Asmussen could break Jack Van Berg's record of 496 wins by a trainer in a calendar year in a stakes this weekend. His first big push will be Saturday night, when he starts 12 horses in eight of the nine stakes that will make up the annual Texas Champions Day program at Sam Houston. Overall, the trainer will have 14 starters on the 11-race card.

Asmussen needed 12 wins to break Van Berg's record as of Wednesday morning.

"I wouldn't expect to win 11 races before Saturday," he said. "I would welcome it, but I wouldn't expect it."

CHICAGO - In claiming a lower-level racehorse, you're lucky to get what you pay for. As often as not, a $10,000 claim will wind up running for some lower claiming tag in order to bring home a win check.

Those hopeful tales of plucking a diamond from the rough? Rarely happens.

But it has happened with Seattle Lake, a 5-year-old mare who was claimed for $10,000 in October 2003 at Hawthorne. The first thing her new connections - owner Nick Angelou and trainer Frank Randazzo - had to do was sit on her: Seattle Lake needed some R and R.

Defending Champion of Champions winner The Down Side, part of a powerful contingent trained by Paul Jones, will attempt to gain one of the final three spots in this year's Grade 1, $500,000 Champion of Champions when he starts in the Grade 3 Z. Wayne Griffin Directors' Stakes on Friday night at Los Alamitos.

Raul Hernandez is making quite a name for himself in some of the Quarter Horse stakes at the meet.

Hernandez sent out heavily favored No Scrubs to win the Grade 3, $26,200 AQRA Open Quarter Horse Derby here a couple weeks ago. The 3-year-old No Scrubs, ridden by Dennis Means, won by a half-length in a brisk 20.16 seconds for the 400 yards. That was part of a four-win day for Hernandez, who also saddled the two fastest qualifiers for the upcoming Grade 3, $17,500 AQRA Turf Paradise Open Quarter Horse Futurity.

Two Down Automatic and Coronado Rose, who each has won stakes at 1-5 odds during the young Sunland meet for leading trainer Steve Asmussen, could both turn up next in Louisiana.

Asmussen said Coronado Rose is being pointed for the $40,000 Delta Belle at Delta Downs on Saturday night, while Two Down Automatic will be stabled at Fair Grounds.

Asmussen has a commanding lead in the standings. He had won with 12 of 23 starters through Tuesday, eight more wins the second-leading trainers Henry Dominguez and Joel Marr. Asmussen's barn has earned $194,493.

The effects of last Friday's boycott by a majority of Hoosier Park's jockey colony will be felt through this Sunday's close of the meet, as 14 riders remain banned from the track.

To clarify previous reports, 10 riders and Albert Fiss, vice president of the Jockeys' Guild, were not only escorted from the grounds by Chesterfield Police when they refused to leave the grounds Friday night but also were arrested on charges of misdemeanor trespassing.

The owner Kaaren Biggs and trainer Steve Wren, who won last year's $1 million Delta Jackpot with Mr. Jester, could have two colts in the Delta Jackpot this year on Dec. 4 at Delta Downs.

Wren said plans will become firmer after Sunday when the undefeated Western Acres and his entrymate Silver Haze run in the $75,000 MEC Juvenile at Remington Park.

"If they both run a credible race, we'd run them both in the Jackpot," said Wren.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Funny how perception often differs from reality. With the recent root-system problems of Aqueduct's turf course, one would have expected less grass racing through the first three weeks of the meet compared to last fall, but that has not been the case. Through the first three weeks last year, 13 turf races were run, but this year the total is 19, even with last week's rain.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Kentucky weather is cooling down, but as often has happened at recent fall meets at Churchill Downs, trainer Carl Nafzger is just now getting hot.

Nafzger won with two first-time starters here Saturday and has had the most active stable at this meet, surpassing even the output of Dale Romans and Steve Asmussen. Coming into the penultimate week of racing at the Churchill fall meet, Nafzger had 33 starts, three more than Romans and Asmussen.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Before post positions were drawn for the best race Thursday at Hollywood Park - a main-track two-turn allowance - trainer Ron McAnally said he felt lucky that Gondolieri was eligible for the race.

"It's either run here, or in a stakes," he said.

Is there a difference?