DEL MAR, Calif. - Azeri is not the only mare based in Southern California on a multi-stakes winning streak.

In Saturday's $150,000 Rancho Bernardo Handicap at Del Mar, Madame Pietra will attempt to win her fifth consecutive stakes race, a streak that began last fall at Santa Anita.

Raced sparingly in the last year, Madame Pietra has improved in recent starts, scoring wins this year in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Sprint at Gulfstream Park in January and the Grade 3 Desert Stormer Handicap at Hollywood Park in June.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Somewhat lost amidst the furor following the finish of last Saturday's Arlington Million was the excellent performance of the Canadian invader, Perfect Soul.

Although he finished fifth, Perfect Soul was beaten just three-quarters of a length in the Grade 1, 1 1/4-mile turf race.

The effort was encouraging enough for Roger Attfield, who trains Perfect Soul here for owner-breeder Charles Fipke, to declare the horse a candidate for the Grade 1, $1 million Atto Mile on Sept. 14.

AUBURN, Wash. - The field for Sunday's 68th running of the Grade 3, $250,000 Longacres Mile is set at 12 after the defection of Private Lap, who will run in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Philip Iselin Breeders' Cup Handicap at Monmouth Park.

Trainer Steve Klesaris said the Iselin made more sense for Private Lap, who faced a long, indirect flight from Delaware Park to get to Emerald Downs.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Chindi has not missed many dances during a career that began 6 1/2 years ago, but he is out of Saturday's $100,000 Arlington Sprint after injuring a leg in a workout here Monday.

"It's not a big deal, but the timing's bad," Chindi's trainer, Steve Hobby, said Wednesday morning.

Traffic Chief always was in command in Wednesday's $168,250 at Saratoga and rolled home a two-length winner over Acceptable Venture in the final leg of the Big Apple Triple for New York-bred 3-year-olds.

Traffic Chief, the 6-5 favorite under Jose Santos, jumped out to the early lead in the 1 1/8-mile Albany and set fractions of 24.05 seconds, 47.76, 1:11.69, and 1:36.51. Spite the Devil finished third, three lengths behind Acceptable Venture. Go Rockin' Robin and Bo Bo's Vice completed the order of finish.

MIAMI - Trust N Luck and Supah Blitz are clearly the top south Florida-based 3-year-olds. There is also little doubt who is No. 3 and rising fastest of all in the pecking order: The Name's Bond.

Trainer John Hammes will saddle two of the four fastest qualifiers in the Grade 2, $105,925 Mile High Futurity and the top two qualifiers in the Grade 3, $67,925 Mile High Derby at Arapahoe Park on Sunday afternoon.

Rocky Mountain Futurity winner Turner On and Mile High Futurity second-fastest qualifier Josephine 2001 represent Hammes in the 400-yard Mile High Futurity.

Turner On, owned by Brad Tate, has won three of four career starts, including the Grade 3, $120,497 Rocky Mountain Futurity on July 26.

Inthewinkleofaneye and Magic and Rhythm each come off stakes wins and will meet in the Grade 3, $20,000 Ford California Challenge at Los Alamitos on Saturday night.

Inthewinkleofaneye, owned by John Sperry and trained by Paul Jones, won the Grade 3, $53,700 California Breeders Matron Stakes on June 21 in her most recent start. She raced the 400 yards in 19.65 seconds to win by a neck.

One Rare Bug, the 2002 champion 3-year-old colt, heads the Grade 2, $79,470 MBNA America Central Challenge, the highlight of three Challenge-program stakes at Prairie Meadows this weekend.

On Friday, females will compete in the Ford Central Challenge. Saturday night will feature the MBNA America Central Challenge and the John Deere Central Challenge for 870-yard runners.

Trainer Paul Jones has 10 days until Labor Day to dream about the $2 million All American Futurity, the race he says is "every trainer's dream."

The Los Alamitos-based Jones, the defending national champion trainer, opened a stable at Ruidoso Downs this summer with a well-bred group of promising juveniles. All he has done is win the Grade 1, $625,000 Rainbow Futurity with Planet Holland and qualify three horses - including Planet Holland - for the All American Futurity.