Candid Glen, who did well to close for second against a slow pace in his last start, could get quicker fractions to chase Saturday when he shortens up in distance for the $30,000 Alliance Handicap at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La.

The 1 1/16-mile race is the final turf stakes of the season, and it drew a competitive field of surface specialists.

Candid Glen was beaten 3 1/4 lengths last out by the talented Bien Nicole in the $150,000 DeBartolo Memorial Breeders' Cup Turf at 1 1/8 miles at Remington Park on Sept. 29.

PORTLAND, Ore. - California invader Strike the Chord will be the one to beat in the featured eighth race at Portland Meadows on Friday, a 5 1/2-furlong race for older $4,000 runners who have not won a recognized race since May 1.

EDMONTON, Alberta - It took until the next-to-last race of the meeting to crown a jockey champion here at Northlands Park, but when Quincy Welch won aboard Secret Boundary last Sunday he clinched his fourth title in the past five seasons and further established himself as the premier jockey in Alberta.

Welch's closest competitor, Rickey Walcott, had put the pressure on by winning five races Friday night, but the veteran Welch wasn't to be denied.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Breeders' Cup announced match-ups Wednesday for its inaugural Head2Head betting.

Modeled on proposition bets popular in Las Vegas race books, Head2Head match-ups will be offered on each of the eight Breeders' Cup races. The bet is parimutuel with a 10 percent takeout. The winning Head2Head horse finishes in a higher position than his or her opponent.

"It's really sports betting. That's the model that's out there," said Ken Kirchner, who coordinated the wager for Breeders' Cup.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - After spending a week watching the same handful of Breeders' Cup hopefuls train at Arlington Park, Wednesday was a refreshing change with new faces in every category out to get their first feel for both the main and turf courses.

The skies were cloudy and the temperature hovered in the low 40's during training hours although a 10-mile-per-hour wind out of the the east made it feel much colder as the morning progressed. The main track was fast and the turf again listed as good with the dogs placed well out past the middle of the course.

Bob Costas, the 15-time Emmy Award-winning sports commentator, will fill in for Tom Hammond as host of NBC-TV's broadcast of the Breeders' Cup on Saturday, NBC officials said Wednesday, stressing the words "fill in."

"People keep asking me the same question: Who can replace Tom Hammond?" said Charlsie Cantey, the broadcast's co-host. "I've only had one answer: nobody. Because it's not possible."

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Marino Marini, who was pre-entered for Saturday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile but failed to draw into the field, will start in Friday's $100,000 Gilded Time Stakes after being supplemented for $4,000 on Wednesday.

Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Marino Marini will make his first start on dirt in the seven-furlong Gilded Time Stakes for 2-year-olds.

It was two years ago at Churchill Downs that the Dave Vance-trained Caressing beat Platinum Tiara in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Vance can get Platinum Tiara again Friday at Arlington, this time with the turf filly Kiss the Devil.

Platinum Tiara and Kiss the Devil were among 11 horses entered for the $100,000 Estrapade, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for older fillies and mares. And even beyond the Breeders' Cup-associated match-up, the race is an interesting one.

If this were an ordinary Friday in October, chances are slim that a horse such as Megantic would be anywhere near Chicago.

But this is Breeders' Cup eve, and Arlington Park not only is where owners and trainers have brought their Breeders' Cup horses, but other stakes-class horses capable of wowing appreciative race fans.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - After impressive wins in allowance races, Saint Marden took his game to another level on Wednesday by winning the opening-day feature at Aqueduct, the $114,000 Discovery Handicap.

A crowd of 3,745 was in attendance for the nine-race card, which was run under sunny but brisk conditions.

Saint Marden, the 3-5 favorite under Jerry Bailey, was a 1 1/2-length winner over Regency Park. It was another 1 3/4 lengths back to No Parole in third in the 10-horse field of 3-year-olds.