Ajedrez, one of the more gifted allowance runners seen during the Arlington meet earlier this year, returns to the races Saturday for Hawthorne's featured fifth race, a $34,000 four-other-than allowance with a $50,000 claiming option. The optional claimer replaces the $40,000 Little Brother Stakes as the feature after the stakes failed to draw sufficient entries.

Lit de Matrix, a 2-year-old colt who won his maiden by 11 lengths last out at Remington Park, has been sold for an undisclosed amount to Peter Karches and transferred to trainer Christophe Clement, according to Jay Ethridge, who brokered the deal along with bloodstock agent Mark Reid.

Lit de Matrix was to be shipped to Florida. He is by champion Lit de Justice and is a half-brother to B.J.'s Mark, a stakes winner of seven races and $182,714. Lit de Matrix, who was bred in Kentucky, raced for Raymond Deiter and was trained by Mark Lee.

ALBANY, Calif. - Saturday's $60,000-added Oakland Handicap at Golden Gate Fields could boil down to a virtual match race in the stretch between More Crafty and My Captain.

More Crafty and My Captain ran one-two in the Albany Handicap on Golden Gate's opening weekend and will hook up again in the six-furlong Oakland against five rivals, including Grade 2-winning Boston Common, who was seventh in the Grade 1 De Francis Dash on Nov. 15 at Laurel.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Americas Pride simply ran too badly to be true in the six-furlong Lassie Stakes for 2-year-old fillies here on Nov. 22, when she finished a distant sixth of nine to Quiz the Maid as the 3-5 favorite.

Trainer Linda Northam can explain why.

"She tied up in the post parade," said Northam. "I thought she was traveling a little funny at the time, and after the race she was in quite a bit of distress."

TORONTO, Ontario - The outstanding performers in Canadian Thoroughbred racing and breeding will be honored Saturday at the 29th annual Sovereign Awards gala.

A crowd of about 300 is expected at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto.

The evening's denouement will be the announcement of the three finalists and the winner of the Sovereign Award as Canada's Horse of the Year.

Wando, winner of the Canadian Triple Crown, is the leading candidate for Canadian Horse of the Year honors and a shoo-in to be named champion 3-year-old colt or gelding.

The top two contenders in the Geisha Handicap at Laurel Park got a huge break when the race, postponed last weekend, was redrawn for Saturday's program.

The $100,000 Geisha, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for Maryland-bred fillies and mares, headlines a nine-race card that also includes the $60,000 Politely, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies.

Two of the sharpest 2-year-olds on the grounds will meet for the first time in Saturday's $70,000 St. Nick Stakes at Charles Town.

Take the Plunge, who has won his last two starts in restricted stakes by a combined margin of 19 1/2 lengths, and Red Velvet Cake, a 9 1/2-length winner of the Tri-State Futurity in his last start, are both front-runners. They will break alongside each other in posts 1 and 2 in the seven-furlong St. Nick.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Snake Mountain would have been heavily favored to win his second consecutive Queens County Handicap on Saturday at Aqueduct, but a bruised right-hind foot will keep him in the barn.

That was not disturbing news to the trainers of the eight horses entered in the Grade 3 Queens County, run at 1 3/16 miles over the inner track. With Snake Mountain out, the race is wide open, with Thunder Blitz, Unforgettable Max, and Peekskill expected to vie for favoritism.

NEW ORLEANS - A week ago Fair Grounds racing officials were hustling hard to avoid a short field in Saturday's Tenacious Handicap, but despite a $15,000 purse cut from last year, the race wound up with a highly playable field of 10. Here, bettors will find back class, solid grass form, and two horses from the powerhouse Steve Asmussen barn. But where's the winner?

MIAMI - French Charmer was a high-priced claimer when he arrived here from New York 13 months ago. Saturday he will be the starting highweight and among the favorites in the $100,000 Tropical Turf Handicap, which shares top billing with its filly counterpart, the $100,000 My Charmer Handicap, on a 12-race card at Calder. Both races carry Grade 3 status and will be decided at 1 1/8 miles on the grass.