ELMONT, N.Y. - Last Saturday, after watching Shine Again and Shiny Band put in mediocre three-furlong workouts over Belmont Park's training track, trainer Allen Jerkens was puzzled about which upcoming stakes to enter the half-sisters in.

ELMONT, N.Y.- Gary Contessa believes his five rivals are in a no-win situation when they take on Delray Dew in a 1 1/16-mile classified allowance race, the feature race Thursday at Belmont Park.

"Let's put it this way, if somebody runs with her they're committing race suicide, and if they don't run with her they're in big trouble," Contessa said.

CHICAGO - The door stands wide open for Swinging Gate to score another comfortable allowance win Thursday at Arlington. A two-length winner of a second-level allowance here Aug. 14, Swinging Gate faces six opponents in a third-level allowance that seems no tougher than a race she easily won about a month ago.

AUBURN, Wash. - The final leg of the Stanislaw Ashbaugh Series, which features enhanced purses for bottom-level starter allowance company, will be contested over 1 1/4 miles at Emerald Downs on Thursday. A field of 10 will vie for the $10,000 pot.

Favoritism should be hotly contested, all the more so because none of the entrants has credentials at Thursday's distance, but veterans Shawo Mountain and Tissington figure to have more than their share of backers.

DALLAS - Sam Houston Race Park closed out its 42-night Quarter Horse meet Saturday with small declines in average daily attendance and handle from the corresponding meet a year ago. Average daily purses at the Houston oval rose, though, to $84,658.

Attendance this meet dropped less than 1 percent, to an average of 4,197 patrons a card, while nightly handle on the track's races dipped 3 percent, to $705,791. Purses were up nearly 4 percent from last year's daily average of $81,783.

The inaugural National Thoroughbred Racing Association Great State Challenge on Dec. 7 will highlight the 80-day Thoroughbred meet at Sam Houston Race Park, opening Nov. 1 and running through March 30. Purses at the meeting will increase to $120,000 a day.

DEL MAR, Calif. - A few horse vans rolled through the stable area. Most of the stalls in the barns were empty, their residents having already been shipped to Santa Anita. Grooms still on location took their belongings from their tack rooms and had them outside, awaiting loading onto horse vans. Few trainers were around, most having decided to go to Kentucky for Keeneland's yearling sale. One day before Del Mar's closing-day card, the meet looked all but over.

AUBURN, Wash. - Asked when he knew when he would win Sunday's Belle Roberts Handicap with Top Bracket, rider Gallyn Mitchell had a ready answer.

"When the overnight came out on Friday," he said.

Jockeys should have that kind of confidence. Few handicappers who weighed the probable pace scenario for the 1 1/8-mile Belle Roberts at Emerald Downs could share it, however. The tiny field of five included just one horse with early speed, the very tractable Graceful Cat, and Top Bracket has just one way of going.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Touch of the Blues, an unlucky fifth here in last Sunday's Atto Mile for trainer Neil Drysdale, will remain here until the end of the month along with assistant trainer Robert Guest and groom Gerardo Olvera.

"He'll stay here and train," said Guest, adding that Touch of the Blues probably will run next in Keeneland's Grade 1, $600,000 Shadwell Turf Mile on Oct. 6.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Beginning with Silver Charm in 1996, and continuing in subsequent years with Souvenir Copy, Worldly Manner, Forest Camp, Flame Thrower, and Officer, trainer Bob Baffert has swept the last six runnings of the Grade 2 Del Mar Futurity. No other trainer has won this race six times, let alone six in a row.