ELMONT, N.Y. - Ashado was no match for Halfbridled in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, but there are no Halfbridleds in Saturday's $200,000 Demoiselle at Aqueduct.

Still, Ashado has not proven herself beyond seven furlongs and will meet a very good filly in La Reina in the 1 1/8-mile Demoiselle. Ashado is the likely favorite among seven entered in the Grade 2 stakes.

Ashado, a daughter of Saint Ballado, won her first three starts, including the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The rich might get richer Saturday at Churchill Downs - and that has nothing to do with money.

No, it's more about who is heading south for the winter with more Kentucky Derby hopefuls than the law should allow. Nick Zito, whose embarrassment of riches in the 2-year-old division has him looking ahead to the 2004 Derby with great anticipation, will saddle heavily favored The Cliff's Edge in the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, one of two stakes that bring the 27-day fall meet to an end.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The opposite racing styles of Mister Acpen and Irish Warrior could make for a stirring stretch duel in Saturday's $400,000 Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park.

Mister Acpen is a confirmed front-runner, a tactic that led to a win in his most recent start, the Grade 3 Bay Meadows Breeders' Cup Handicap in late September. Irish Warrior is most effective as a closer, having rallied to win the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap in late August. He finished a respectable fourth in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - When Dress to Thrill won the Matriarch Stakes last year, many observers expected an outstanding season from her as a 4-year-old in 2003. They are still waiting.

In four starts this year, Dress to Thrill has one win, the Grade 3 All Along Breeders' Cup Stakes at Colonial Downs in July. Since then, she has finished sixth in the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes at Arlington Park in August and fourth in the Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont Park in September.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A trio of promising European imports takes on a group of late-developing locals, including budding rivals Rush Into Heaven and Lucky Pulpit, in Saturday's $100,000 Generous Stakes. The large field in the Grade 3 Generous presents a navigational challenge for the jockeys on the dozen 2-year-olds and those who will bet on them.

At one mile on turf, the Generous starts close to the hairpin first turn, so horses with outside boxes will have to work out a trip to be competitive. Those with inside draws, by contrast, should be able to save valuable ground.

Santa Anita has raised the purses of five Grade 1 stakes, cut the purses of two historic races by $100,000 each, and dropped three stakes from the schedule of the upcoming Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, which runs from Dec. 26 to April 18.

The purses of the Malibu Stakes, La Brea Stakes, Santa Monica Handicap, Las Virgenes Stakes, and Santa Maria Handicap have been raised from $200,000 to $250,000 to remain in compliance with minimum purses for Grade 1 stakes set by the American Graded Stakes committee.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The remarkable comeback of Chris's Bad Boy will continue Saturday at Woodbine in the $137,375 Kennedy Road Stakes.

Chris's Bad Boy, a 6-year-old gelding trained by Vito Armata, captured the 2000 Prelude Stakes at Louisiana Downs. He subsequently finished fifth in the Grade 1 Super Derby, but his career went into the dumper the next year, and he ended up running for just $10,000 at Fort Erie in the fall of 2001.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Battle Group will try to remain undefeated when he makes his third lifetime start in the feature race at Hastings, a 1 1/16-mile unrestricted allowance race for 3-year-olds.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Tom Won and Mythical Road, who finished a nose apart in second and third behind divisional leader Houston Shuffle in the six-furlong Bill Wineberg Stakes on Nov. 15, rank as logical contenders in field of 10 2-year-olds in Saturday's $10,000 Columbia River Stakes at Portland Meadows.

Trainer Steve Asmussen has found the key to Grand Steal, and that could be bad news for the competition Saturday night in the $35,000 Conroe at Sam Houston Race Park.

A six-furlong race for 3-year-olds, the Conroe drew a deeper field than some stakes three times its value. Top contenders include Book Note, who earned his second 100 Beyer Speed Figure last out when he won an allowance by 9 3/4 lengths, and Leo's Last Hurrahy, a multiple stakes winner of $353,118.