DEL MAR, Calif. - Rehabilitated is a 3-year-old gelding who had won twice in six starts and was in for a $20,000 claiming price in Monday's first race at Del Mar. He became the most coveted horse on the grounds when a Del Mar record 28 claims were submitted for him, resulting in an unusual shake to determine who took Rehabilitated home.

DEL MAR, Calif. - There may be several horses in Sunday's $1 million Pacific Classic intent on challenging for the early lead, but War Emblem left no doubt that he is the fastest of them all with a blazing workout Tuesday morning at Del Mar.

With regular exercise rider Dana Barnes aboard, War Emblem sizzled five furlongs in 57.60 seconds, the fastest of 30 works at the distance. The work was quicker than trainer Bob Baffert desired, coming as it is just five days before a 1 1/4-mile race that would be War Emblem's first start against older horses.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - With one quick workout after another last summer, the buzz surrounding 2-year-old Hit the Trail was high. Although he did not enter a race at the Monmouth meet, Hit the Trail went on to win his maiden and run second in two starts at Gulfstream Park.

Yet with a promising summer ahead of him here, Hit the Trail has been plagued by minor injuries that have once again prevented him from running at Monmouth. But the highly talented Hit the Trail is on the comeback trail, and the buzz is back.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - What should have been a quiet dark-day morning in Saratoga, turned chaotic Tuesday with people and dogs getting hurt, and the training of two horses preparing for Grade 1 races disrupted.

The chaos began about 8:45 a.m. when exercise rider Tim Wyatt was working a horse for his brother Todd on the main track. The 3-year-old gelding became spooked by his workmate, ducked in and hit the rail near the quarter pole, hurling Tim Wyatt into a ditch between the inside rail of the dirt course and the outside rail of the Mellon Turf Course.

AUBURN, Wash. - It appears certain that Sunday's 67th running of the Grade 3, $250,000 Longacres Mile will overfill, and that horses intended for the race will be left on the sidelines for the first time in memory.

In the inaugural running of the Mile in 1935, Coldwater topped a field of 16, while 14 runners contested the race as recently as 1990, when Snipledo won. These days, however, the field is limited to 12, and there are at least 17 whose connections want them to run. Preference is determined by weight.

Easyfromthegitgo, who ran into trouble last out in the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy, will be looking for a cleaner trip Sunday in the Grade 3, $250,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park in Oklahoma City.

Easyfromthegitgo was one of five definite starters for the 1 1/8-mile race as of Tuesday, along with The Judge Sez Who, beaten a neck in the $600,000 West Virginia Derby; Cowboy Stuff, the $100,000 Round Table winner who vanned in from Arlington Park on Sunday; Premeditation, winner of the $100,000 Alysheba Breeders' Cup at Lone Star Park; and local hope Dusty Spike.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The final leg of the Big Apple Triple, the $150,000 Albany at Saratoga on Wednesday, features the winners of the first two legs, plus the losing favorite in both those races.

No Parole, the winner of the Mike Lee in June at Belmont, and Trial Prep, who won the New York Derby last month at Finger Lakes, are shooting to win two-thirds of the Big Apple Triple for New York-bred 3-year-olds.

Private Emblem, the Grade 2 Arkansas Derby winner, will try to atone for his losses as the favorite in both the Mike Lee and New York Derby.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - With the 21st Arlington Million in the rear-view mirror, deep breaths have been drawn and long sighs exhaled.

Now comes the post-Million era of the long Arlington Park meet, one that figures to have a different feel than any in track history because of the impending arrival of the Oct. 26 World Thoroughbred Championships.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Excellent Choice, a nominee to Sunday's Ontario Colleen Handicap, is among the five fillies and mares in Wednesday's $67,600 Woodbine feature, a $62,500 optional claimer.

Also entered in the seven-furlong race are Roman Romance, Amy's Falcon, Regalclass, and Plunderthepeasants.

DEL MAR, Calif. - It's a case of riches, to be sure, but there is no embarrassment. Bob Baffert has so many good 2-year-old colts this summer at Del Mar that he entered four of them in Wednesday's $150,000 Best Pal Stakes, which drew a field of nine.

Baffert will not run all four of them, but as many as three - Icecoldbeeratreds, Chief Planner, and Kafwain - could go in the 6 1/2-furlong, Grade 3 race.