15. Valid Faith soon took over and went on to cover the 6 1/2 furlongs, which was run around two turns, in 1:22.10.

OLDSMAR Fla. - Some folks took Avid Skier a little lightly when he was entered in a five-furlong allowance sprint on opening day at Tampa Bay Downs because six of his last seven starts had come in middle-distance stakes and allowance races. But Gerald Bennett, the 3-year-old Avid Skier's trainer, wasn't one of them.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - At least on Sunday, No Bull Baby, Sharp Lisa, and Splendid Blended can escape the shadow of division leader Sweet Catomine.

Those three fillies finished behind Sweet Catomine in major stakes earlier this year, but face no such standout in Sunday's $380,000-estimated Hollywood Starlet at Hollywood Park.

The Starlet, run over 1 1/16 miles, offers , and their four opponents an opportunity at a lucrative prize in the year's final Grade 1 race for 2-year-old fillies.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Quintons Gold Rush, the winner of the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland in April, may start in the $100,000 Sir Beaufort Stakes on turf at Santa Anita on Dec. 26 instead of the $250,000 Malibu Stakes on dirt the same day, trainer Mike Mitchell said.

Mitchell said that he has yet to finalize plans with owners Satish Sanan and Jay Manoogian, but that he would prefer to start Quintons Gold Rush on turf.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Jockeys and exercise riders won't be the only ones wearing hard hats at Gulfstream Park when the track opens for its unique 2005 meeting on Jan. 3.

MIAMI - Seven-time British riding champion Kieren Fallon will switch his tack to south Florida after Christmas and plans to ride regularly this winter at Gulfstream Park.

Fallon, 39, will have his riding engagements handled in the U.S. by jockey agent Ron Anderson, who also works for Hall of Fame rider Jerry Bailey.

"Kieren will be here the day after Christmas and will ride a horse for [trainer] Pat Byrne in the Tropical Park Derby at Calder on New Year's Day," Anderson said. "He said he just thought it was time for a change."

Churchill Downs has released the dates for the three pools in the 2005 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, the win-only parimutuel wager that will offered for the seventh consecutive year.

Dates for the four-day pools (Thursdays through Sundays) are: Pool 1, Feb. 10-13; Pool 2, March 10-13; and Pool 3, April 7-10.

The 131st Derby will be run on May 7 at Churchill.

Three futures pools for the Kentucky Oaks, to be run for May 6, will be conducted during the same dates.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Early speed is a potent weapon on Aqueduct's inner dirt track, but a race can set up nicely for a stalker when there are several speed burners in front of him, and that appears to be the scenario for Gators N Bears in Sunday's 46th running of the Grade 3 Gravesend Handicap, the final graded stakes of the year in New York.