ALBANY, Calif. - Trainer Jeff Bonde and jockey Jason Lumpkins agree on one thing: Fertile will be difficult to defeat in Sunday's Vallejo Stakes at Golden Gate Fields.

The $55,000-added Vallejo, a six-furlong stakes for 3-year-old fillies, was originally scheduled for Jan. 26 but was postponed when not enough entries could be found.

Bonde was ready to run Fertile then and will be even more ready Sunday.

Fertile won her first two starts last spring, winning a maiden race at Golden Gate Fields and the Nursery Stakes at Hollywood.

ARCADIA, Calif. - An aborted workout Friday has cast uncertainty over Printemps's status for the Grade 1 Santa Maria Handicap on Sunday at Santa Anita. Printemps and jockey Chris McCarron were passing the quarter-pole when McCarron unexpectedly pulled her out of the work.

"She stumbled behind and didn't feel quite right," McCarron said.

Instead of the scheduled blowout, McCarron slowed Printemps down, then guided her through an easy gallop once around the track.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Booklet and Harlan's Holiday, who finished one-two in last month's Holy Bull Stakes, renew their budding rivalry in Saturday's $200,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park, but they will be severely tested by a number of rapidly improving runners.

John Salzman Sr., trainer of Xtra Heat, will be decked out in a tuxedo on Monday evening in Miami at the Eclipse Awards, eagerly awaiting the announcement of the winners in the sprint and 3-year-old filly divisions.

About 48 hours earlier, Salzman and his Eclipse Award finalist have some business to attend to at Laurel Park. That's when millionaire Xtra Heat shoots for her 19th career win from 24 starts in Saturday's $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap, a Grade 2 race at seven furlongs.

NEW ORLEANS - Welcome to the meat of the Fair Grounds meet. In three months of racing here fans have yet to taste a graded stakes, but during the next six weeks, beginning with Saturday's Grade 3 Silverbulletday, there will be six of them.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The brief time that Chris McCarron spent aboard Denon last November for a win in the $500,000 Hollywood Derby left a favorable impression.

"He came with a real nice run," McCarron said. "He got a great trip. He was in the middle of the pack, and he closed quickly."

On Saturday, McCarron and Denon are reunited in the $200,000 San Luis Obispo Handicap at Santa Anita. Run over 1 1/2 miles on turf, the Grade 2 San Luis Obispo is Denon's first start outside his own age group and first start beyond 1 1/4 miles.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The Fountain of Youth Stakes may be the main event on Saturday's program, but it won't be the only race on the card that could impact the $1 million Florida Derby on March 16.

Saturday's fourth race, a preliminary allowance, drew a field of nine 3-year-olds, led by *, who will be making his main-track debut for trainer H. James Bond. The ninth race, a second-level optional claiming race, lured seven 3-year-olds, including High Star, Changeintheweather, and Thiscannonsloaded.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - A week ago, Mongoose came out of a fourth-level optional claiming allowance race to win the Grade 1 Donn Handicap. Saturday, Drama Critic will attempt to successfully make the same class jump when he faces 11 other turf specialists in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap.

The $200,000 stakes at 1 3/8 miles on the grass highlights the undercard on Saturday's 12-race Fountain of Youth program.

JAMAICA, N.Y. - Saratoga Blues, unbeaten in three starts after winning last Saturday's Whirlaway Stakes over the inner track, will most likely make his next start in the $200,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on March 17, trainer Tony Dutrow said Thursday.

Though Dutrow would prefer to keep * racing around two turns, he said the one-mile, one-turn Gotham is a better spot than the Louisiana Derby on March 10 or the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park on March 2. Both of those races are run at 1 1/16 miles around two turns.

JAMAICA, N.Y. - Nobody was surprised when Nice Boots Baby won last month's Ruthless Stakes at Aqueduct. What may have been surprising was the manner in which she won.

After posting gate-to-wire victories in her first two starts, Nice Boots Baby was behind horses for the first time in the Ruthless. Last in a field of four approaching the quarter pole, Nice Boots Baby charged home four-wide under Mario Pino to win by 2 1/2 lengths.