LOUISVILLE, Ky. - For a horse based year-round in Southern California, Sharbayan sure has followed a peculiar schedule this year. The 5-year-old horse has shipped off to races at Midwest tracks on four separate occasions without running once on his home circuit.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Trainer Frank Laboccetta Jr. has the win photo of virtually every one of his horses tacked onto his office wall. Laboccetta may soon need a bigger office.

Laboccetta, a former jockey and the son of a trainer, has been unconscious through the first 11 days of the Aqueduct fall meet, winning with 8 of his first 12 starters with one second-place finish. The eight wins tie him for second in the trainer standings with Todd Pletcher, one behind leading trainer Richard Dutrow Jr.

STICKNEY, Ill. - It is quite possible that Ft. Mann is a filly who prefers to be outside looking in, and after drawing post 1 or 2 in her last four starts, Ft. Mann may prefer the view in Hawthorne's fourth-race feature.

This time Ft. Mann has post 6 in a seven-horse field, a perfect spot for her pace-pressing style. Better yet, owner Frank Calabrese and trainer Wayne Catalano have entered Ft. Mann in a fourth-level allowance race after claiming her for $35,000 here Oct. 19. These people don't hesitate to drop after a claim, making Ft. Mann's class boost a positive sign.

ALBANY, Calif. - Spy Me Not, claimed for $32,000 on Oct. 24 at Santa Anita by trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, is the one to beat from the rail in Friday's feature at Golden Gate Fields, a six-furlong allowance race. A 6-year-old gelding, Spy Me Not has shown speed in the past but seems more comfortable as a stalker.

He has plenty of speed to run at in this 12-horse field.

His primary competition could come from Natural Style, who made up nearly five lengths in the stretch against undefeated Constant Thunder in his last race.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Victory U. S. A. is in. Everyone else may as well be out.

Bob Baffert signaled thumbs up Wednesday after Victory U. S. A. worked a crisp five furlongs in company at Santa Anita, and the 2-year-old filly will be odds-on to win the $100,000 Moccasin Stakes on Sunday at Hollywood Park.

The seven-furlong Moccasin is Victory U. S. A.'s first start since her third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, and few are eager to face her.

ANDERSON, Ind. - Down by the Sea and Victory Punch are rematched in a field of 12 Indiana-bred 2-year-old fillies going six furlongs in Friday's $70,000-added Miss Indiana Stakes.

Down by the Sea and Victory Punch were nearly inseparable in their first meeting here on Oct. 26. They hooked up at the start and went head and head throughout until Down by the Sea won the nonwinners-of-two allowance by a nose.

As a closer, Prized Amberpro is dependent on pace, and it appears that there is enough speed to fuel her late run in Friday night's $75,000 Magnolia at Delta Downs. Prized Amberpro will face seven others in the seven-furlong race for fillies and mares bred in Louisiana.

"I hope they go out there and kill each other off," said her trainer, John Gelner.

Gelner thought that would be the case in Prized Amberpro's last race, when she finished a fast-closing third to Leslie's Love in the $50,000 Victoria at Louisiana Downs.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Bob Tiller has had plenty of good years since he began training horses in 1973, but until this year none was better than 2001.

Tiller was the leading trainer in races won here, with 62, and in money won, with $3,481,653. He won 12 stakes, and among his stakes winners were Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old male Win City and champion 2-year-old male Rare Friends. He also collected his first Sovereign Award as outstanding trainer.

But heading into the final three weeks of this meeting, Tiller already has rewritten his personal record book.

PORTLAND, Ore. - The drama came early in Saturday's $19,526 Janet Wineberg Stakes for Oregon-bred juvenile fillies, as the favored Americas Pride broke slowly and trailed the field of six up the backstretch. Those who backed Americas Pride down to 1-2 must have had their hearts in their mouths, but leading rider Juan Gutierrez professed to be unconcerned.

"I wasn't worried," he said. "I knew what kind of horse I was on. She was the class of this field."

FORT ERIE, Ontario - After three successive years of healthy gains, the handle at Fort Erie Race Track took a tumble in 2003.

Originally scheduled for 117 days, the meet lost four days through weather-related cancelations. Also, the card on Sept. 30 was canceled after the fourth race.

All-sources wagering dropped 11.7 percent, to $87,483,748 from last year's $99,049,657. The daily average was $775,192, compared to $853,856 last year.