ELMONT, N.Y. - In a move that deviates from past years, Beautiful Pleasure will run in next Saturday's $300,000 Ruffian Handicap at Belmont rather than wait for next month's richer Beldame.

In the last two years, after running in both Grade 1 stakes at Saratoga, Beautiful Pleasure skipped the Grade 1 Ruffian to run in the Beldame. This year, she may take the reverse approach en route to a third straight appearance in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, part of the World Thoroughbred Championships, to be run here on Oct. 27.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer Jimmy Jerkens is hoping that an extra two weeks of rest and a return to Belmont Park helps Dat You Miz Blue return to her winning ways when she heads a six-horse field entered in Sunday's $100,000 Floral Park Handicap at Belmont Park.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - It is kind of like the London Philharmonic showing up to play your Fourth of July picnic. For a mere $45,000, a field filled with graded stakes-winning and placed fillies and mares popped up in the Mariah's Storm Handicap at Arlington Sunday.

Several will use the Mariah's Storm as a prep for the Grade 3 Arlington Matron here Oct. 5, the most important dirt race of the meet for older fillies and mares. Like the Matron, the Mariah's Storm is run over nine furlongs.

When the racing world last paid much attention to her, Kris Prather was winning race after race during the dead of winter at Turfway Park.

Half a year later, Prather is in Florence, Ky., once again. Idled by knee injuries suffered in a starting-gate accident at Turfway March 17, and a shoulder injury incurred in Louisville in June, Prather only recently returned to full active duty, winning with 9 of 29 starters at Ellis Park.

At Del Mar, it's surf and turf. At Hollywood, it's turkey and turf.

Hollywood Park will once again celebrate the Thanksgiving Day holiday with its Turf Festival, carding six graded grass stakes worth a total of $2.1 million over the three days following Thanksgiving during this year's fall meet. Hollywood is scheduled to open on Nov. 7 and run through Dec. 17.

SAN MATEO, Calif. - White Cloud, who just missed in a similar spot, has a slight edge over six foes in a $34,000 allowance at 1 1/16 miles on the grass at Bay Meadows Sunday.

All seven entrants have a reasonable chance to win this second-level allowance race, but they have to beat White Cloud. Trained by Allen Severinsen, White Cloud's rally fell a neck short as the 6-5 favorite here Aug. 15.

That was his third start following a five-month layoff, so the 5-year-old White Cloud is sharp and fresh.

Devout Sinner, who finished fourth in last month's Grade 3, $300,000 Oklahoma Derby, gets back to racing with fillies, and on turf, Sunday in the $30,000 Remington Park Oaks. The one-mile race has drawn 10, including The Hess Express, a Kentucky invader who was third in last month's Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park.

COLUMBUS, Neb. - The Nebraska Breeders' Sweepstakes, a pair of $15,000 races for 2-year-olds going six furlongs - one for colts and geldings and the other for fillies - highlight Sunday's card at Columbus.

C. C. Diamond and Mr Clearwater top a field of six in the Juvenile for colts and geldings.

Trainer Cole Norman, who has won five of the last nine stakes carded at Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, La., will be odds-on to add to that total Sunday when he sends out the well-regarded Dancing Dreams in the $40,000 Delta Miss Stakes. The six-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies has drawn seven, and should produce starters for the $75,000 Princess Futurity on Sept. 30.

AUBURN, Wash. - Hastings Park star I'm Free will bring his show to Auburn for Sunday's nine-furlong, $125,000 Emerald Breeders' Cup Derby, and if it plays as well here as it did in Vancouver, fans will be in for a treat.

I'm Free, a gelded son of Free at Last who races for Beverly Green and trainer Henry Miller Jr., has been sensational at Hastings this season, winning five stakes, including his last four starts.

"He has exceeded all my expectations," said Miller. "And I've always liked him."