ARCADIA, Calif. - One of the best races on Saturday's card at Santa Anita is not a major stakes. Three hours before the Santa Anita Handicap, Crafty C.T. and D'wildcat, both stakes winners in 2001, face off in a $54,000 allowance race/optional claimer over six furlongs.

Both colts are considered candidates for important sprint races this year, but their trainers were hoping to launch their 2002 campaigns in easier spots.

"It's the toughest allowance race in America," said Bob Hess Jr., who trains D'wildcat.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - More than 24,000 people were at Gulfstream Park last Sunday, but the vast majority were not here because of the solid field of 3-year-old fillies assembled in the Davona Dale Stakes.

No, they were here to see a concert by Cyndi Lauper. And many of the same people who otherwise have very little interest in horse racing will be here Saturday to see Creedence Clearwater Revisited, or Gato Barbieri and Chuck Mangione on Sunday.

HALLADNALE BEACH, Fla. - What Saturday's $200,000 Rampart Handicap lacks in quantity it certainly makes up for in quality. Grade 1 Stakes winner Forest Secrets and win machine Summer Colony headline a field of six older fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream Park.

Forest Secrets won the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes in only the third start of her career last spring at Belmont Park. She closed out her 3-year-old campaign defeating Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Unbridled Elaine in Churchill Downs's Falls City Handicap.

JAMAICA, N.Y. - The magical run of Arromanches is over. The mystifying run of Arthur Wendel continues.

Arromanches, the near-white 9-year-old horse who had won 10 consecutive races, finished fifth, beaten 12 3/4 lengths by Esteemed Friend in a $65,000 claiming race Thursday at Aqueduct. He was making his first start for trainer Arthur Wendel, who claimed Arromanches for $50,000 in his last start. The loss was the 98th straight for Wendel, dating back to May 5, 2000.

ALBANY, Calif. - Northern California's first main-track route stakes for older fillies and mares since last July, Saturday's $55,000-added Sacramento Handicap at Golden Gate Fields wound up with a full field of 12.

Highweights in the field at 117 pounds are stakes-winning Lindsay Jean and De Goddaughter, who won her last race. The vastly improved Miss Terasita and stakes-winning Constantly Classy are the lightweights at 112.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Stephen Margolis-trained entry of Request for Parole and Thunder on Land, first and third in the WEBN Frog Stakes at Turfway Park four weeks ago, will likely be favored in Turfway's next test for 3-year-olds, Saturday's $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial at 1 1/16 miles.

The Battaglia is the final local prep for the richest event of the meet, the $500,000 Lane's End Spiral Stakes on March 23.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Rylstone, who was expected to be a top contender in Saturday's $75,000 Southwest at Oaklawn Park, will miss the race after being diagnosed with a bone chip in his left knee following his final workout for the race last Saturday.

He is scheduled to undergo surgery to remove the chip Tuesday, and is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks, said trainer Lynn Whiting.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Private Emblem, a stakes winner at Fair Grounds in his last start, and Clergy, who is undefeated in two career starts, meet at Oaklawn on Saturday in the $75,000 Southwest, which will be run in two divisions after 16 horses were entered in the one-mile race for 3-year-olds.

The only other time the Southwest, a stepping-stone to the Grade 2, $500,000 Arkansas Derby, was split into divisions was in 1972.

JAMAICA, N.Y. - Trainer Tony Dutrow won't be playing his strongest hand when he goes for his fifth stakes win of the winter in New York on Saturday. That doesn't necessarily mean he won't leave Aqueduct without the money.

Initially, Dutrow had planned to enter both Totally Wild and Touch Love in Saturday's $75,000 Busher Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. However, Dutrow elected to enter only Totally Wild, winner of the Busanda Stakes last out. He will run the graded-stakes winning Touch Love Saturday against the boys in the Deputed Testamony Stakes at Laurel Park.

NEW ORLEANS - It's going on three years since owner John Franks and trainer Bill White sent a first-time starter named Kiss a Native out in a $32,000 maiden-claiming race.

He fit fairly well in that spot.

Kiss a Native won his career debut by 20 lengths and sent Franks and White on a whirlwind ride through the fall of 1999, winning an allowance race by 11 lengths and a $400,000 division of the Florida Stallion Stakes by five lengths. White was based at Calder Race Course, and the Breeders' Cup was being held that year across Miami at Gulfstream Park.