Fastest qualifier Check Him Out seeks his third consecutive derby win in Friday night's Grade 1, $288,950 Los Alamitos Derby at Los Alamitos.

Owned by Zory Kuzyk, John Andreini, and trainer Blane Schvaneveldt, Check Him Out won the Grade 1 Golden State Derby and the Grade 2 PCQHRA Breeders Derby in his last two stakes appearances. He is riding a four-race winning streak dating back to his Golden State Derby win on Aug. 17. During his winning streak he has victories in the trials to the PCQHRA Derby and the Los Alamitos Derby, along with his derby wins.

AUBURN, Wash. - A 128-pound weight assignment and a disadvantageous inside post couldn't stop In Search of Fame, who won for the 17th time in 19 starts at Portland Meadows in Sunday's Autumn Handicap. The race was for older Quarter Horses at 350 yards.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Barbara Minshall is no stranger to good horses.

Minshall, who was introduced to the racing game by her late husband, owner/breeder Aubrey Minshall, took over as the Minshall Farm trainer in 1995 and enjoyed immediate success.

"I was very lucky to have horses like Kiridashi, Bold Ruritana, and Sea Wall when I first started training," said Minshall, referring to three horses who produced seven stakes wins in her rookie campaign.

ANDERSON, Ind. - After nine years as Indiana's only racetrack, Hoosier Park will be joined on Dec. 6 by Indianapolis Downs, a dual-breed facility that will conduct a 19-day Standardbred meet and launch a new era in this state's horse racing industry.

At Tuesday's meeting of the Indiana Horse Racing Commission, final approval was given for 2003 racing dates. The schedule will offer expanded opportunities for both Thoroughbred and Standardbred horsemen in the state.

GROVE CITY, Ohio - Beulah Park has seen a dramatic upturn at the entry box in the past several weeks.

Entries for the first three weeks of the fall meet, which began Sept. 14, were uncharacteristically light considering this meet traditionally is among the tops in the nation in terms of average field size. Several racing programs early in the meet failed to attract double-digit fields in any race.

MUSKEGON, Mich. - The training title came down to the final day of the Great Lakes Downs meeting on Tuesday, but riding honors were already decided in August.

Terry Houghton rode 175 winners in the first 78 days of the meeting before suffering a season-ending concussion on Aug. 25. As it turns out.those were all the wins he needed to win the title.

Jockey Horatio Karamanos tied a 33-year-old Laurel Park record when he rode seven winners on last Saturday's 11-race card.

The only other rider to achieve the feat, Chuck Baltazar, did it on Dec. 15, 1969.

"I am very happy," said Karamanos, a native of Argentina who has been in the United States for 18 months. "The most I have ever won in one day was five at Colonial Downs and five in Argentina. I've been doing very well lately and would like to thank my agent, Ben Feliciano, for working so hard and getting me nice horses to ride."

Apprentice jockey Heather Irion will be out indefinitely as she recuperates from numerous injuries sustained in a spill at Philadelphia Park last week.

Although Irion was released from Frankford-Torresdale Hospital, she is still having problems with double vision and will not be able to resume riding for at least several weeks, according to her agent, Gary Yager.

"It's really going to be the doctor's call as to when she'll be able to return," Yager said.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Golden Apples has a score to settle, and will risk championship credentials to do so. While Golden Apples remains the top candidate for female turf champion after an unlucky fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, trainer Ben Cecil is eager to remove all doubt from minds of voters.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Julie Krone will resume her riding career this week at Santa Anita. Krone's agent, Brian Beach, said Krone has a call with a Richard Mandella trainee Friday, and would ride if the race fills.

Otherwise, Krone will return Saturday in the $150,000 California Cup Distaff. Krone has a call on Mabel Kent, who is trained by Ian Jory, in the 6 1/2-furlong turf race. Krone, 39, is the all-time leading female rider with 3,545 career wins.