LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With nearly $350,000 and a Grade 3 win to her credit, Quick Tip has accomplished pretty much everything owner Will Farish and trainer Neil Howard have asked.

Yet there is little doubt that if Quick Tip can pull a mild upset Saturday in the $150,000 Cardinal Handicap at Churchill Downs, it would be the highlight of her career. Quick Tip, a 4-year-old Unaccounted For filly, is expected to be part of a full and highly competitive field in the Cardinal, a Grade 3, 1 1/8-mile turf race.

AUBURN, Wash. - Last Sunday morning, several hours before he was to send out first-time starter Yada Yada Yada against the heavily favored Stately Jack Flash in the $14,120 Bill Wineberg Stakes at Portland Meadows, trainer Nick Lowe confided that he had dreamed about the race earlier in the week.

"Our horse was laying fourth, stalking the pace, then in the deep stretch he slipped through along the rail and nipped Stately Jack Flash right on the wire," Lowe said.

MIAMI - The Gulfstream barn area is slowly starting to come to life with a number of trainers having already shipped in at least a portion of their stables for the winter season. Several trainers will van their horses across town to participate in upcoming stakes at Calder.

Among that group is Joe Orseno, who has three horses bedded down at Gulfstream, including turf specialists Krieger and Golden Corona, a pair of 4-year-olds he plans to run on Calder's Grand Slam I program on Dec. 7.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Who is worthy of the title of Canada's horse of the year for 2002?

That will be one of the more difficult decisions facing the Sovereign Award voters, who had received their ballots Wednesday and must have them filled out and returned by Friday.

The 69 voters, split almost evenly between Ontario and western Canada, will submit their three choices for horse of the year, for eight equine divisional titles, and for owner, trainer, jockey, apprentice jockey, breeder, and broodmare.

Anderson, Ind. - Apprentice jockey Rafael Bejarano continues to extend the apprentice record for wins in a season at Hoosier Park following his riding triple on Monday. He eclipsed Tommy Pompell's mark of 41 wins set in 1997 and has continued to win at a solid pace.

Hugh Robertson took sole possession of second-place in the trainer's standings by winning four races last Saturday. In addition to winning the featured Crafty Drone Stakes with the filly My Girl Lisa ($5.80), Robertson also saddled Bet on Joe ($4.60) to win the featured allowance. His other winners were 2-year-old Tyler's Jewel ($9.40) and Fearless Floyd ($6.40).

Michael Reavis retained a commanding lead atop the standings through Sunday's card with 14 winners, eight more than Robertson.

Robert Hindman of Grand Island, Neb., a long-time owner and breeder, died of pancreatic cancer at NHS Clarkson Hospital in Omaha on Nov. 12 at the age of 64.

Hindman raced more than 120 horses alone or in partnerships under the names Long Shot Stables and Grand Island Racing Stables. Hindman moved to Grand Island in 1968 and began his career in racing in 1974 by winning with Patois, who was his first runner.

Deshawn Parker had to settle for second-best behind Dana Whitney in the jockey standings at Mountaineer Park's summer meet, but it looks like Parker is on his way to winning the first riding title of his career this fall.

Parker rode 10 winners last week to extend his lead to 11 over Whitney at the current meet. Parker has teamed with leading trainer Gary Johnson for 11 wins at the fall meet. Parker has also won 11 races for trainer Michael Pappada.

The first stakes of Sunland's winter-spring meet is the $50,000-added Princess on Friday, a six-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies. The field of 10 mixes untested youngsters who have won maiden races impressively with several stakes winners.

Steve Asmussen sends owner Steven Baker's Kentucky shipper Valid Pulpit, who hasn't won a stakes but still has the highest earnings in the field at almost $50,000. In eight career starts she has a win and four seconds. Most recently, she was runner-up in an allowance at Churchill.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - It has been 363 days since Ubiquity pulled off his stunning upset in the Grade 2 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs. It has been even longer since Balto Star won a race on dirt.

Yet, these two horses will be the central figures in a $58,000 allowance race Thursday, which serves as Aqueduct's feature. The nine-furlong race, which could yield a starter or two for next month's $100,000 Queens County Handicap, drew a field of seven.