Dean Kutz, who agreed to take off his mounts at Canterbury Park opening weekend after his drug test turned up "a little cloudy," according to Minnesota Racing Commission officials, has been reinstated to ride and is named on horses at the Shakopee, Minn., track Friday night.

MUSKEGON, Mich. - The Michigan Office of the Racing Commissioner held a public hearing Tuesday in Livonia, Mich., to discuss the rule governing the distribution of purse money generated by wagering on incoming simulcasts. The meeting was attended by representatives of the state's Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Standardbred, and breeding industries.

Bob Miller, president of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, and attorneys representing Magna Entertainment Corp., which owns Great Lakes Downs, spoke against the wording of the rule.

LINCOLN, Neb. - Speed on the rail was the rule on last Friday's opening night of the State Fair Park meeting at Lincoln. The 34-day meet opened with front-runners winning seven of the evening's eight races, while the only winner to close made up just two lengths on the backstretch.

The speed bias was less of a force on Saturday and Sunday, but its presence was still evident.

Thistledown-based trainer Miguel Feliciano shipped in three horses to run in high-priced allowance races at Mountaineer Park last weekend, and all three invaders won.

Feliciano sent out Ran South ($27.80), and Night of Delight ($25.40) for back-to-back wins against open allowance company on Saturday night's card. Feliciano saddled his stable star, Majestic Dinner, on Sunday, but had to settle for a dead heat as Majestic Dinner, last year's Best of Ohio Endurance winner, hit the wire together with local stakes winner Nature.

Two weeks after riding five winners on a card at Philadelphia Park, Jose Flores did it again last Saturday.

Flores scored with Frontera Poncho ($24.60) - the longest price in a four-horse field - and then won three consecutive races with Al Dente ($7.40), All Faithful ($5), and Unique Opportunity ($4.40). He completed his five-win day by scoring with Track Cat ($13) in the 10th.

Trainers Uriah St. Lewis and Tony Correnti each sent out two of the winners Flores rode.

Retama Park near San Antonio will offer 21 stakes worth more than $1 million during its 51-night Thoroughbred meet, from Aug. 2 to Oct. 26.

The $100,000 El Joven and $100,000 La Senorita, two one-mile turf stakes for 2-year-olds, have become the track's signature races, and will again share a program, this year on Aug. 31.

Also on deck is Texas Hall of Fame night Oct. 12, a card of eight stakes designed to complement inductions into the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame, located at Retama.

MIAMI - As soon as Sir Bear began to labor and lose contact with the field on the far turn of Saturday's $500,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup, there was little doubt what had caused the problem.

"He bled," said trainer Ralph Ziadie. "He bled very bad. On a scale of 1 to 10 this was a 12. He's had little trickles in the past and was still able to run through it and finish close. This was far and away the worst yet. I have no answers for why it happened, because it was very cool in Chicago on Saturday."

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Daily Flight goes for her second win in as many local starts Friday, facing six other fillies and mares going 5 1/2 furlongs in a conditioned allowance race.

Daily Flight's main competition will come form Tunangannya, who makes her first start locally, and Lucky Sadie, who finished second in her 2002 bow behind Holly Hollywood, a two-time winner here this year.

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - Marquis Downs, Saskatchewan's only Thoroughbred racetrack, begins its 2002 meeting Friday with a seven-race evening card.

This year's meet has a slightly new look, with Friday and Saturday nights the only scheduled race days, in order to capitalize on strong group sales in the restaurant. First post is 7:05 p.m.

Gone are the traditional Sunday and holiday afternoon cards, which historically have had low turnouts.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The Belmont Stakes will be no piece of cake for War Emblem. Somewhere, an improving 3-year-old is preparing to spoil his Triple Crown bid. The question is, who?

Two potential sleepers are running Thursday at Hollywood Park: Like a Hero and Azillion meet in the $75,000 Alydar, an overnight stakes with obvious ramifications.

"You hate to look too far ahead, but obviously the Belmont is a thought," said Like a Hero's trainer, Beau Greely. "He's by Pleasant Colony; a mile and a half at Belmont would seem to be his thing."