NEW ORLEANS - After consecutive days with graded stakes races, the pace at Fair Grounds slows to allowance speed on Monday. First-level allowance speed, at that.

The featured ninth is an entry-level turf route allowance for 3-year-olds which has attracted an overflow field, with 12 horses in the body of the race and two on the also-eligible list.

The favorite is Royalton, who looks as strong on paper as he did in two previous races at this meet against comparable opposition. Skeptics will note that Royalton lost both of those starts as a heavy favorite.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Gilded Wings, who served notice of her talent last November when she won a six-furlong maiden race in a sharp 1:08.99, will try to remain perfect at that distance Monday when she makes her stakes debut in the $50,000 Martha Washington at Oaklawn Park.

The race is restricted to 3-year-old fillies and has drawn a field of eight.

JAMAICA, N.Y. - People's Princess, who made up all but one length of a six-length deficit to Zonk in the final furlong of last month's Affectionately Handicap, gets another crack at Zonk on Monday in the Grade 3, $100,000 Rare Treat Handicap at Aqueduct.

A field of seven fillies and mares was entered for the Rare Treat, but handicappers figure to zero in on Zonk and People's Princess in the nine-furlong race. The extra distance and the fact she now has a race under her belt could give the edge to People's Princess, trained by Bill Mott.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - There will be speed to burn in Monday's $65,000 Dame Mysterieuse Stakes at Gulfstream Park, and the fastest of them all may be Night Breeze, who brings an unblemished record into the five-furlong overnight stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

Night Breeze was perfect in three starts at 2 for trainer Graham Motion while campaigning exclusively at Pimlico. Two of those victories came in stakes, including the Maryland Million Lassie in her juvenile finale Oct. 13.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Saturday was a day of mixed emotions for trainer Nick Zito and the Buckram Oak Stable. The afternoon started on a high note when American Style, trained by Zito and owned by Buckram Oak, upset Legislator and Monarchooftheglen, the two favorites, in the fourth race, an allowance race for 3-year-olds. But their Florida Derby hopeful High Star lost the ninth race, another 3-year-old allowance, by a nose.

ALBANY, Calif. - A field of seven lightly raced 3-year-old fillies are scheduled to run in the California Oaks, Golden Gate Fields's holiday feature on Monday.

The $55,000-added race is at 1 1/16 miles on the turf course.

La Martina, trained by Jenine Sahadi, is the highweight at 120 pounds. Runaway Ab, winner of the Corte Madera Stakes on the Golden Gate Fields main track Dec. 29, is next at 118 pounds.

Rounding out the field is the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained entry of Glitter Gulch and Redmond, Krisana, Forty on Line, and My Sand Dollar.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Siphonic, widely considered California's top contender for the Kentucky Derby, missed a scheduled workout Saturday after he was found to have a temperature, trainer David Hofmans said.

Siphonic was scheduled to work six furlongs at Hollywood Park in preparation for the $250,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita on March 17.

"He just had a little bit of a temperature," Hof-mans said. "It was very minimal. We have so much time there's no use screwing anything up."

OLDSMAR, Fla. - As the 2001-2002 Tampa Bay Downs meet approaches its halfway point, Don Rice is well on his way to his sixth local training title. Through Feb. 15 Rice has sent out 18 winners, giving him a seven-win lead over Lynn Scace and Anthony Pecoraro.

While there is a perception that Rice wins titles simply by starting more horses than anybody else, the statistics tell another story.

Rice's horses are winning at a 21-percent clip. And he's not just winning with favorites: The average Rice winner has paid just over $9.

Golden Oldie dominated Saturday's $50,000 Dust Commander Stakes at Turfway Park, easily drawing off to a five-length victory under jockey Axel DaSilva.

Golden Oldie, a gray horse by Gold Legend, returned $6.20 as the favorite in a field of nine older horses. He completed the one-mile distance in 1:36.66 over a fast track.

Little Lee led early but was easily overtaken leaving the backstretch by Golden Oldie, who in his previous start finished a sharp second in the

ARCADIA, Calif. - Lady George may be stabled in San Diego County, but her favorite track is clearly Santa Anita.

On Saturday, Lady George won her third stakes for California-breds at Santa Anita, the $107,400 Boo la Boo Stakes. Last year at 2, she won the California Cup Juvenile Fillies and the fillies division of the California Breeders' Champion Stakes. Trained by Tony Locke at San Luis Rey Downs, Lady George ($4.40) ran six furlongs in 1:10.25, getting a perfect trip from jockey Jose Silva.