Macho Uno isn't the only well-known 3-year-old looking to run in next month's Grade 3 Pennsylvania Derby at Philadelphia Park.

Balto Star, a front-runner who used his speed to win a pair of Grade 2 stakes on the road to the Kentucky Derby, is considered a strong possibility for the Sept. 3 Pennsylvania Derby, which is worth $500,000.

According to trainer Todd Pletcher, Balto Star may be better suited for the 1 1/8 miles of the Pennsylvania Derby than the 1 1/4 miles of the Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 25.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - Stage Classic and Fancy As, the respective one-two finishers in Monday's Grade 3 Manitoba Derby at Assiniboia Downs, may meet again Aug. 25 in the $100,000 Canadian Derby at Northlands Park, which is a Grade 3 race at 1 3/8 miles.

Stage Classic and Fancy As were three-quarters of a length apart at the end of the 1 1/8-mile Manitoba Derby.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The Win City procession took another sharp turn here Wednesday when trainer Bob Tiller said the gelding would not contest Saturday's Breeders' Stakes and is being pointed to Saratoga's $1 million Travers Aug. 25.

Tiller had said Monday that Win City would be entered in the $500,000 Breeders', a 1 1/2-mile turf race that is the finale of the Canadian Triple Crown. Last Friday, the trainer had said Win City was all but definite for this Saturday's West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park.

AUBURN, Wash. - Three recent winners and four class-droppers will vie at Emerald Downs in Thursday's intriguing feature, a six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies eligible to be claimed for $12,500.

Entries were taken Wednesday for Saturday's $500,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer - the richest race in West Virginia history.

Aided by a purse increase from $300,000 to $500,000, the West Virginia Derby attracted 10 runners, including headliners Outofthebox and Thunder Blitz. Others entered were Buckle Down Ben, Marciano, Niner's Echo, Saratoga Games, Sunshinejack, Trion Georgia, Western Pride, and X Country. Post positions will not be assigned until a media luncheon on Thursday.

Sam Houston Race Park in Houston will offer a new pick three wager that includes races from Los Alamitos in Los Angeles starting Thursday. The Texas Goldrush Pick 3 will be offered on the ninth and 10th races at Sam Houston, and will be linked with various races from Los Alamitos, depending on post times at the California track.

Takeout on the wager will be a reduced 12 percent.

"We have noted that many patrons at Los Alamitos are wagering on our races," said Bob Bork, general manager of Sam Houston.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Sanna Neilson is one of the hottest steeplechase trainers in the game. Last year, Neilson won four of the 12 jump races run at Saratoga, including two with Praise the Prince. On Thursday, Neilson sets her sights on her first Saratoga stakes win with Praise the Prince, in the $75,000-added A.P. Smithwick Memorial, the first race on the card.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Horseplayers are invited to wager against the best horse in the feature race on Thursday at Del Mar.

Performing Magic, winner of the Illinois Derby, Remington Park Derby, and Derby Trial at Churchill Downs in 2000, returns from a 10-month layoff in a six-furlong classified allowance. His intentions? Said trainer John Shirreffs: "This is a prep race, I don't know how well he'll sprint."

CHICAGO - Trainer Kelly Ackerman is a slightly different breed of racetrack gypsy. Instead of moving from racetrack to racetrack with his stable of horses from meet to meet, Ackerman follows individual horses as they travel to various tracks.

CHICAGO - Almost two months into the Arlington meet, the much-ballyhooed arrival of Godolphin's contingent of 2-year-olds barely has raised a ripple. Godolphin, which has about 20 horses in training here, has started seven horses at the meet, with no wins and two seconds through Wednesday.