The biggest local prep for next month's Grade 3, $200,000 Cradle Stakes will be run as the 11th race on Saturday at River Downs. As in years past, the Cradle prep, an open allowance for 2-year-olds, offers a $25,000 purse and will be run at a mile and 70 yards.

The Cradle prep has not, in fact, served as a stepping-stone to victory in the Cradle in recent years. Even Harlan's Holiday, the Ohio-bred who started at River before his victory in the 2001 Cradle, bypassed the prep in favor of a statebred stakes.

COLUMBUS, Neb. - Alaskan Lights ran his record to 2 for 2 in the Bud Light Starter Series with a solid 2 1/4-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile leg on Sunday. A 10-year-old by Alaskan Frost, Alaskan Lights won the mile-and-70-yard leg on July 5 by three-quarters of a length.

The 1 3/8-mile finale of the series comes up Sept. 4, when Alaskan Nights will likely will have to face the late kick of My Dad's Bad, the winner of the marathon legs of Lincoln's starter series. Trained by James Compton, Alaskan Lights returned $6.20 as the second choice in the field of nine.

MUSKEGON, Mich. - Cats Copy and Gold Ginny, who have traded punches in the two 3-year-old filly stakes races run this season at Great Lakes Downs, headline a field of seven in the $40,000 Ann Arbor Stakes on Friday evening. The Ann Arbor, at a mile, is for Michigan-bred 3-year-old fillies.

Cats Copy was installed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite despite her loss to Gold Ginny in her last out here, the July 2 Plymouth Stakes. She had won the Regret Stakes in May, while Gold Ginny was fourth.

Fleeta Dif continues to warm the heart of her 80-year-old trainer, Tom Warren. She picked up her third stakes victory since May last Sunday at Remington Park, with a neck win in the $40,000 Adena Springs Turf Sprint Matchmaker Stakes.

"She's unbelievable," said Warren. "She was so far back."

Fleeta Dif has won five stakes overall, and Warren noted she has never been favored in any of them. She paid $66 when she won her first stakes, and earlier this year at Lone Star Park was let go at 17-1 when she captured the $50,000 JEH Stallion Station Stakes.

CARENCRO, La. - Apprentice rider Cherell Smith, believed to be the first African-American woman ever to ride at this oval, continues to make inroads heading into the final month of the current stand. The youngster booted home longshot Twosteppincowgirl ($25) in last Thursday's ninth race almost two months to the day after she began her career. Her winning ride belied her short time in the saddle, as she sat chilly saving ground before confidently splitting rivals to prevail.

Ben Hudson and the late Anne Burnett Tandy will be inducted into the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame at a ceremony Saturday night. Both represent the Quarter Horse industry, and their inductions are timed to coincide with the Quarter Horse meet at Sam Houston.

Will Farish and Nelson Bunker Hunt also will be inducted into the Texas Hall this year, but during a ceremony at Lone Star Park in October.

MIAMI - The Rose family name has been an integral part of the Florida Stallion Stakes series ever since "Papa" Harold Rose won split divisions of the rich In Reality Stakes with Rexson's Hope and My G P in 1983.

On Saturday, Rose's son Barry hopes to carry on the tradition when he sends out homebreds Leona's Knight and Hal's Image in the $75,000 Desert Vixen and Dr. Fager stakes, opening legs of the 2004 Stallion series.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Trainer Steve Attard, without much fanfare, has been having a solid meeting here.

And Attard, 42, could be in a position to make plenty of noise on Saturday, with contenders for both $125,000 Ontario Sire stakes on the program.

Attard will be firing one shot with Dillinger, in the 6 1/2-furlong Shepperton for 3-year-olds and up, and another with Rosharon, who is in the Victoriana, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares.

Both Dillinger and Rosharon are in fine form, but both will be seeking their first stakes scores, too.

FORT ERIE, Ontario - Apprentice rider Jennie Roche will be moving her tack to Woodbine when the Fort Erie meet ends on Labor Day, Sept. 6.

Roche, who is in sixth place in the Fort's standings with 38 wins, has caught the eye of Tom Patton, the high-profile agent who represents Jono Jones, who is currently second in the Woodbine standings. Jones is the regular rider of A Bit O'Gold, the winner of the Prince of Wales and the Breeders' Stakes.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - With eight weeks left in the Assiniboia Downs racing season, Travis Hightower continues to lead the local jockey standing with 63 victories.

Vince Guerra remains in second with 40 victories, and Jerry Pruitt, who won two races each day last weekend, is in third with 36 wins.

Emile Corbel leads the local trainer standings with 30 wins, four ahead of Ardell Sayler, who won three race last Saturday. Gary Danelson is third with 19 victories.