According to conventional handicapping theory, inside speed is the path to the winner's circle at a track that's less than a one-mile oval like Charles Town.

Recently, however, horses that have gone wide have fared best, especially in two-turn races, which at Charles Town are contested at 6 1/2 and seven furlongs.

Consider these facts, gleaned from the official charts of last week's races.

- The winners in the first three races Wednesday and the last four Thursday raced at least four wide at some point in the race.

JAMAICA, N.Y. - Trainer Tom Skiffington believes Reduit can be his next big turf star.

"I think he's a real top horse," Skiffington said. "I think he's going to be one of the major turf horses in the country next year."

This year is not over yet and Skiffington has an ambitious schedule laid out for Reduit over the next 2 1/2 weeks that culminates with a start in the $500,000, Grade 1 Hollywood Derby on Nov. 25 at Hollywood Park.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Canadian invader Kingsview will attempt to parlay his considerable speed into a 15th career win at Portland Meadows on Friday, when he takes on eight other $4,000 sprinters at 4 1/2 furlongs in the featured eighth race.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Ever so briefly, trainer Neil Howard thought he might have a 2001 Kentucky Derby horse in Rock Slide. But after Rock Slide was slow to return from a minor injury suffered in August of his 2-year-old year, Howard determined that he was a horse for the future, the type who just wasn't going to develop early in his career.

"It wasn't that he never panned out," said Howard. "He's a big horse and he needed time to grow into himself."

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Northern Crown presents a puzzle for bettors when he makes his U.S. debut on Friday at Hollywood Park.

An import from New Zealand, Northern Crown has been with trainer Simon Bray for two months, but has not started since September 2000. The winner of a maiden race and two cheap allowance races in 12 starts, Northern Crown was a sprinter in New Zealand, but is stretching out to 1 1/16 miles on turf in Friday's $42,000 allowance race.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Greatballsoffire, who was sizzling before her recent subpar showing, should get back on track in Friday's seventh race at Woodbine, a $62,500 optional claimer for fillies and mares.

Greatballsoffire has won four of her eight starts this year, banking $143,946. She was bought privately last fall by trainer John Cardella, who saddled her to an upset victory in a five-furlong race at this level on opening day of this long meeting.

Enthralling, undefeated in two starts so far in his career, heads a band of seven allowance horses entered in Friday's featured third race.

Enthralling, a well-bred son of Deputy Minister out of the stakes winning mare Jones Tomes Machine, began his career in August at the San Mateo Fair. He rallied from just off the pace against a band of $25,000 maiden claimers and pulled away at the finish to for a 1 1/2-length victory.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Trainer Bobby Frankel's stable could finish the year with a flourish on two continents.

Frankel said Wednesday that Lido Palace and Timboroa may be headed to Japan for late November races.

He is considering Lido Palace, the winner of the Whitney Handicap and Woodward Stakes earlier this year in New York, for the Japan Cup Dirt on Nov. 24. Timboroa, third in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Belmont Park, may start in the Japan Cup the following day.

French Assault, the Louisiana Downs-based colt who finished sixth in last month's Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Belmont Park, is scheduled to be flown from New York to Fair Grounds in New Orleans on Sunday.

Trainer Keith Desormeaux said the colt's next start has not been decided, but one race under consideration is the $150,000 Texan Juvenile Stakes over 1 1/16 miles at Sam Houston Race Park in Houston on Dec. 1.

MIAMI, Fla. - Rene Douglas's decision to leave south Florida a month into the Calder meeting and move his tack to Arlington Park caught many here by surprise this summer. But the choice proved to be wise for Douglas, who not only dominated the jockey standings in Chicago but also established some additional contacts among Midwest horsemen that promise to increase his business this winter at Gulfstream Park.

Douglas returned to Calder last weekend for the opening of the Tropical meet but says he plans to take things slowly for a while.