NEW ORLEANS - When 36 of your 51 starters have finished third or better, and 28 were first or second, things have fallen in your favor. Winter in New Orleans has been good to the Neil Howard barn.

ALBANY, Calif. - Trainer Greg Gilchrist liked Callmelauryn from the first time he saw her at a yearling sale in Washington.

She has lived up to his expectations and will be seeking her third straight victory in Thursday's Golden Gate Fields feature, a 1 1/16-mile first-level allowance race on the turf for 3-year-old fillies.

Callmelauryn got her maiden victory in her turf debut, then won a starter allowance race on the dirt by nine lengths, pulling away in the stretch without being asked.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Bob Baffert calls him "Zorro." For sure, jockey Javier Santiago is leaving his mark. The 26-year-old native of Puerto Rico arrived in this country just six weeks ago, and already has won the Louisiana Derby and San Felipe Stakes, two of the biggest prep races for the Kentucky Derby.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Bear Fan has spent the winter in Florida, but the California-bred filly returned to her home state and then went to Maryland in search of stakes success in recent months. She will be on the move again, as her main goal this spring is a race in Kentucky, the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Veteran New York rider Richard Migliore has won his share of important stakes, but none as big as Saturday's Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park aboard Friends Lake.

The Grade 1 Florida Derby was Migliore's first win in a $1 million race, and it came the day before his 40th birthday.

Migliore celebrated his birthday by winning Sunday's Grade 3 Next Move Handicap at Aqueduct aboard the favorite, Smok'n Frolic.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Two of the top contenders for this Saturday's $200,000 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park, Smarty Jones and Mr. Jester, turned in different kinds of works last Saturday.

The Rebel is the first leg of the $5 million Centennial Bonus series, and there were eight probables as of Monday. Any horse who wins the Rebel, the $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 10, and the Kentucky Derby would receive a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - If owner Bruce Lunsford gets his wish, the undefeated Madcap Escapade will make her next start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland on April 3. It could be a showdown between this year's sensation and Halfbridled, last year's 2-year-old filly champion, who suffered her first defeat in Saturday's Santa Anita Oaks.

Lunsford stopped by trainer Frank Brothers's Gulfstream Park barn Sunday morning, about 16 hours after Mad Escapade's authoritative 4 3/4-length score in the Grade 2 Stonerside Forward Gal Stakes.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - It didn't take long for the post-Florida Derby blues to set in at Gulfstream Park.

The racing office struggled to put together Wednesday's nine-race card. Aside from a pair of maiden turf events for 3-year-olds and the presence of the undefeated Brazilian-bred Nopex in the only allowance race of the day, the card is unappealing.

Bonfante, who won his debut here before running second against better at Santa Anita in his second start, looks like the one to catch in Wednesday's feature at Golden Gate Fields, a six-furlong first-level allowance for 3-year-olds.

"He's pretty quick," said Bonfante's trainer, Steve Specht. "At Santa Anita, he ran a little green.

"He always showed potential. He was ready last summer but hurt a knee. I had him ready in the fall, and he got sick."

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Although there seems to be little separating most of the entrants in Wednesday's featured eighth race at Oaklawn Park, it is easy to build a case for K.J.'s Gold.

He will face eight others in the 1 1/16-mile entry-level allowance, including quality comebackers Pike Place Gold, Rush Around, and Wind in Your Face. The purse is $32,000.