ALTOONA, Iowa - Proper Prado appears to have landed in a very good spot to score his first stakes win Monday when he leads a six-horse field in the $50,000 Prairie Mile at Prairie Meadows.

Proper Prado closed out his juvenile campaign last Nov. 29 when he was a closing third, beaten 2 1/2 lengths by The Cliff's Edge, in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill. Trained by Bob Holthus, Proper Prado ended the year with a 2-1-3 record from 9 starts and over $100,000 in earnings, and looked set to make an impact in the 3-year-old ranks this year.

SHAKOPEE, Minn. - Native Hawk, who began his career at Canterbury Park last summer, returns for the first time this meet in the $40,000 Honor the Hero Turf Express Stakes Monday. Ten horses plus an also-eligible were entered in the Turf Express, for 3-year-olds and up going five furlongs.

Trained by Kitty Cheeks, Native Hawk made four starts here last summer. He won two of his first three starts and then closed out his Minnesota campaign with a second against older horses in the John Bullit Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

LINCOLN, Neb. - Death Trappe is coming off what may have been the worst effort in his career, but the return to statebred company in Monday's $15,000-added Big Red Mile Handicap should help him bounce back.

Trained by Tom Garry, Death Trappe finished ninth in the Bosselman/Gus Fonner Handicap at Fonner Park in late April, appearing not to cope with the muddy going.

Death Trappe is likely to show speed when he breaks from post 6 under Armando Martinez in the Big Red Mile. He will carry high weight of 120 pounds.

ELMONT, N.Y. - At this time last year, the racing world revolved around Funny Cide, the New York-bred gelding who was attempting to become Thoroughbred racing's 12th Triple Crown winner.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Azeri, who is running in Monday's Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, won't be the only female taking on males this holiday weekend at Belmont Park.

, who beat males in Group 1 company in France last year, will take on the boys again Sunday at Belmont Park in the Grade 3, $100,000 Jaipur Handicap at seven furlongs on the turf.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Kentucky Oaks usually has a slight carryover effect on the subsequent two-turn stakes for 3-year-old fillies at the Churchill Downs spring meet, and that seems to be the case again this year with the $150,000 Dogwood Breeders' Cup Stakes.

Seven fillies were entered in the Grade 3 Dogwood, which will be run for the 30th time Sunday, and several key contenders have a sideways-or-better connection to the Oaks, which was run four weeks ago.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Renowned veterinarian Dr. Alex Harthill was resting comfortably Friday after being hospitalized the previous afternoon with what friends said turned out to be high blood pressure.

Trainer Jinks Fires, a longtime friend, said Friday that Harthill began feeling very poor Thursday afternoon and eventually was transported to Jewish Hospital.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The lesson was learned in a sleepy weekday allowance race and can pay off in a weekend stakes for . Having learned to ration her speed, The Dempsey Look must be considered the one to beat Sunday in the $75,000 Manhattan Beach Stakes at Hollywood Park.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Tsigane has only a minimal chance in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile on Monday, but the good turf sprinter will have an impact on the race.

Nine entered the Shoemaker, including likely favorite Sweet Return, and Tsigane's fast three-furlong blowout Friday in 34.60 seconds suggests he will be among the leaders. The work was the second-fastest at the distance of the day. In 26 starts, Tsigane has not won beyond 6 1/2 furlongs, and has not placed in a graded stakes. His odds will be in the neighborhood of 20-1.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Excuse Dan Hendricks for resurrecting an old Yogi-ism, but he says he hopes Monday's $125,000 Grade 3 Seabiscuit Breeders' Cup Handicap will be a case of deja vu all over again.

Hendricks will saddle defending champion Reba's Gold in the 1 1/16-mile race, which will probably have a field of five. And, like last year's race, in which Reba's Gold made his first start in six months, Reba's Gold enters the race following a long layoff; his last race was a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Goodwood on Oct. 4.