STICKNEY, Ill. - The undefeated 2-year-old Cactus Ridge left trainer Bret Calhoun's Hawthorne barn on Wednesday morning, and he is not returning here, or to any other racetrack.

Cactus Ridge's racing career is over, Calhoun said Wednesday afternoon from Louisiana Downs. The colt left Chicago for Kentucky and will take up residence at Walmac Farm near Lexington. "They'll let him be viewed during the breeding sale at Keeneland," Calhoun said. "He won't run again. There's interest in him as a stallion prospect."

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - When Raylene arrived at Woodbine last fall for the Mazarine, she brought along the reputation of being the fastest gun in the west among Alberta's 2-year-old fillies.

While Raylene failed to fire in the Grade 2 Mazarine she was far from disgraced while finishing fifth, beaten 6 1/2 lengths by Brusque, the eventual Sovereign Award winner for the division.

MUSKEGON, Mich - Goldinrunner, winner of a division of the Michigan Sire Stakes and the Michigan Breeders' Cup Handicap this year, was named the Michigan horse of the year in a ceremony following the close of the Great Lakes Downs meet Tuesday evening. Owned by Mary Mazur and trained by Gerald Bennett, Goldinrunner was the older male champion, as well.

ANDERSON, Ind. - There is little doubt that trainer Ralph Martinez will break the single-season win record of 42 at Hoosier Park before the meet ends Dec. 4. Entering Wednesday's card, Martinez was atop the standings with 39 wins through 43 days of racing. He had three horses entered Wednesday and another on Thursday.

It took 2000 world champion A Ransom 33 starts - with 21 wins, including 13 in stakes - over five years of racing to earn $1,079,556. His younger brother, Righteous Brother, could earn almost a third of that total in one shot Friday night if he can win the Grade 1, $864,850 Golden State Futurity at Los Alamitos.

With $341,442 going to the winner, the 400-yard Golden State Futurity is the second-richest race at Los Alamitos, behind the $1.3 million Los Alamitos Million on Dec. 12. Next year, the Golden State Futurity will have a $1 million guaranteed purse.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Cajun Beat, the Kentucky-based winner of the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita, might return to California for his next race. Trainer Steve Margolis said Tuesday that Cajun Beat is being considered for the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 26.

"It's seven-eighths, straight 3-year-olds, over a track he's won over," said Margolis, explaining the motives behind a return trip.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Breeders' Cup Classic winner Pleasantly Perfect will race next year at age 6, according to trainer Richard Mandella. "I would guess I will give him a break and point to the [Santa Anita] Handicap preps, or to Dubai," Mandella said Tuesday. "I plan to rest them all and point for the Santa Anita meet. They've done enough. If you keep going, you end up with nothing."

Mandella was referring to his seven Breeders' Cup starters. Along with Pleasantly Perfect, the winners were Halfbridled (Juvenile Fillies), Johar (Turf), and Action This Day (Juvenile).

The Kentucky Racing Commission assigned racing dates at its meeting Tuesday morning, and the only significant change to the Thoroughbred racing schedule is that Ellis Park will race six days a week in 2004. Ellis Park will add Mondays to its summer meet in part to position itself alongside Saratoga and Del Mar in the summer simulcast market. Those tracks also race Mondays.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - With easy wins in ungraded stakes on the turf and dirt, Misty Sixes looks for a bigger prize in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Turnback the Alarm Handicap over Aqueduct's main track.

Misty Sixes exits an 11 3/4-length win in the Lighthouse Stakes on the dirt at Monmouth Park on Sept. 6. The Lighthouse was originally scheduled to be run on the turf, a surface on which Misty Sixes won the Brookmeade Stakes at Colonial Downs on July 4 by 7 1/4 lengths.

CHICAGO - Until Sunday, everything had gone startlingly well this year for 6-year-old Apt to Be. After reaching the best form of his career with a seven-length win in the Grade 3 Hanshin Handicap at Arlington, Apt to Be came up with a foot problem. He returned Sept. 21 with a strong allowance win and shipped to Churchill Downs for Sunday's Grade 3 Ack Ack Handicap training like a bear.