OZONE PARK, N.Y. - WinStar Farm has purchased a 75 percent interest in the promising 2-year-old colt Erinsouthernman from West Point Stable. Erinsouthernman, third in the Grade 1 Champagne in his last start, will be turned over to trainer Elliott Walden for his 3-year-old campaign.

A Florida-bred son of Eltish, Erinsouthernman won his maiden at first asking by 4 3/4 lengths on Sept. 1 at Saratoga, running seven furlongs in 1:24.70. He next ran in the Champagne, finishing 4 1/2 lengths behind the winning Toccet.

NEW YORK - All-sources wagering on the eight Breeders' Cup races at Arlington Park this year established a new record of $108 million, according to Breeders' Cup officials.

The figure ended a one-year decline in Breeders' Cup wagering. Last year, betting on Breeders' Cup's eight-race card at Belmont Park in New York fell to $98.7 million. A year earlier at Churchill Downs in Louisville, handle was $101.3, which set a record for the fifth year in a row.

CHICAGO - Arlington Park's 2002 race meet concluded Sunday, and with it a two-year shift in schedule and purpose that culminated in Saturday's Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships. Arlington, traditionally a summer racetrack, became a summer and fall track the last two seasons to play host to the Breeders' Cup, which went off to widespread acclaim and a sellout crowd on Saturday.

Tradition returns next year, when Arlington opens on Mother's Day and ends in late summer.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Russell Baze on Saturday became the fourth jockey in history to record 8,000 victories, reaching the milestone with a wire-to-wire ride aboard Ourwhistlebritches in the eighth race at Bay Meadows.

Baze joins Laffit Pincay Jr., Bill Shoemaker, and Pat Day in the exclusive club.

"It feels fantastic," Baze said of reaching the milestone.

The win also was timely.

Retama Park near San Antonio reported declines in attendance and handle during its 51-night meet that closed Saturday.

Attendance averaged 2,276 a night this season, down from last year's draw of 3,192. Handle on the track's live races averaged $1,166,781 a card compared to $1,207,880 in 2001.

Retama recorded its best handle of the meet Saturday night when $1.5 million was wagered on a 13-race program. Attendance was 4,082.

A totalisator malfunction Saturday at Keeneland Race Course resulted in the refunding of about $76,000 in pick six wagers on the Breeders' Cup. Announcement of the refunds came Saturday evening after the entire Breeders' Cup card was run. No tickets were sold at Keeneland with five or six winners.

Keeneland officials said they regretted the development since bettors may have discarded what they believed to be losing pick six tickets. The amount that is not cashed by the opening of the spring meet in April will be used in a pick six carryover pool.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Medecis, the French stakes winner who finished ninth in the Breeders' Cup Mile on Saturday, has joined trainer Richard Mandella's stable in California.

Owned by Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, Medecis has won 4 of 9 starts and $203,384. A 3-year-old by Machiavellian, he won two stakes this year - the Prix Omnium II and the Group 3 Prix de la Jonchere. He was second to Landseer in the French 2000 Guineas. In the Breeders' Cup Mile, Medecis had a poor start and was never closer than eighth. He ran 5 3/4 lengths behind the winner, Domedrive

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Trainer Pat Byrne had hoped to have a horse in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Arlington last weekend, but no such luck. His two best 2-year-olds, Private Gold and Christmas Away, both disappointed in their final preps, leaving Byrne, who has won three Breeders' Cup races, without a BC starter for the fourth straight year.

ARCADIA, Calif. - California Cup XIII - a 10-race, $1.3 million extravaganza Saturday for California-breds - highlights closing week of the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita. The autumn meet ends Sunday with two graded stakes on turf - the Grade 2 Las Palmas for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles, and the Grade 3 Morvich Handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs on the downhill course.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - It may be too bad that trainer Bonnie Jenne isn't involved in horseshoes instead of horse racing.

Close, as the old saying goes, counts in horseshoes.

Close actually pays off in horse racing, too, and Jenne, a Washington-based trainer, has done pretty well since arriving in northern California this fall.

She sends out 6-year-old gelding Itsasgoodasitgets in a $25,000 claimer Wednesday at Bay Meadows. He ran third in his northern California debut in an Oct. 11 allowance race.