ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - It was no easy task filling Sunday's $50,000-added overnight stakes feature at Arlington Park. Only 13 3-year-olds were even nominated to the 6 1/2-furlong race, named the Sauce Boat, and of those, four had started in the last 10 days, one was injured, and another entered an allowance race on Saturday's card.

In the end, only six horses could be found to run, yet the field is by no means dull, with the comebacking Meadowminer facing Bet on Joe and Winnie's Pooh Bear. Also slated to start are mud-lover Don Regino, Ballado's Devil, and One Special Judge.

The Oklahoma Racing Commission has given preliminary approval to a racing calendar for next year that would eliminate the winter-spring meet at Remington Park in Oklahoma City and expand that track's fall meet from 65 days to 102.

Dates for next year are expected to be made final in October.

In other changes next year, Will Rogers Downs near Tulsa will push its spring Thoroughbred meet to November, running 12 days from Nov. 1 to Nov. 24. Those dates overlap with Remington, which will run its fall Thoroughbred meet from Aug.3 to Dec. 23.

The $31,487 Sugar Loaf Juvenile Quarter Horse Futurity on Sunday at Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw, Okla., is a battle of the sexes.

Rare Cat Man, a gelding who set the fastest qualifying time, and Tera Jos Trick, a filly who was the second fastest qualifier by one-hundredth of a second, meet in the 350-yard finale.

Jockey Debbie Freeman has the mount on Rare Cat Man for Rex Brooks, while Rodger Smith will ride Tera Jos Trick for trainer Eddie Willis.

Voladora, whose biggest career win is the $200,000 WinStar Distaff Turf at Lone Star Park in May, gets back to racing on dirt Sunday in the $25,000 Black Mesa Handicap at Remington Park. A seven-furlong race for statebred fillies and mares, it has drawn a deep field of 10, including Naturalingredients and Devout Sinner.

Dancing Dreams must overcome added distance as well as invaders Miss Ritz and Taylor's Queen to win her fifth consecutive race Sunday, in the $40,000-added Princess Futurity at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La. A 6 1/2-furlong stakes for 2-year-old fillies, the Futurity has drawn a field of nine.

Dancing Dreams has established herself as the meet's top 2-year-old filly. She has won all three of her starts at Louisiana Downs, including the $40,000 Rebel by 3 1/2 lengths on Aug. 18, and the $40,000 Delta Miss Stakes by a length on Sept. 9.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - A field of 11 older turf horses go in Sunday's featured eighth race at Bay Meadows. The 1 1/16-mile, second-level allowance/optional claiming race carries a purse of $34,000 and will be run over the Longden Turf Course.

Flo the Blo is shipping in for Sunday's headliner and should be the choice. Flo the Blo finished fifth last out in the 1 3/8-mile Let It Ride.com Handicap at Del Mar after setting the pace to midstretch.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Habibti stayed home, which is unwelcome news for her six rivals in the Grade 1 Oak Leaf Stakes for 2-year-old fillies Sunday at Santa Anita.

Bob Baffert considered running her in next weekend's Frizette at Belmont Park after Habibti's dazzling win in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante, but opted for the $250,000 Oak Leaf.

The mile race came up weaker than the Frizette, and gives the light-framed Habibti an extra week before the Oct. 27 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Gary Stevens rides at Santa Anita on Sunday and Wednesday, but those may be his only appearances in California until after the Breeders' Cup is run at Belmont Park on

Oct. 27.

According to his agent, Tony Matos, Stevens is booked to ride at Keeneland and Belmont Park next weekend, and will remain at Belmont Park through the Breeders' Cup.

"We probably won't see California until after the Breeders' Cup," Matos said.

ELMONT, N.Y. - City Zip, a multiple graded stakes winner on dirt who has never raced on grass, is being considered for Saturday's $200,000 Kelso Handicap on turf, which would be a possible prelude to a start in the Breeders' Cup Mile, trainer Linda Rice said Friday.

City Zip galloped on Belmont Park's turf course on Thursday and is scheduled to breeze over it in the next few days, Rice said. The Kelso is a Grade 2 race run at one mile on the turf. If City Zip doesn't run there, he will most likely run in the Forest Hills at six furlongs on dirt the following day.

ELMONT, N.Y. - When trainer Mike Ferraro decided to enter both

Smokieisabandit and Shesastonecoldfox in the Sept. 3 New York Breeders' Futurity at Finger Lakes, jockey John Grabowski decided to flip a coin to determine which one he would ride.

Unfortunately for Grabowski, the coin toss landed him on the 2-year-old colt Smokieisabandit, who finished fifth behind the filly Shesastonecoldfox, under John Davila Jr.