ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - A month after its five-month-long meet started, Arlington gets a shot in the arm Wednesday with the beginning of its Summer Festival. The six-week meet within a meet brings increased purses, fresh blood in the jockey colony, and a free Churchill-to-Arlington horse shuttle that Arlington hopes will begin buzzing with regular passengers.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The second race Wednesday at Hollywood Park may only be a maiden race, but it brings the career debut of two very promising fillies.

Tamara Princess, a 3-year-old full sister to Riboletta, the champion older mare of 2000, faces Double Cat, a half-sister to 2000 Breeders' Cup Mile winner War Chant, over 6 1/2 furlongs.

Both are making their first starts against a field that includes two other first-time starters - Stormscape and It's My Secret - and two fillies who have yet to hit the board - Bright Idea and Bashful Belle.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Meadow Gem, along with Highland Mood one of two unbeaten 3-year-old fillies trained by Bob Tiller, should be heavily favored to notch her third win in Wednesday's Woodbine feature.

The six-furlong dash for $62,500 optional claimers has lured five other fillies and mares: Healing Knowledge, A.J. Ruckus, Ending Well, Slewarama, and Bucquista.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The $500,000 Swaps Stakes has a tough act to follow on Sunday at Hollywood Park.

Last year's first two finishers - Captain Steve and Tiznow - have played a defining role in the handicap division in the last year. Tiznow went on to win the Breeders' Cup Classic and be named Horse of the Year. Captain Steve won the $6 million Dubai World Cup last March.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Kalatiara, an Australian import, gave trainer Ron McAnally and jockey Chris McCarron their second stakes win apiece on Saturday at Hollywood Park in the $109,900 Royal Heroine Stakes.

Making her United States debut, Kalatiara ($11.20) ran a mile on turf in 1:34.41 for her eighth win in 12 starts. In Australia, Kalatiara won seven consecutive races, including the 2000 Western Australian Guineas.

During her winning streak, the 4-year-old Kalatiara won on the lead and from a tracking position. McCarron used the latter tactic in the Grade 3 Royal Heroine.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Trainer John Ward said Monday that Hero's Tribute came out of his third-place finish in Sunday's $150,000 Dwyer "a little footsore." The afflicted area was where he wore the bar shoe during his Peter Pan victory in May.

Ward removed the Z-shaped bar shoe that was protecting a quarter crack on his colt's left front foot for the Dwyer, but said it was likely Hero's Tribute would have it on again when he runs in the $1 million Haskell at Monmouth Park on Aug. 5.

"He probably will," Ward said. "You always go back to what works."

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Caro's Royalty, a two-time winner of the Lone Star Park Turf Sprint, is making a career change late in life. Trainer Wes Hawley said that 8-year-old gelding's sprinting days are over, and that he will now be pointed to two-turn races; his next major objective is the $60,000 Shiskabob over 1 1/16 miles on turf at Louisiana Downs on Oct. 13.

In recent seasons, the richest race of the Ellis Park meet, the $200,000 Gardenia Stakes, had been run on the fourth Saturday in August. But this year, with its new Aug. 11 date, officials at the Henderson, Ky., track are attempting to see if they can attract a larger crowd than the 4,500 or so who have been attending.

Summer officially began June 21. But for ardent followers of the Kentucky racing circuit, summer gets its true start when action moves to Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., where a 41-day meet commences Wednesday.

A $31,500 allowance race, which attracted six older horses at six furlongs, is the feature of a 10-race opener. First post is 12:40 p.m. Central.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Monday morning at Hastings Park is usually pretty quiet. There are no entries to draw and after a weekend of racing, there are not many horses who have workouts scheduled. If a trainer does have a work planned it can be difficult to find a jockey. You would think that after winning on six of his eight mounts on Sunday that leading rider David Wilson would take the morning off. But there he was, bright and early on Monday morning, ready to go. That's one of the reasons he was leading rider here last year and in 1995 and 1996. He can ride a little bit, too.