ELMONT, N.Y. - Gander, the 2000 New York-bred Horse of the Year, finished a well-beaten third as the 1-2 favorite in a classified allowance at Belmont Park on Wednesday. It was Gander's fifth consecutive loss since winning the Grade 2 Meadowlands Cup in September.

El Gran Papa, under Jerry Bailey, survived a late stretch battle with the late-closing Griffinite to win the 1 1/8-mile race by a nose. Gander, who set the pace from well off the rail while under pressure, tired and finished 9 1/4 lengths behind Griffinite.

BALTIMORE - Twice this winter at Fair Grounds, Take Charge Lady scored overpowering victories against Chamrousse. Both were entered in Friday's $200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, in which Take Charge Lady would have been an overwhelming favorite, but Take Charge Lady was forced to withdraw because of a minor illness.

BALTIMORE - Trainers hoping to use Friday's $150,000 Pimlico Distaff as an easy prep for more prestigious races down the road, received a rude awakening when they picked up the list of entries for Friday's Grade 3 race at Pimlico.

Six of the 12 horses entered in the 1 1/16-mile race are graded or group stakes winners, topped by Dancethruthedawn, Summer Colony, and Fleet Renee.

LAUREL, Md. - There once was a slogan for a state lottery that said, "All you need is a dollar and a dream."

When Nancy Alberts purchased the mare Jazema for $1 several years ago, she had a better chance of hitting the lottery than getting a future Preakness horse. But, on Saturday, the 56-year-old Alberts will be on the Pimlico turf course, standing shoulder to shoulder with Bob Baffert, D. Wayne Lukas, and Nick Zito, saddling longshot Magic Weisner in the 127th Preakness Stakes.

Intimidated, Alberts will not be.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - All the Gears has tested the patience of trainer John Sherriffs in the last 18 months.

At times, All the Gears has been a project, requiring extensive training at the racetrack and a local farm to stay race fit. At other times, he appears on the verge of developing into a stakes-caliber horse.

On Friday at Hollywood Park, the 5-year-old All the Gears starts in a one-mile allowance race on turf. A win would end a five-race losing streak and move him closer to a start in a stakes.

"I still think he can be that kind of horse," Sherriffs said.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - It took only a minute on Wednesday for Eddie Delahoussaye to get acquainted with Fun House, his mount in Saturday's $100,000 Railbird Stakes at Hollywood Park.

Shortly after 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Delahoussaye worked Fun House five furlongs in 1:00.20 to the delight of trainer Ron McAnally. "I thought she went really well," McAnally said. "I wanted Eddie to get familiar with her."

The Railbird Stakes, run over seven furlongs for 3-year-old fillies, will be the first time Delahoussaye has ridden Fun House in a race.

MIAMI - It will be deja vu on Saturday when Mr. Livingston, Tour of the Cat, and Unite's Big Red, the first three finishers from the Jackie Wackie Handicap on Apr. 28, meet once more in the $75,000 Carterista Handicap.

Bob Umphrey, Calder's racing secretary, expects a field of seven or eight turf specialists to square off in the 1 1/16-mile Carterista. Others expected to run are Marquette, Sejm's Madness, Tv Sports Director, and Wertz.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Last fall at Churchill Downs, David Carroll enjoyed one of the best meets of his nine-year training career with seven wins and six seconds in just 21 starters.

This spring, Carroll, 42, is off to another solid start at Churchill, having won with two of his first five starters. In Friday's ninth race, Carroll could further improve on his record when he runs perhaps the top contender in the feature, a $46,800 allowance for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

CHICAGO - Something will have to give Saturday at Hawthorne Race Course when six horses face off in the $500,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup. Either Hail the Chief or Duckhorn must back away from the early pace, or the Gold Cup will unfold with a speed duel that could be suicidal for both horses.

"It's going to be a fun race," said Duckhorn's trainer, Pat Byrne. "There are two speed horses and four closers. It should be interesting."

A little more than four weeks into the River Downs meet, jockey Larry Taylor and trainers Joe Woodard and Ron Powell were leading their respective divisions.

Through Tuesday's card, Taylor had 21 wins, four more than Rodney Prescott. Five other riders have scored 10 or more victories. Among the trainers, Woodard and Powell have each won 10 races, and are three wins ahead of Marty Long.