ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Spanish Decree nailed Mountain Orchid on the wire to capture the at Woodbine Sunday.

Spanish Decree raced four lengths off the dueling leaders, Whistling Maid and Mulrainy, in the seven-furlong dash for Canadian-bred 3-year-olds fillies. Mountain Orchid took control midway on the turn, and opened up a clear lead early in the stretch, but Spanish Decree closed three-wide to win by a nose.

Favored Mulrainy ended up third in the nine-horse field. The final time was 1:24.52 seconds.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Hours before entries were drawn Friday for the at Churchill Downs, jockey Pat Day lost his mount when Private Gold was diagnosed with a minor ankle injury.

Such problems have never been too big for Day to overcome. He simply went out and got another mount, and Sunday, it was Day who gave Champali a flawless ride in keeping the colt unbeaten in the 21st running of the $114,200, Grade 3 Iroquois.

Champali, trained by Greg Foley, was part of an early six-horse duel in the one-mile Iroquois but always appeared comfortable when racing closest to the rail.

Streakin Sin Tacha overcame a slow break on a sloppy track to win the Grade 1, for Quarter Horses by a half-length Saturday night at Lone Star Park near Dallas.

The race was one of 10 stakes the card, six of which made up the 10th running of the MBNA Challenge Championships.

Streakin Sin Tacha($3.20) rallied strong up the center of the track to win his third straight stakes race, covering 440 yards in 21.27 seconds. Jess Louisiana Blue closed for second, a head in front of third-place finisher Meter Me Ready.

Wet weather forced the at Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday night to the main track for the third time in four years, and favorite Asheville relished the going, winning off by 8 1/2 lengths over Pleasant State.

It was another three and a half lengths back in third to Lisa's Approval.

Asheville($5.40) stalked the pace early, then took command in the stretch, covering the mile and a sixteenth for fillies and mares over a track rated good in 1:45.52.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A glance at the Tuesday entries at Churchill Downs yields the distinct feeling that if Steve Asmussen wants to be the leading trainer for the second straight fall meet, he will be.

Asmussen, who won his first-ever Churchill title last fall, said before this 30-day meet started Oct. 27 that he hoped to get 50 or 60 starts. Although he has only 36 Churchill stalls, Asmussen has more than 150 active runners at his disposal, a number clearly borne out by the fact he leads all North American trainers in starts and wins this year.

ARCADIA, Calif. - All year, Calkins Road picked the perfect days to shine.

In April, he won the $250,000 Snow Chief Stakes for 3-year-old statebreds on Gold Rush Day at Hollywood Park. On Saturday at Santa Anita, he was an upset winner of the $250,000 , the top race on the California Cup program.

The Cal Cup win came in Calkins Road's debut against older horses, and was very nearly a loss.

Having claimed Turkish Prize on July 24, then losing him on Aug. 22, trainer Ted H. West and owner Jeffrey Sengara got him back via the claim box on Oct. 9. It was just in time, for Turkish Prize made his next start in Saturday's $175,000 California Cup Mile, which he won by knifing between horses in the final furlong.

ARCADIA, Calif. - A move to turf has revived the career of Lil Sister Stich.

In 2001, Lil Sister Stich was racing against $10,000 claimers. In Saturday's $150,000 Distaff, she won her second stakes and sixth race in 10 starts on turf.

Benefiting from an ideal trip under Laffit Pincay, Jr., Lil Sister Stich ($8) rallied from just off the pace to win by a length over 25-1 Party Pirate. Lil Sister Stich was fourth on the hillside, and reached contention when the field crossed over the main track.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Global Finance ($7) added blinkers and got a perfect trip to notch her second stakes victory, winning the $80,000 Bam's Penny Stakes at Bay Meadows on Saturday.

Global Finance, a disappointing second as the 1-to-2 favorite in her comeback in the Courtship Stakes on Sept. 15, broke alertly, stayed behind an early three-way pace duel and pulled away in the stretch to defeat Market Garden by 2.5 lengths in the six-furlong race. Her winning time was 1:11.20.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The milestones continue to accumulate for Super High in 2002. The 3-year-old Super High won her fourth stakes of the year in Saturday's $150,000 California Cup Matron Handicap at Santa Anita. All have been against different types of competition on various surfaces.

The Matron was one of 10 races run on the 13th annual California Cup Day at Santa Anita. The program offered purses of $1.3 million.