Trainer Neil Howard hopes Rock Slide will find a graded stakes race with his name on it next year. His prospects as a stallion hinge on it, and after Rock Slide's valiant win Sunday in the Tenacious Handicap at Fair Grounds, there is reason to be hopeful.

By A.P. Indy out of the mare Prospectors Delite - she has produced top racehorse after top racehorse - Rock Slide has the pedigree, speed, and looks of a successful commercial stallion. But his future outside the racetrack will depend in great part on how he performs on the racetrack from here on out.

MIAMI - The final two stakes for 2-year-olds at Calder this year will be run Saturday: the $100,000 What a Pleasure and its filly counterpart, the $100,000 Three Ring.

Trust N Luck, easy winner of the In Reality Stakes on Oct. 12 but fourth as the 3-2 favorite in the Jack Price Stakes in his most recent start, tops the lineup for the 1 1/16-mile What a Pleasure. Trust N Luck worked an easy mile over a sloppy track in 1:49 on Tuesday.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Marc's Rainbow outfooted 1-2 favorite Beautiful America to the front around the clubhouse turn, then withstood several challenges from that rival to win Sunday's $80,775 East View Stakes for New York-bred juvenile fillies by 2 3/4 lengths.

GROVE CITY, Ohio - Mercer U. ($5) took command entering the second turn and held off Dinkers Pride for a 1 1/4-length victory in the $40,000 Glacial Princess Stakes.

The victory in the 1 1/16-mile Glacial Princess, for Ohio-bred 2-year-old fillies, was the second in five career starts for the Mike Wykoff-trained Mercer U. and it was her first stakes score. Huber Villa-Gomez, the meet's leading rider, was aboard Mercer U., who covered the distance in 1:48.79.

Leading from start to finish, Emily Ring won the $50,000 Holiday Inaugural Stakes by three lengths over Freefourracing.

Don't Countess Out, the 8-5 favorite, finished another 7 1/4 lengths back in third.

Emily Ring ($8.60) ran the six furlongs in 1:11.72. She has won 6 of 20 starts and has earned $226,925.

Colorful Tour scored his third stakes win of the year in the $43,400 Demetri's Boy Stakes for Illinois-bred 3-year-olds at Hawthorne.

Rating along the inside behind a moderate pace, Colorful Tour grabbed the lead at the top of the stretch and drew off to win by 3 1/2 lengths. Longshot Happiness finished second and Garesche won a photo for third.

Colorful Tour ($3.60), the favorite in the field of eight, covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:46.54.

HOUSTON - Although a formal decision has yet to be made on the future of the Great State Challenge, the consensus among industry officials involved in the inaugural running of the six-race series Saturday at Sam Houston Race Park is that the program is worth renewing.

The competition, which featured divisional matchups of horses bred in 10 different states, was won by Kentucky.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The big plans for Eric Da Bomb went awry this fall when he finished eighth in the $250,000 California Cup Classic Nov. 2.

He had been pointed for that race following a 13-length win in an allowance race at Del Mar on Aug. 5.

On Wednesday at Hollywood Park, Eric Da Bomb will try to regroup when he starts as a probable favorite in a $49,000 allowance race at 1 1/16 miles.

Trained by Nick Hines, Eric Da Bomb can win on Wednesday with a repeat of his performance at Del Mar.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Already the richest New York-bred in history, Say Florida Sandy will try to surpass the $2 million mark in career earnings Wednesday when he runs in a $54,000 classified allowance race at Aqueduct.

ALBANY, Calif. - Wednesday's co-feature at Golden Gate Fields is a $20,000 claimer at one mile for 3-year-olds that will include Red Packet, who has won three straight since he was gelded.

Sired by Bonus Money out of the Alydar mare Oriental Avenue, Red Packet has run seven times. He made his debut May 18 in a $20,000 maiden claimer at Bay Meadows, finishing seventh. He came back one month later to finish fourth at the $12,500 level. He ran twice at the fairs, finishing second at the bottom $8,000 level at Pleasanton and second again in a $12,500 race at Santa Rosa.