NEW ORLEANS - Saturday's $100,000 Lecomte Stakes has a lot to offer for an emerging 3-year-old. Contested at a flat mile with a short stretch run, it's a bridge to longer races for unproven route horses. And with the division's stars awaiting more glamorous spots, it can help measure a 3-year-old's quality without grinding him to dust early in the year.

It's the perfect race for a horse like Sky Terrace, who makes his seasonal debut in the Lecomte, a jumping off point for horses who could head to the Grade 3 Risen Star Stakes and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby later this meet.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Irish Prize had never before run as far as 1 1/4 miles, and he needed every bit of the 10 furlongs on Monday at Santa Anita, when he got up in the very last jump to nose out 13-1 shot Continental Red to capture the Grade 2, $150,000 San Marcos Handicap*.

"I didn't think he was going to get up," winning trainer Neil Drysdale said.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Siphonic, the beaten 1-10 favorite, did not suffer any injuries during his acrobatic start in Saturday's * at Santa Anita, trainer David Hofmans said on Monday morning. Both Siphonic and the colt who upset him, Labamta Babe, will continue down the trail toward the Kentucky Derby.

Labamta Babe and Siphonic have traded punches in two meetings so far, and though they will be on similar training schedules for the next six weeks at Hollywood Park, their paths after that may diverge.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The eagerly anticipated rubber match between archrivals A New Twist and Forest Heiress, which was expected to be in Sunday's $100,000 Forward Gal Stakes, will have to wait as a bruised foot will keep Forest Heiress out of the seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies.

JAMAICA, N.Y. - Spin Zone, making his stakes debut, provided trainer Ben Perkins Jr. with his third consecutive win in the $79,650 * at Aqueduct on Monday.

A holiday crowd of 5,571 was in attendance.

Spin Zone, under jockey Javier Castellano, was a three-length winner over President Butler. It was another three-quarters of a length back to second choice War Native, who finished third in the five-horse field of 3-year-olds. My Cousin Matt and Pharaoh's Cat completed the order of finish.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Dancing, a British import making her first start in this country and on dirt, took advantage of a hot early pace and poor performances by the well-regarded runners in Monday's $150,000 * at Santa Anita and stormed home to win by a half-length.

INDIANTOWN, Fla. - With 10 wins from his first 35 starters, Bill Mott has gotten off to an exceptional start as he vies for his ninth Gulfstream Park training title.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Trainer Steve Penrod hasn't had Halo's Stride very long. But he likes what he has seen so far Halo's Stride, an improving 4-year-old, is the horse to beat in Wednesday's $36,000 allowance turf feature at Gulfstream Park.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Through the first three weeks of the Gulfstream Park meeting, business has been down substantially.

Total handle for the first 17 days of the meet is $130,239,503, down 13 percent from the $150,537,907 handled for the corresponding 17 days of the 2001 meet. On-track handle is $17,830,825, down 15 percent from the corresponding 17 days of 2001 when Gulfstream handled $21,056,277.

Attendance is up 5 percent to 179,297, buoyed mainly by a crowd of 29,889 that came to see a Bryan Adams rock concert Jan. 6.

SUNLAND PARK, N.M. - The $103,600 Pepsi-Cola Handicap at Sunland Park, a six-furlong race for New Mexico-bred 3-year-olds, was billed as a showdown between established stakes winner Star Smasher and the lightly raced Urlacher, and turning for home it appeared that was exactly what would take shape.

Urlacher, who had been dueling four wide on the lead from the outset through a half in 44.89 seconds, had a head in front while Star Smasher was forced to come around him five wide.