CHICAGO - The trainer Michelle Boyce finally could hold off no longer. Boyce had been waiting and waiting for the right spot to come up on dirt, and it wasn't happening. She had a couple of horses who simply needed to race, even if they had to race on the wrong surface. And so Balla Twine and Quest for Truth ran in the seventh race Oct. 22 at Hawthorne, with Balla Twine finishing eighth, Quest for Truth seventh in the 1 1/16-mile turf race.

Wednesday at Hawthorne, both get their preferred surface, and Boyce, barring the unforeseen, will get the money.

A day after teaming up to win the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Lone Star Park with Ghostzapper, trainer Bobby Frankel and jockey Javier Castellano won the Grade 3, $111,200 at Aqueduct with Mass Media.

Unlike Ghostzapper, the Classic favorite, Mass Media returned a generous $18.60 in the seven-furlong Sport Page as the 3 1/2-length winner over Lion Tamer. It was another two lengths back to Gygistar.

The Meadowlands card featured three stakes with purses of $60,000 each. Killenaule ($2.80) won the 1 1/16-mile Storm Cat by 4 1/4 lengths, Our Wildcat ($19.80) finished a head in front of Jay's Wish in the six-furlong Accordant Handicap, and Kiss Me Katie ($28.20) beat Tight Spin by a nose in the Witches Brew, run over five furlongs on turf.

High Strike Zone made a successful transition to two turns on Saturday when he won the $50,000 Marshland by 2 1/2 lengths over Monty Man at Delta Downs in Vinton, La. It was another three lengths back in third to Dusty Spike.

High Strike Zone ($3.80) stalked the pace in third in the one-mile race, then overtook the leaders in the stretch and went on to cover the distance in 1:39.56. Ricky Faul rode the winner for trainer Amos Laborde.

Macaw hasn't forgotten how to win after all.

Winless in 16 consecutive races since he was brought over from Europe two years ago, the 5-year-old Macaw ($22.60) outgamed three other horses at the wire in the $60,000 John Henry Stakes at The Meadowlands.

Making only his second start since being transferred to trainer Angel Penna from Barclay Tagg's string, Macaw got up by a neck over the 5-2 favorite, Dreadnaught, covering 1 3/8 miles on firm turf in 2:14.20.

Revved Up was another head back in third.

It was Macaw's first victory since August 2002 in England.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Course specialist Ninebanks ($4.80) won his sixth stakes race over the Longden Turf Course, capturing the $69,475 at Bay Meadows on Sunday.

The 6-year-old gelding, 8-for-17 in his career on the Longden Turf Course, was able to get over to the rail down the backstretch for a ground-saving trip after breaking from the No. 8 post in the field of nine. He stayed on the rail and outfinished True Dancer, who swung four wide on the second turn, as both overhauled pacesetting Motel Staff in the lane.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Theater R.N. won her stakes debut in Sunday's $150,000 , rallying from fifth in the final three furlongs to catch stablemate Lots of Hope in the final 30 yards.

The win gave trainer Bobby Frankel a 1-2 finish in the Grade 2 Las Palmas and a sweep of the weekend stakes at Santa Anita. Frankel won Saturday's Morvich Handicap with Leroidesanimaux.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Millfleet ($10.50) notched his second Woodbine stakes in 11 days in Sunday's $146,750 , a one-mile turf event for Ontario-sired runners.

With apprentice Jill Scharfstein aboard, Millfleet raced three-wide on the lead in unison with Bold Kris and Crease Infraction. Millfleet took control after fractions of :23.21 and :46.56 seconds, and held off favored Tusayan in deep stretch to prevail by three-quarters of a length.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Sir Cherokee, winless since taking the Maxxam Gold Cup in January at Sam Houston, regained top form in beating odds-on favorite Fire Slam by 5.25 lengths in the opening-day Grade 3, $163,500 at Churchill Downs Sunday.

Racing for the first time since undergoing surgery this summer to remove bone chips in both front ankles, Sir Cherokee ran like a horse rebuilt, rallying five-wide from last and powering past the opposition. The winner, a 4-year-old son of Cherokee Run owned and bred by Domino Stud, raced 7.5 furlongs in 1:29.48, paying $14.80.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Leroidesanimaux extended his winning streak to 4 in Saturday's $100,000 at Santa Anita, a victory that confirmed his status as a turf miler to follow in California.

Ridden by Jon Court, Leroidesanimaux ran about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course in a quick 1:11.76. He finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of pacesetter De Valmont. Cayoke, the 8-5 favorite, finished third in the field of six.