FLORENCE, Ky. - Three trips to Turfway have resulted in three stakes wins for Trip. So when the mare starts Saturday, it will be difficult for horseplayers not to brand her a horse for the course.

Moreover, Trip comes off a sharp win in her last start at Saratoga and will have the popular Pat Day aboard when she runs in the secondary feature of the Kentucky Cup program, the $200,000 Turfway Breeders' Cup Stakes. In addition, "she's trained about as good as a horse can train lately," her trainer, Shug McGaughey, said Thursday from Belmont Park.

POMONA, Calif. - Easy Grades will undergo minor throat surgery Saturday, after an entrapped epiglottis contributed to his dull fifth-place finish Sept. 6 in the El Cajon Stakes at Del Mar. Runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby in April, Easy Grades entered the El Cajon following an impressive allowance win, but jockey Mike Smith said after the race Easy Grades was "in distress with his air." Though beaten only 5 3/4 lengths, Easy Grades was noncompetitive throughout.

MUSKEGON, Mich. - Born to Dance and Sweetwater Promise, trainer James Jackson's one-two punch, will face six other 3-year-old statebred fillies in the $45,000 Michigan Oaks at 1 1/16 miles on Saturday evening.

On the undercard, Beau Classic heads a field of six in the $45,000 Patrick Wood Stakes for 2-year-old statebred colts and geldings.

Born to Dance, last year's Michigan horse of the year, was undefeated here until Sweetwater Promise stepped up and beat her in last month's Ann Arbor Stakes. Born to Dance had previously won the Plymouth and Regret stakes this meet.

ALTOONA, Iowa - Sand Ridge, a 7-year-old with 14 wins and more than $569,000 in earnings, heads a field of seven in the $40,000 Prairie Meadows Sprint here Saturday night.

The seven runners in the six-furlong sprint have combined for 50 career wins and more than $1.7 million in earnings, with Sand Ridge leading the group in both categories.

Sand Ridge is going for his third Prairie Meadows stakes score this year. He captured his second straight Bob Feller here in May and posted a nose victory in the $150,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap on July 4.

Compendium, who was disqualified from his win in the $75,000 Evangeline Downs Mile last out because of stretch interference, is the one to beat Saturday night in the $30,000 Chick Lang Jr. Memorial at Retama Park.

The one-mile handicap for 3-year-olds and upward also drew Big Numbers and the comebacking Arctic Boy.

Since his disqualification in the Evangeline Mile, a race in which he was placed second, the consistent Compendium has been working like a horse on a mission. In his final prep for the Lang, he worked four furlongs in a sharp 48.80 seconds.

Action Tonight, who has been freshened for a fall campaign, goes for his third straight stakes win Saturday in the colts and geldings division of the $100,000-estimated Friendship at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La.

The six-furlong race drew a field of six, and is restricted to 2-year-olds bred in Texas.

Action Tonight did not seem to need a break after winning stakes in his last two starts - the $122,000 Texas Stallion on June 29 and the $100,000 Middleground on July 13 - but was given one anyway in order to have him on top of his game for the remainder of 2002.

GROVE CITY, Ohio - Beulah Park's 71-day fall meeting begins Saturday afternoon and will feature the return of the 7 & 7 alternating-race format with Thistledown.

Beulah will run stand-alone programs this weekend before beginning the 7 & 7 format with Thistledown on Wednesday. Under the 7 & 7, the two tracks will intersperse their respective seven-race cards and share a single simulcast signal.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - When a trainer such as Chuck Jenda gets high on a horse, it is worth paying attention.

The low-key Jenda is high, in his understated way, on AB Noodle, who will face seven rivals in Saturday's $60,000-added Carmel Handicap at Bay Meadows. The 1 1/16-mile turf race is for 3-year-old fillies.

"She's doing well," he said. "I couldn't be happier with her."

MIAMI - Bernard's Candy, one of the most promising 3-year-olds on the grounds, will get his first real class test on Saturday when he stretches out around two turns for the first time in the $50,000 Needles Stakes.

The Needles was originally carded at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, but several days of heavy rain forced racing secretary Bob Umphrey to switch the race to the main track.

Bernard's Candy had never run on turf so the change in venue is to his advantage. The key question now is whether he can carry his abundant speed around two turns.

It took more than six weeks, but Mike McCarthy has passed the injured Ramon Dominguez to take over first place in the jockey standings at Delaware Park.

Dominguez has been stuck at 104 winners since he fractured his wrist in a spill on July 24. McCarthy, who was 31 winners behind at the time of Dominguez's injury, moved into first by riding four winners on last Saturday's card, including two stakes.