Portland Meadows is bidding to have Instant Racing machines installed before the start of its next scheduled meeting, which begins in October.

Instant Racing, currently in use at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, has patrons wager at video terminals on previously run races. While some handicapping information is provided, the names of the horses are concealed.

Under state law, the Oregon Racing Commission can approve the use of the machines without further action from the state legislature, according to Jody Hanson, the commission's executive secretary.

Has the elevator reached the top floor for Shake the Dice? If so, is it about to plummet straight into the basement?

Those are two of the questions handicappers must ask themselves when trying to evaluate Shake the Dice's chances in Sunday's $60,000 Endless Surprise at Laurel Park.

After putting together a string of five straight victories, rising on the Beyer Speed Figure scale from 84 to 105, and climbing the class ladder, the 5-year-old Shake the Dice flopped last time out when he faced graded stakes company for the first time.

PORTLAND, Ore. - "I have absolutely no idea if she will go long," said Nick Lowe, the trainer of Our Lucky Kiss. "But I'm going to find out on Sunday."

Lowe is not alone. All six of the Oregon-bred 3-year-old fillies nominated for Sunday's one mile Mary Goldblatt Stakes are unproven around two turns.

ALBANY, Calif. - Trainer Gloria Buckridge made one of the smartest investments in her racing career when she nominated Capt. Fly Hook to Sunday's $150,000 Golden Gate Breeders' Cup Handicap. She hoped the field might be small, and her gamble paid off as only three other runners entered the 1 1/8-mile turf race.

Three of the four entrants are based locally, Ninebanks, Surprise Halo, and Capt. Fly Hook.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Kathleen O'Connell and owner-breeder Gil Campbell's decision to scratch Ivanavinalot out of an easier spot in Sunday's Grade 3 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs and run her in Friday's $200,000 Bonnie Miss Stakes at Gulfstream Park proved a good choice when Ivanavinalot wore down My Boston Gal for a 1 3/4-length victory in the marquee race for 3-year-old fillies at the meeting.

Trainer Kathleen O'Connell's decision to run Ivanavinalot in Friday's Grade 2 Bonnie Miss Stakes at Gulfstream Park surely was met with a sigh of relief from the connections of the six other 3-year-old fillies entered in Sunday's $150,000 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs.

Ivanavinalot won the Bonnie Miss and would have been the overwhelming favorite to win the 1 1/16-mile Oaks, and her defection has now left the Grade 3 race up for grabs.

PORTLAND, Ore. - A competitive field of six Oregon-bred 3-year-old fillies will contest Sunday's one-mile, $10,000 Mary Goldblatt Stakes at Portland Meadows.

The two stakes winners in the field - Our Lucky Kiss, who won the Janet Wineberg; and Carlyn Road, who won the Jane Driggers Debutante - will be well-bet, and so will the rapidly improving allowance winner Valentine Surprise.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - With Colorful Tour, who has won his last four races, and 119-pound highweight Crafty Shaw sitting on a top effort following a tough trip last out, it will be tough to separate the top two in the Grade 3, $100,000 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park on Sunday.

The 1 1/16-mile race for older horses is the final local prep for the Grade 2, $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap on April 5. The race drew eight, including Windward Passage and Slider, who earned a 108 Beyer Speed Figure in his last start.

Zarb's Luck, who won the $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Sprint at Fair Grounds in December, runs Sunday night in the $50,000 Cajun Express at Delta Downs in Vinton, La. The one-turn, five-furlong race is for statebreds.

Zarb's Luck raced at two turns in his last race. He was a close third after setting most of the pace at a mile in the $150,000 Gold Cup at Delta. Guy Smith rides for trainer Edward Johnston.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Great Notion, who was added as a separate betting interest in Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager after his nine-length win in the $75,000 Southwest at Oaklawn Park, will make his next start in Oaklawn's $125,000 Rebel on March 22.

Great Notion had also been under consideration for the Grade 2, $500,000 Lane's End at Turfway the same day, but his connections have decided to stay home. "We're going to follow the Arkansas Derby trail," said Darrin Miller, who trains Great Notion for Silverton Farms.