LEXINGTON, Ky. - The West has Roman Ruler and Declan's Moon. The East has Afleet Alex and Proud Accolade. And from the vast region between the two coasts, another leading contender or two in North America's 2-year-old division almost surely will emerge Saturday at Keeneland when the Grade 1 is run for the 91st time.

Owners Ken and Sarah Ramsey already have two Breeders' Cup starters in Classic contender Roses in May and likely Turf favorite Kitten's Joy. Saturday at Keeneland they seek to add another starter - this one to the Breeders' Cup Mile - when Nothing to Lose races in the Grade 1, $600,000 Shadwell Turf Mile.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Every good team has a bench, which is how trainer Julio Canani can justify starting Tsigane in Saturday's $250,000 Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita and leaving top turf horse Special Ring in the barn.

From Canani's perspective, Special Ring is best being trained up to the Breeders' Cup Mile at Lone Star Park on Oct. 30. Tsigane is attempting to earn a lucrative prize in the Oak Tree Mile.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Stroll has run some monster races at Belmont Park, including a two-length win in last year's Grade 2 Jamaica. If he can duplicate that effort, Stroll will be the one to beat in Saturday's Grade 2, $350,000 Kelso Breeders' Cup Handicap.

is among eight turf males in the Kelso, a prep for the Breeders' Cup Mile at Lone Star Park Oct. 30. Stroll is the co-highweight at 119 pounds with Millennium Dragon and Mr O'Brien.

ELMONT, N.Y. - This year, trainer Nick Zito won his first Belmont Stakes and first Travers.

The Champagne? Zito's been there, done that, four times over.

Saturday, Zito will go for his fifth Champagne victory in the last seven years when he sends out the impressive maiden winner Sun King against the more seasoned Afleet Alex and Proud Accolade in a salty 133rd renewal of the race.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A trainer with a useful turf marathoner might have had grand aspirations when he saw what was being offered on opening weekend at Keeneland. The Grade 3 Sycamore Breeders' Cup Stakes, a $150,000 race at 1 1/2 miles on grass, looked like a great fit for a horse in that niche.

Then Bobby Frankel, as he often does, had to go and ruin it for everybody else.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The blackout of the signal from Belmont Park in eight mid-Atlantic and Northeast states could last through the end of the year, officials from both sides of the dispute said on Thursday.

"We're talking, we're faxing, we're proposing, we're trying, we're doing everything we can do, but it's been very difficult," said Bill Nader, the senior vice president of the New York Racing Association, which operates Belmont. "This may keep going until the end of the year."

Churchill Downs unveiled its facility plans on Thursday for the upcoming fall meet, the last one during which the Louisville, Ky., track will be partly closed because of a $121 million renovation that began in December 2001.

The bottom three floors of the new six-floor clubhouse will be open to the public, as will one of the main entrance gates, Gate 10. For the last few meets, Churchill has used makeshift facilities during live racing, so the upcoming meet represents a substantial upgrade.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Eurosilver, who was one of the favorites for the 130th Kentucky Derby before being sidelined with an illness in late March, is set to make his return to action Thursday against fellow 3-year-olds in the $100,000 Perryville Stakes at Keeneland.

Eurosilver will be making his first start for trainer Carl Nafzger, who has overseen the colt's progress since mid-May, when Buckram Oak Farm owner Mahmoud Fustok split with trainer Nick Zito. Eurosilver was a very impressive winner of the Breeders' Futurity here last fall for Zito.

ARCADIA, Calif. - He begged, he campaigned, and finally on Thursday jockey Martin Pedroza persuaded trainer Wesley Ward to let him ride Omega Code in Sunday's $250,000 Ancient Title Breeders' Cup Handicap at Santa Anita.

Ward had considered several riders throughout the week for the 4-year-old colt, who returns to the track where he won his biggest race. Under Pedroza, Omega Code won the San Miguel Stakes in 2003.