CHICAGO - Three years, 36 starts and half a world away from the beginning of her racing career, Golden Antigua has moved into her halcyon days.

She is a throwback to a different era, when racehorses thrived on action. Golden Antigua made 12 starts as a 2-year-old, seven at age 3, 10 as a 4-year-old, and already has run six times this year. Besides a month's break between starts here and there and a break from racing when she was imported from Europe, Golden Antigua doesn't require any significant time off. And the more she races, the better she gets.

Governor's Pride and Wise Dusty, the winner and runner-up in the 2001 Charles Town Dash, meet again in this year's edition of the 4 1/2-furlong stakes on Thursday.

Ten male sprinters, many of whom are front-runners, entered the $100,000 Charles Town Dash, an invitational race.

Last year, Governor's Pride, who is trained by Tim Ritchey, won the Charles Town Dash by 6 3/4 lengths after setting the pace in the slop. The gelding covered the distance in a sizzling 50.40 seconds and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 111.

FORT ERIE, Ontario - Six runners have stepped up to oppose swift Best of the Duck in Thursday's $60,000 WKBW-TV Parnitha Stakes at Fort Erie. The six-furlong sprint is for Canadian-foaled horses that have had at least two starts at the meeting.

"They have been ducking the Duck. It's been two months to the day when he runs Thursday," said assistant trainer Carl Norris, husband of the Duck's trainer, Myckie Neubauer. "They wouldn't enter against him and the races wouldn't fill."

SHAKOPEE, Minn. - Bettors looking for a single in Thursday's $50,000-guaranteed pick six won't get much help in the $35,000-added Blair's Cove Stakes.

Among the field of eight Minnesota-breds in the Blair's Cove, at 1 1/16 miles on turf, are two previous winners of the stakes, Ashar and Bleu Victoriate.

Ashar rallied wide to beat Bleu Victoriate by a length in last year's running of the Blair's Cove. In 2000, Bleu Victoriate won the Blair's Cove and was named Canterbury's horse of the meet.

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. - Thursday's $25,000-added Roman Colonel Stakes for 3-year-old colts and geldings at six furlongs boils down to one thing: How good is Bulldog George?

Trainer Jimmy Wiser knew he had a good one a year ago, but each time Bulldog George got close to a race, an injury - he shin-bucked twice - would halt his progress. A full brother and stablemate to the stakes-placed filly Shania's Code, Bulldog George finally made it to the races June 16 and destroyed a maiden special field by more than 18 lengths.

NORTH RANDALL, Ohio - Truth Matters, Dinkers Millennium, and All Out Springs will likely be the favorites Thursday in the $100,000 Cleveland Gold Cup. Ten Ohio-bred 3-year-olds will run nine furlongs in the Gold Cup.

Truth Matters tuned up for the race with a second in a six-furlong allowance dash here June 19. Prior to that he defeated All Out Springs by a neck in the 1 1/16-mile Green Carpet stakes at River Downs. An Is It True gelding, Truth Matters likes to run on or near the lead, and is capable of wiring this field under Jeffrey Skerrett.

LAFAYETTE, La. - The $100,000 D. S. "Shine" Young Futurity, first leg of the Evangeline triple crown for 2-year-olds, highlights a special holiday program Thursday night.

The fastest qualifier for the Shine Young is One Tough Raiser. After winning his maiden with ease on May 30, the son of I'ma Hell Raiser won his five-furlong qualifying trial for Saturday's finals by six lengths in 58.80 seconds, considerably faster than the other two trial times of 59.80 and 1:01. The likely favorite, One Tough Raiser, is trained by Kearney Segura and will be ridden by Steve Bourque.

AUBURN, Wash. - Trainer Sharon Ross has had a stranglehold on the handicap division this meet, winning the Seattle and the Fox Sports Net with Crowning Meeting and the Budweiser Emerald with Secret Launch, who narrowly held off Crowning Meeting after a mile in a near-track-record 1:33.40.

An intriguing trial matchup between Golden State Futurity winner Tres Seis and Heritage Place Derby winner A Real Man takes place in the second of four 440-yard trials to the Grade 1, $199,344 Rainbow Derby on the Fourth of July at Ruidoso Downs.

The 10 fastest qualifiers return for the finals on July 20.

Tres Seis makes his seasonal debut while A Real Man is in sharp form after his Heritage Place Derby win.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - When Blazing Fury left Monmouth Park last June after running seventh in a maiden turf race, trainer Jimmy Toner said he was disappointed and dumbfounded. When Blazing Fury returns to Monmouth this Saturday under much different circumstances, Toner will be excited.

Why?