DEL MAR, Calif. - Although Bob Baffert will continue to train his string of horses owned by The Thoroughbred Corporation for upcoming races, he said on Tuesday that those runners likely will eventually be sold as part of settling the estate of Prince Ahmed bin Salman, who died on Monday.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - You can't miss trainer Frank Costa on the backside of Monmouth Park. Costa is always traveling back and forth from barn 26 to the track in his golf cart, never to be spotted without his trademark unlit cigar in his mouth.

Costa, 68, has been a staple of Monmouth Park for 30 years. Yet in recent seasons, unlike his many trips from the barn to the track every morning, his trips to the winner's circle were infrequent. That is, until this summer.

CHICAGO - The Kentucky-based trainer Henry Cochran thought he was getting a couple of projects, mid-level European handicappers who might pan out in some modest way as American turf horses. What he ended up with is a pair of stakes horses.

Moon Solitaire already has won the King Edward Breeders' Cup at Woodbine and finished third in the Bowling Green at Belmont. Saturday, Catchy Word will try to keep pace with his stablemate when he starts in the Arlington Handicap.

CHICAGO - A different outfit might have taken a shot with Golden Antigua on Saturday in the Grade 3 Modesty Handicap. But trainer Wayne Catalano and stable agent Steve Leving don't take shots with owner Frank Calabrese's horses. They win races with them.

So instead of trying the Modesty, Golden Antigua faces six rivals Thursday in a stakes-class turf allowance at Arlington. The race is tough, but as Catalano said, "She makes it tough."

DEL MAR, Calif. - Neil Drysdale never has been one to let conventional wisdom get in the way of training. So while running a filly for the first time against males in her first start in this country might look odd, in reality it's a shrewd move that could pay long-term dividends.

Midge Too, one of the best female sprinters in this region, closed out last year by winning five straight races. She makes her comeback from minor knee surgery Thursday against a solid group of fillies and mares in the first race at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La.

The 5 1/2-furlong allowance will serve as her springboard to the $50,000 Monique Rene Handicap on Aug. 24.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Feathers and Elektraline, the last two winners of the Grade 3 Bessarabian Handicap, will clash in Thursday's Woodbine feature, an $80,900 classified allowance.

The six-furlong sprint, for non-winners of $48,540 other than maiden or claiming in 2002, has drawn four other fillies and mares - Flashing Lil, Whistling Maid, Miss Sweep, and Sheila's Prospect.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - The northern California fair circuit provides opportunities for new riders to make their marks.

Riders such as Jason Lumpkins parlayed strong early showings on the fair circuit into top 10 status at the major meets.

Adolfo Rodriguez and David Lopez hope to follow Lumpkins's path to northern California riding success. Both have two mounts on Thursday's Sonoma County Fair card.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The stock market is in a free fall, a baseball strike is looming, heck, even Tiger Woods can't shoot straight.

For the New York Racing Association, however, these are not troubled times. Coming off a year of increased business at its three racetracks, NYRA is set to open its marquee meeting Wednesday as Saratoga commences its 134th season. A 10-race card, highlighted by the $150,000 Schuylerville Stakes, begins at 1 p.m.

DEL MAR, Calif. - The cheery seaside atmosphere of Del Mar provides California racing with a clever appearance - fun and games at the beach, for seven weeks starting Wednesday.

A mild breeze drifts in from Pacific Ocean, and a lazy 2 p.m. Pacific post (4 p.m. Fridays) allows latecomers and afternoon simulcast bettors full access to the six-day-a-week racing schedule (Wednesday through Monday). Del Mar is a vacation postcard, with a twist - its most treasured attributes have four legs.