GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Spring Meadow should find the competition a bit softer than what she has been facing in California and Kentucky when she takes on nine other 3-year-old fillies in Saturday's $150,000 Stonerside Stakes at Lone Star Park.

This seven-furlong race is new to the calendar this meet, and has drawn a tough-to-separate group that includes stakes winners Emeraldforajudge, Miss Ritz, and Truly Sunlit. Adding to the race's depth is the unbeaten Savorthetime, and the stakes-placed Storm Witch and Gilded Wings.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - With 24 horses entered and R McLennen listed 17th at 114 pounds, trainer Steve Specht was worried that R McLennen might not get into the $55,000-added Foster City Handicap on Saturday at Bay Meadows.

But R McLennen did get in, and now all Specht has to worry about is how to defeat millionaire Native Desert and eight other rivals in the 1 1/16-mile turf race.

Since moving to Specht's barn, R McLennen has finished second, beaten three-quarters of a length in a $16,000 claimer, then won three straight starts, the last two in allowance races.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Los Angeles County Fair officials on Thursday made a formal request to the California Horse Racing Board to approve a relocation of the fair's race meeting in September from Fairplex Park to Santa Anita, CHRB officials said.

Any change in venues on the racing calender must be approved by the CHRB, which has its next meeting at Bay Meadows on June 6.

The Los Angeles County Fair holds racing dates at Fairplex Park in Pomona for Sept. 13-29.

If at first you don't succeed, try something completely different.

That's what trainer H. Graham Motion plans to do with Equality after his failure facing top-caliber 3-year-olds for the first time in last weekend's Preakness.

never was in contention in the Preakness, finishing last of 13, beaten some 28 lengths. Searching for something positive to say about the experience, Motion said that at least Equality came out of the race still healthy.

At some point, trainer Michael Gorham would like to find out if Mandy's Gold can stretch out to handle two turns. For now, however, Gorham is content to keep her sprinting.

Gorham, who considered taking Mandy's Gold to Maryland for last week's Grade 3 Pimlico Breeders' Cup Distaff at 1 1/16 miles, has instead entered the 4-year-old multiple stakes winner in Saturday's $75,000 My Juliet Handicap, the first stakes of the season at Philadelphia Park, in Bensalem, Pa.

MIAMI - Four weeks ago, Guillotine, Wander Mom, Platinum Tiara, and Jennasietta were running for a $35,000 purse in split divisions of the Powder Break Handicap. On Saturday the same quartet will vie for a decidedly larger payday when they match strides in the $150,000 Calder Breeders' Cup Handicap going 1 1/16 miles over turf.

Guillotine and Jennasietta won their respective divisions of the Powder Break, although Jennasietta was awarded the victory in her split via the disqualification of Wander Mom.

CHICAGO - Looking for an angle in Chicago 2-year-old races? Try these two words - Tom Swearingen.

There have been only two 2-year-old races run so far this year in Chicago, and Swearingen-trained horses won both. It's no surprise. Swearingen's outfit consistently sends out live young horses on the Chicago circuit, and his 2-year-olds are especially dominant during spring. Everybody knows it, too.

CHICAGO - Proven turf ability meets prospective turf ability Saturday at Hawthorne when Maliziosa faces Sarah Jade in the $100,000 Summertime Promise Breeders' Cup Stakes.

Maliziosa has spent her whole career racing on grass, and three weeks ago won the Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs. Sarah Jade has never raced on turf, if for no other reason than she's never had a chance. She didn't start her career until turf racing in Chicago had ended last year, then spent the winter at Oaklawn Park, where she ran well in main-track stakes races.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Menacing Dennis, 10th in the Preakness last Saturday, on Tuesday shipped from Pimlico to Monmouth, where he will race during the summer. won his maiden here by 10 3/4 lengths as a 2-year-old last year.

Assistant trainer Salvatore Muniz will oversee his training until trainer Jeff Bonde arrives from California with the rest of his Monmouth string. Bonde was stabled here for the first time last summer. Menacing Dennis came out of the Preakness in good shape and shipped well, Muniz said while giving the gelding his morning bath Thursday.

EAST BOSTON, Mass. - While Memorial Day weekend is a big one for many racetracks, those at Suffolk Downs can be forgiven for looking a week ahead to the Massachusetts Handicap on June 1. The field for the $500,000 race will include four top-flight horses, making it one of the best runnings since Skip Away fought off Formal Gold, Will's Way, and Geri in 1997.