OCEANPORT, N.J. - It was 11:15 last Thursday morning, and the jockeys' room at Monmouth Park was quiet as riders and valets began to trickle in. Joe Bravo, the meet's eight-time riding champion, was already at his locker, raring to go on an ordinary weekday card.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Holly Evans trains three horses and will run Negev Dancer, the best in her small stable, in Wednesday's Bay Meadows feature, a one-mile turf race for $25,000 claimers.

"I'm hoping this filly gets better," Evans said. "She acts like she's going to be."

California trainers face a tough time with a rise in workers compensation insurance costs, and it's particularly difficult for smaller barns.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Kona Gold was on his way to the barn area shortly after Sunday's Los Angeles Handicap at Hollywood Park when his trainer, Bruce Headley, grabbed the lapels of the sportcoat he was wearing and gave them a vigorous shake.

"I'm sweating," he said.

The race was over and the pressure was off, but Headley was still feeling the buzz of excitement over Kona Gold's 10th career stakes win.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Kona Gold won for the first time in more than 10 months in Sunday's $107,500 Los Angeles Handicap at Hollywood Park, a performance that resembled the form that earned him the 2000 Eclipse Award as the nation's champion sprinter.

Making his first start since November, the 8-year-old Kona Gold won his 10th career stakes in the Grade 3 Los Angeles Handicap. Kona Gold ($3.60) finished six furlongs in 1:08.72.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - On the morning Irguns Angel was scheduled to run in the Santa Ysabel (G3) on Jan. 6, 2001, Ron Anson purchased her for $420,000.

On Sunday morning, he received an offer to buy her and turned it down. On Sunday afternoon, Irguns Angel ($4.40) won the $60,600 Sunnyvale Handicap at Bay Meadows. The 4-year-old filly caught Channing Way in the lane to win the six-furlong race by 1.25 lengths in 1:08.86.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Belmont Park shipper Siringas lugged in through the stretch, but got the job done as the heavy favorite in Sunday's $281,600, Grade 2 for fillies and mares at Woodbine.

Siringas, racing with blinkers off in the 1 1/16-mile turf tilt, sat six lengths off the early lead under Jose Santos. Rosthern led through slow early fractions while being tracked by Mountain Angel, last year's champion older female in Canada.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Like A Hero and Proud Citizen, two runners who will challenge War Emblem in Saturday's Belmont Stakes, recorded workouts Sunday morning in preparation for the final leg of the Triple Crown. In addition, the prospective field for the race was reduced to 12, because trainer Craig Dollase has decided to not send Tracemark here from California.

Like A Hero worked at Belmont Park, where he traveled an easy half-mile in 49 seconds with exercise rider Andy Durnin.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Full Moon Madness ($4.80) outraced old rival Echo Eddie early, survived a bumping incident at the top of the stretch and scored a one-half length victory in the $68,437 Saratoga Handicap at Bay Meadows on Saturday.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Doc Holiday, beaten in his first three starts in the United States, won his first stakes with a game performance in Saturday's $106,500 Will Rogers Stakes at Hollywood Park.

Ridden by David Flores for trainer Wally Dollase, Doc Holiday ($8.40) led throughout the Grade 3 Will Rogers, finishing a mile on turf in 1:34.64. He won by a neck over Johar, who was followed by Golden Arrow, True Phenomenon and Line Rider. Six Hitter was scratched on Saturday morning.

EAST BOSTON, Mass. - When Macho Uno won his 4-year-old debut at Gulfstream Park in March, trainer Joe Orseno called owner Frank Stronach and said "we could be looking at a Horse of the Year."

After watching Macho Uno overcome traffic trouble to win Saturday's $500,000, Grade 2 Massachusetts Handicap before 16,361 at Suffolk Downs, it may be more than hyperbole.