AUBURN, Wash. - Owner Jerre Paxton and trainer Bob McMeans have enjoyed many big days since they first teamed up more than 20 years ago, including a remarkable 13 days on which they won stakes with the brilliant Firesweeper in the mid-1980's. There couldn't have been many that were sweeter than last Saturday, however.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The racing game is full of ups and downs, and a dramatic case in point was provided last week by two horses trained by Sandy McPherson and owned by John Atto.

Last Thursday, McPherson and Atto had watched with great concern as In Frank's Honor was pulled up in the stretch by jockey Jake Barton.

Less than 48 hours later, the pair were greeting Parose in the winner's circle following his victory in the $106,000 Izvestia Stakes.

Hallowed Dreams, the Louisiana-bred filly who won the first 16 races of her career to tie the modern mark for consecutive wins held by Citation, Cigar and Mister Frisky, has been retired from racing due to an unspecified injury to her right front ankle, according to her co-owner and trainer Lloyd Romero.

Overall, she won 25 of 30 career starts and earned $740,143.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Even before Monday, when he learned of the death of Prince Ahmed bin Salman, trainer Bob Baffert was lukewarm on the idea of running the prince's Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, War Emblem, in Monmouth's Haskell Invitational on Aug. 4. One day later, Baffert said that War Emblem would skip the Haskell to remain at Del Mar for the Pacific Classic on Aug. 25.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Although the East Coast's leading 2-year-old - Zavata - is staying in the barn, Thursday's $150,000 Sanford Stakes still drew an intriguing field of nine, including shippers from New Jersey, Florida, and Kentucky.

There is nothing amiss with Zavata, who just missed the Belmont track record for 5 1/2 furlongs when he won the Tremont by 6 1/4 lengths on June 29. Trainer Patrick Biancone is just waiting for the Saratoga Special on Aug. 14.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - With two-time Bernard Baruch winner Hap retired, trainer Bill Mott will turn to Del Mar Show to keep his streak alive in the Grade 2, $150,000 turf race that will be run for the 44th time Friday at Saratoga.

In addition to winning the last two Bernard Baruchs with Hap, Mott won the race in 1998 with Yagli. In 1999, Middlesex Drive beat Mott's Tangazi by a neck.

Hap was a nine-furlong specialist who won the Bernard Baruch as the favorite both times. He was retired last month because of an ankle injury.

AUBURN, Wash. - Two-year-olds will be highlighted on Thursday's card at Emerald Downs, as Grant Holcomb, the track's director of racing, has carded three races for the juvenile set, including the day's feature.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Although Bob Baffert will continue to train his string of horses owned by The Thoroughbred Corporation for upcoming races, he said on Tuesday that those runners likely will eventually be sold as part of settling the estate of Prince Ahmed bin Salman, who died on Monday.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - You can't miss trainer Frank Costa on the backside of Monmouth Park. Costa is always traveling back and forth from barn 26 to the track in his golf cart, never to be spotted without his trademark unlit cigar in his mouth.

Costa, 68, has been a staple of Monmouth Park for 30 years. Yet in recent seasons, unlike his many trips from the barn to the track every morning, his trips to the winner's circle were infrequent. That is, until this summer.

CHICAGO - The Kentucky-based trainer Henry Cochran thought he was getting a couple of projects, mid-level European handicappers who might pan out in some modest way as American turf horses. What he ended up with is a pair of stakes horses.

Moon Solitaire already has won the King Edward Breeders' Cup at Woodbine and finished third in the Bowling Green at Belmont. Saturday, Catchy Word will try to keep pace with his stablemate when he starts in the Arlington Handicap.