SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The highly contentious duel for Saratoga's trainer's title between Hall of Famers D. Wayne Lukas and Bill Mott takes center stage Sunday when the two face off in the Grade 1, $250,000 Ballerina Handicap.

Entering the weekend, Lukas and Mott were tied atop the trainer standings with 14 wins apiece. In Sunday's Ballerina, Lukas sends out Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Spain against Mott's defending Ballerina winner Dream Supreme in the seven-furlong race. The Ballerina (ESPN, 5-6 p.m. Eastern) also drew Country Hideaway, Shine Again, and Imadeed.

DEL MAR, Calif. - The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies will not be run Sunday at Del Mar.

Or will it?

Three of the seven who entered the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante hold genuine Breeders' Cup aspirations, including Tempera. Runaway winner of two straight, she heads a strong field that includes sharp maiden winner Habibti, late-runner Who Loves Aleyna, front-runner Lil Miss Hollywood, and three others.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Nearly everything went Poetically's way in 2000, when she won three stakes and was crowned the country's champion 2-year-old filly, even though she lost to Dancethruthedawn in both of their meetings.

But the dreaded sophomore jinx has dogged Poetically this year. She is winless in four starts, and a blood disorder forced her to miss the Labatt Woodbine Oaks.

AUBURN, Wash. - Eleven 2-year-old colts and geldings will contest Sunday's 6 1/2-furlong, $40,000 WTBA Lads Stakes at Emerald Downs, and it would appear to be a risky proposition to disregard any of them.

The highly competitive field includes three local stakes winners, several impressive maiden winners, and an intriguing invader from British Columbia's Hastings Park.

The Canadian shipper is Magnemite, a Vying Victor colt from the Knights Choice mare Stitch in Time who sold for $11,000 to owner Rodger Lam at last year's WTBA Winter Sale.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - King Jeremy will try to fend off Ryson's strong finishing move in Sunday's $35,000 PNE Speed Handicap at Hastings Park. The 6 1/2-furlong race also attracted Dancewithavictor, who will be making his first start since capturing the B.C. Nursery Stakes as a 2-year-old in 1999.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Sunday's Grade 2, $350,000 Iselin Handicap is a showdown between a proven veteran and a talented colt who is looking to catapult himself to the top tier of the division.

The 1 1/8-mile Iselin, Monmouth's premier race for handicap horses, drew a field of five, and features a matchup between three-time Grade 1 winner Sir Bear, age 8, and graded-stakes winner Broken Vow, age 4. First Lieutenant, North East Bound, and Knock Again are also entered in the Iselin.

Calder purses are at an all-time high following the latest purse increase, which went into effect on Friday.

All overnight purses have been increased approximately 10 percent, bringing the daily average up from $168,000 to $185,000. The purse increase, when combined with stakes purses and breeders' awards, brings the new daily purse distribution to approximately $225,000.

Ken Dunn, Calder's president, said the increases are a result mainly of a "resurgence in ontrack business in August along with an increase in average daily ontrack attendance of 3.5 percent."

DEL MAR, Calif. - Came Home, the winner of the Grade 2 Hollywood Juvenile Championship, will make his next start in the $200,000 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga on Sept. 1, owner John Toffan said on Friday.

The decision ends any hope of a much-anticipated matchup between Came Home and Officer in the $250,000 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 5, the closing day of the current meeting. Officer, the winner of the Best Pal and Graduation Stakes, is widely considered the top 2-year-old male in California.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Clenbuterol may be approved for use in California later this year after the California Horse Racing Board's medication committee voted on Thursday to allow trace levels to appear in post-race tests.

The committee's decision was approved by the CHRB at a meeting on Friday. The issue will be open for public debate for 45 days before the CHRB reconsiders the proposal.

The issue was discussed at a three-hour CHRB meeting, which included the allocation of racing dates in Southern California for 2002.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Just because Saratoga and Del Mar are the centers of the racing world every summer does not mean that Pat Byrne has fallen off the map.

In fact, Byrne traveled to Del Mar last month to run La Vida Loca, a new acquisition for Robert Sangster. Otherwise, Byrne has been spending most mornings with his 20-horse string in the quiet environs of Churchill Downs, "sitting here firing some shots at Ellis Park and Arlington," he said Friday.