BOSSIER CITY, La. - They're not waiting to hear slot machines dinging at Louisiana Downs: Instead, track officials have decided to pay out purses as if the machines were already running.

When Louisiana Downs opens an 80-day meet Friday, purses will average $200,000 a day. That's 58 percent more than last year, when purses averaged $126,000. More important, it puts Louisiana Downs on par with other tracks in the Southwest, such as Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., and Lone Star Park near Dallas, each of which distribute more than $225,000 a day.

BOSSIER CITY, La. - Local kingpin Cole Norman will find increased competition at Louisiana Downs this meet as he strives to win his fifth straight Louisiana Downs training title. An improved purse structure that will offer $200,000 a day for the summer meet which runs through Sept. 22 has lured at least 10 new stables to town.

A fall meet runs from Sept. 26 to Nov. 10.

BOSSIER CITY, La. - Beau's Town will attempt to win his seventh straight race Friday in the $50,000 Kings Court Stakes, a six-furlong sprint on opening day at Louisiana Downs.

This is where it all began for Beau's Town. He finished second in his career debut at Louisiana Downs last September, then won his maiden in his next start here in November.

ELMONT, N.Y. - With victories in her first two starts in the fall, Proxy Statement gave her connections reason to think big. But in the eight months since, Proxy Statement has come up small.

A royally bred 3-year-old filly, Proxy Statement hopes to turn her season around beginning Friday, when she competes in a third-level allowance race at Belmont Park. The one-mile race drew a field of five fillies and mares. First post on a sunset Friday card is 3 p.m.

CHICAGO - Gene Cilio basically divides his time between three places: Chicago's west side, Arlington Heights, and New Orleans.

You're not going to find many Mardi Gras parades in the Chicago's northwest suburbs, nor will Arlington's luxurious outdoor paddock ever be confused with gritty Sportsman's Park or Hawthorne. And, it's obvious to Cilio, you can't run the same horses in all three places, either.

LOS ANGELES - The California Horse Racing Board on Wednesday refused to allow the 2002 Los Angeles County Fair racing meet to move to Santa Anita. At the end of a three-hour meeting, the board voted 4-1 for racing to stay at Fairplex Park - at least for this year.

Fair officials said they may request a venue switch to Santa Anita in the future, but say they now will run at Fairplex for the upcoming meeting, which runs from Sept. 13 to Sept. 29.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Stakes winners Estonia and Hopeful Moment will meet a pair of sharp Scott Fairlie-trained runners, Very Professional and Jab, in Friday's Woodbine feature for $80,000 optional claimers.

Estonia won the Kenora Stakes, a race restricted to graduates of local yearling sales, in September, but hasn't won in six starts since. He exhibited signs of life last time, when a fast-closing second at this level, but earned just a 77 Beyer Figure in the process, and would have to improve again here in order to be competitive.

AUBURN, Wash. - Check These Legs, a winner of two of her three starts last year, will dip down in class in an attempt to regain her winning form in Friday's Emerald Downs feature, a six-furlong sprint for $8,000 fillies who have not defeated winners twice.

EDMONTON, Alberta - The Canada Day long weekend at Northlands Park traditionally features a number of stakes, and this year's action begins Friday with the $40,000 Wild Rose for older fillies and mares.

Going at a distance of 6 1/2 furlongs, the Wild Rose features an impressive field including Little Lolitta, who was named the top Alberta-bred and the province's champion 3-year-old filly in 2001.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Corey Nakatani has received doctor's clearance to exercise horses, and he could resume riding races next week, two months after suffering head and neck injuries in a one-horse spill, according to his agent, Bob Meldahl.

Nakatani received clearance on Tuesday and will begin working horses on Friday. He is tentatively scheduled to resume riding on Wednesday, Meldahl said.

Meldahl said Nakatani is ready to resume riding but that doctors "want to make sure there are no complications."