ALBANY, Calif. - El Dorado Shooter will spot five rivals from one to seven pounds when he returns to the races Saturday at Golden Gate Fields in the $100,000 Ken Maddy Sprint.

Northern California's top sprinter, El Dorado Shooter has been on the sidelines since dominating the field in the Grade 3 Bay Meadows Breeders' Cup Sprint last June 7. He is fully recovered from surgery to remove a small chip from his right front ankle.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Crafty Shaw's strategy in the Grade 3, $100,000 Essex Handicap at Oaklawn Park on Saturday could be determined, to a certain extent, by the connections of Pie N Burger.

Pie N Burger, a front-runner who has won four stakes in his last five starts, was entered in the 1 1/16-mile race, but there is a possibility he may not run. The idea would be to find a less demanding spot for his first start since Oct. 25, when he won the $150,000 Seabiscuit on the Breeders' Cup undercard.

PORTLAND, Ore. - One lucky fan at Portland Meadows on Saturday will win virtual ownership of a horse, then watch him compete for a $10,000 purse in the featured McFadden Memorial for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - They could have held a day to honor at Fonner Park any number of years. After all, by 2001 he had won seven straight runnings of the Grasmick Handicap and was still a relative youngster at the age of 10.

Supposedly, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. How about a 5-year-old mare?

Whether the Tony Dutrow-trained Undercover comes from far off the pace, as she did for the first time last month, or reverts to her previous preference for front-running could be the key in Saturday's $75,000 Maryland Racing Media Handicap at Laurel Park.

As a 3-year-old, Undercover won the Maryland Million Oaks by leading wire to wire, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 97 that has remained the best of her career.

Like a school year with snow days and makeup days, the stakes schedule at Turfway Park has undergone quite a bit of weather-driven revision this winter.

A 12-race Saturday card at the Florence, Ky., track is proof positive, as two $50,000 stakes are on tap: the Valdale, which was on the original schedule, and the Dust Commander, which is being made up after being part of a canceled card last Saturday.

PHOENIX - Saturday's $40,000 Coyote Handicap reprises a familiar theme at Turf Paradise. The six-furlong Coyote brings out many of the best sprinters on the grounds and has also managed to lure a big-shot Californian, Boston Common, who ships in after facing the best sprinters in Southern California. He is assigned high weight of 123 pounds and must give between two to 11 pounds to 10 foes.

Kodema is a standout in the $50,000 Delta Mile at Delta Downs on Saturday night, and if he gives a good performance in the race, his connections plan to bring him back to the track for the $100,000 Gulf Coast Classic on March 27.

Kodema, who is based at Fair Grounds, is one of six older horses in the Delta Mile, which also drew Mr. Archibald, runner-up in the $200,000 Louisiana Premier Night Championship on Feb. 7, and Parrott Bay, who invades from Florida for trainer Kenny Hoffman.

Term Sheet and Desert Darby, who are both trained by Steve Asmussen, are difficult to separate in the $40,000 Jersey Village at Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday night. But bettors will have to. The horses are uncoupled, with Term Sheet being owned by Ackerley Brothers Farm and Desert Darby racing for Ken Quirk.

Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw, Okla., was once at odds with the Choctaw tribe of Oklahoma, but now they are on the same team. The Choctaws purchased Blue Ribbon in November, and on Saturday will open the track for the first of two mixed meets this year. The spring season will run through May 1, while the fall session will extend from Aug. 6 to Oct. 30.

"This year will be the first year the track has offered a split meet," said Robin Akers, a spokesperson for Blue Ribbon.