DEL MAR, Calif. - Already proven to be a top 3-year-old filly in California, Western Hemisphere runs against statebreds in Saturday's $100,000 Fleet Treat Stakes. For Western Hemisphere, the race serves a warm-up to the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks next month.

Western Hemisphere will be heavily favored in the Fleet Treat, run over seven furlongs.

"Anytime you can start in a California-bred race, you have to take advantage of the situation," said Bob Baffert, who trains Western Hemisphere for Golden Eagle Farm.

Chief Mtn, purchased privately after romping in the 6 1/2-furlong Western Canada on July 1, will be stretching out for the first time when he faces six rivals in Saturday's $40,000 Ky Alta at Northlands Park.

The 1 1/16-mile Ky Alta will be a barometer for local 3-year-olds eyeing the Grade 3, $250,000 Canadian Derby on Aug. 28, the 1 3/8-mile race that is the showpiece of the meeting.

The final Canadian Derby prep, the 1 5/16-mile Count Lathum, will be run Aug. 7.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - How fast they go early should have a big impact on the result of Saturday's seventh race at Hastings, a $20,000 claiming race for 3-year-olds. Sterling Ace figures to be the favorite in the 1 1/16-mile feature, and if he's allowed to set moderate fractions, he could be tough to beat.

AUBURN, Wash. - Hanselina has arrived from Hastings Park to run in Saturday's $40,000 Boeing Handicap at Emerald Downs, a 1 1/16-mile race that has drawn a field of eight fillies and mares.

Hanselina, a 4-year-old daughter of Hansel and High Talent, was purchased late last month in New York by trainer Steve Bryant for owner Ross McLeod. She made her Northwest debut in the 1 1/8-mile Senate Appointee Handicap on

July 11 at Hastings and won by a length over that track's divisional leader, Dancewithavixen, and Defrere's Image, who dead-heated for second.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Millennium Dragon, the Poker Handicap runner-up, will not make the Grade 2, $150,000 Bernard Baruch on July 30 as planned, according to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

One of Millennium Dragon's hocks recently became inflamed, but it's not a serious setback, McLaughlin said. Instead of the Bernard Baruch, Millennium Dragon will be pointed to the Grade 2, $200,000 Fourstardave on Aug. 28.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Grinch has an affinity for Monmouth Park.

A daughter of Salt Lake, Grinch has raced here twice this meet and scored impressive allowance wins both times.

Grinch will attempt the next step, to a stakes victory, in the $60,000 Serena's Song on Saturday at Monmouth.

The Serena's Song is the mile and 70-yard prep for Monmouth's premier race for 3-year-old fillies, the Grade 2, $200,000 Monmouth Breeders' Cup Oaks on Aug. 15.

Trainer Joe Orseno believes there is more to Grinch than simply a filly with a home-field advantage.

The Austin Jockey Club, which holds a parimutuel license to construct a racetrack in the Austin, Texas, market, is making some headway toward construction of a racing facility. The new track will be managed by the operators of Retama Park, located near San Antonio.

"We're looking at wrapping up the purchase of a piece of land," said Bryan Brown, the chief executive officer of Retama Park. "We hope sometime within the next year we'll be breaking ground."

In response to declining business in its slot machine operation, Fort Erie is cutting purses by 15 percent across the board for the final seven weeks of the meet, effective Saturday. Purses have been averaging approximately $190,000 per day.

"There will have to be a further evaluation over the wintertime as to where our purse structure is going to be next year," said Nick Coukos, executive director of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of Ontario.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - With the specter of Soaring Free looming large, there was some question as to whether Saturday's Ontario Jockey Club Stakes would attract enough enough runners to be carded.

But the OJC, a seven-furlong turf race that is not part of the guaranteed stakes schedule, drew more than enough entrants, and a field of seven will vie for a purse of $107,000.

Among those taking their shots against Soaring Free are Super Case, trained by Danny Vella, and Langfleur, trained by Mike Keogh.

VALLEJO, Calif. - Saturday's $40,000-added Fairfield Stakes at the Solano County Fair couldn't come at a better time for trainer Gil Matos.

His talented 3-year-old filly Smoke Break is set to return after minor knee surgery and has given every indication she is ready to run well in her first start since a runner-up effort to Heavenly Humor in the Miss California on Jan. 17 at Golden Gate Fields.

She will have eight rivals, including stakes-placed Eight Karat, in the six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies.