LEXINGTON, Ky. - They had two close encounters in May but since then have taken divergent paths. On Friday at Keeneland, Iftiraas meets up with Gino's Spirits in the $75,000 Bryan Station Stakes, a race that should prove an interesting rematch between the two grass runners.

Iftiraas, trained by Bill Mott, won the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile in front of a huge Kentucky Derby Day crowd on May 5, finishing a neck ahead of Gino's Spirits. Three weeks later, the pair raced together again at Lone Star Park, with Iftiraas finishing third and Gino's Spirits fourth.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Film Critic was not supposed to do what she did. The 2-year-old filly, sired by long-distance turf stallion Dynaformer and out of a Secretariat mare, posted an impressive debut win over a distance that was too short and a surface that was too dirt.

ARCADIA, Calif. - While the California Horse Racing Board continues its investigation into the sponging of three horses last week at Santa Anita - the sponges were discovered before the horses raced - a fourth incident has surfaced that might have compromised the maiden Yukon Charley in a race Oct. 4.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Regular followers of Arlington racing will long ago have learned to take notice of turf starters from the Dennis Ebert stable. The problem in Friday's eighth race is that there are two of them.

Jo Jo's Boy and General's Sword, both turf winners at this meet for Ebert, are among 10 horses entered in the Friday feature, a second-level allowance at about one mile on grass. They have Young Trev to beat, who's more established at this class level than either of the Ebert-trained horses.

EAST BOSTON, Mass. - The New England Turf Writers Association have announced that the proceeds from their 60th annual dinner, at which they will honor the champions of New England racing, will be donated to the New York Heroes Fund.

All donations to the fund, which was established by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, assist the survivors of slain firefighters, police officers, rescue workers, and other victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

ANDERSON, Ind. - Wagering throughout the country on Hoosier Park's signal has been strong this year, and the track has surpassed the $1 million mark in average daily handle.

Through Monday's racing, daily combined total handle averaged $1,005,586 through 31 days of racing.

For the same period last year, the track averaged $937,660 through 29 days of racing. The figures also reflect the Sept. 5 cancellation after the fifth race, which effectively cut the wagering in half for that day.

MUSKEGON, Mich. - Better late than never.

With only three weeks left in the Great Lakes Downs meeting, the long-awaited jockeys' room and grooms' dormitory are ready for occupancy. The $2.4 million project replaced temporary buildings that had been leased for the first three seasons of racing. The backstretch dormitory has 48 double rooms, each with a private bath.

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. - Illinois Stakes Day on Tuesday, which consisted of six $35,000-added stakes, provided one of the best days of racing held at Fairmount Park in many years.

VINTON, La. - Chris Kotulak, last seen and heard at Hollywood Park's fall meeting of 2000, has been named the new announcer at Delta Downs. The track, purchased this spring for approximately $110 million by Boyd Gaming, begins a 120 day meeting on Nov. 17 and is very close to have slot machines up and running.

Kotulak, 39 and a native of Omaha, Neb., began his racing career in his home state before moving to Louisiana Downs in 1994. He called races for six seasons at northern Louisiana racetracks before moving to the West Coast.

Trainer Gary Lee Johnson has accomplished what no trainer has been able to do in 20 years - win a training title from Dale Baird at Mountaineer Park.

Johnson defeated Baird 40-38 at the Mountaineer summer meet, which ended last Saturday.

Baird, the winningest trainer in North American history with 8,569 winners, had not lost a training title at Mountaineer since 1981.

Johnson, a native of Cleveland, has been the winningest trainer at Thistledown the past four seasons and has won 19 straight meeting titles there, including the meet that ended on Monday.