News and notes from around the Thoroughbred racing world, compiled by Thoroughbred Racing Communications, Inc. (TRC) (212.371.5911..)

WEST COAST HASKELL HORSES ARRIVE AFTER 27-HOUR TRIP

The charter plane carrying three starters in Sunday's $1 million Buick Haskell Invitational arrived at Atlantic City International Airport in Atlantic City, NJ, Thursday, more than 27 hours after it left California. Touch Gold, Free House and Anet endured a series of delays during their trip, which left Ontario Airport in California at 4:00 a.m. PT.

The problems began when an oil leak was detected in the plane after a scheduled stop in Lexington, Ky. The charter plane was grounded at Bluegrass Airport and the horses were temporarily stabled overnight at Keeneland Race Course, which is located across the street from the airport. The trio were then scheduled to leave Lexington bound for New Jersey's Newark airport at 6:00 a.m. Thursday, however, an accident at Newark earlier that morning closed the airport for several hours.

The charter plane was rerouted to Atlantic City Airport and arrived at 10:00 a.m. Touch Gold, Free House and Anet were then vanned to Monmouth Park and arrived safe, sound and happy at 12:50 p.m.

HASKELL ENTRANTS RUNNING FOR CHARITY

Every paid admission on Buick Haskell Invitational Day at Monmouth Park, Aug. 3, will be donated to charity. According to Hal Handel, chief operating officer for racing at the Oceanport, NJ, racetrack, 'Each of the owners of Buick Haskell starters will designate a charity of their choice. The gate receipts will be shared equally with each chosen charity.'

Monmouth Park will also donate a portion of this year's paid gate to a charity selected by the owners of Blushing K.D., the filly who was pointing toward a run in the Haskell before sustaining a career- ending injury.

'This spring the Triple Crown participants sparked an incredible amount of interest and goodwill for racing,' said Handel. 'They are truly terrific representatives of the best our sport has to offer. The momentum from the Triple Crown has carried on to races such as the Buick Haskell and we would like to share in the goodwill and generosity that is being generated.

The charities selected by the connections of each Haskell starter will be announced later this week.

HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS MONDAY

Jockey Gary Stevens, trainers P.G. Johnson and Michael Walsh, and horses Easy Goer, Bold 'n Determined and Granville will be inducted into Thoroughbred racing's Hall of Fame on Monday, Aug. 4 at 10:30 a. m. The ceremony will be held at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, NY., and is open to the public. The six honorees will join the 290 members of the sport's elite Hall of Fame. Actor, writer and television commentator Heywood Hale Broun will deliver the keynote address.

Stevens and Johnson will be joined by Hall of Famers Pat Day, Jerry Bailey and others in an autograph session held at 2:30 at Saratoga Race Course's Big Red Spring.

SILVER CHARM CREW LEAD VISA SERIES BUT FREE HOUSE IS COMING ON

With just four races to go in the 44-race Visa Three-year-Old Championship Series, one battle is as good as over, one is getting closer and another is up for grabs. The Grade I Buick Haskell Invitational (Aug. 3 at Monmouth Park), Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes (Aug. 3 at Saratoga), Remington Park Derby (Aug. 10 at Remington Park) and Grade I Travers Stakes (Aug. 23 at Saratoga) will decide who is the top three-year-old horse in the series and which trainer and jockey had the most success picking up points.

The battle for top three-year-old horse has closed with Free House's easy win the Grade II Swaps Stakes on July 20 at Hollywood Park. Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Silver Charm still leads his west-coast rival, 57-51, but since Silver Charm is out of action for the rest of the series, the title can belong to Free House with a first- or second-place finish in either the Haskell or Travers. (Each of the Grade I races are scored 10-7-5 points for first, second and third. Grade IIs net 7-5-3 while Grade IIIs and ungraded races are worth 5-3-1. Triple Crown races are scored 15-10-7 points.)

The training title appears to belong to Bob Baffert, who has scored with four different horses, led by Silver Charm (57 points), along with Anet (15), Inexcessivelygood (5) and Precocity (1). His 78 points leads runner-up Paco Gonzalez, with 51 points, who saddles Free House (who accounts for all of Gonzalez's points).

Silver Charm's rider, Gary Stevens, leads Free House's Kent Desormeaux 63-49, Alex Solis has 42 and Belmont Stakes winner Touch Gold's jockey, Chris McCarron, totals 37.

LONE STAR PARK WRAPS UP A STRONG OPENING SEASON

Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, in Grand Prairie, Texas, concluded a successful inaugural meet, July 28. Average daily attendance was 9, 762 while total handle, including simulcasting on Lone Star's races and on outside races during days with live racing, was $1,614,893. The average field size was 10, one of the highest in the country.

'We couldn't have been more pleased with the way our inaugural season has gone,' said Corey Johnsen, Lone Star's vice president and general manager. 'The business side has been strong but I think just as important was the fact that this meeting was an artistic success. The crowds that came to the racetrack had a good time.'

Lone Star's mixed Thoroughbred-Quarter Horse meet runs from Oct. 3- Nov. 30.

BATTLE OVER PRAIRIE MEADOWS' FUTURE

Prairie Meadows, in Altoona, Iowa, is embroiled in an argument over its profits, which until 1995, didn't exist at all. The addition of slot machines has made the track profitable and politicians in Polk County, where the track is located, are squabbling over who will control the money. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission will consider revoking the track's license at a Sept. 18 hearing although Commissioner Bill Hansen said, 'It's not our intent to revoke the license. What I'm suggesting is, you have until this meeting to finally get this thing resolved.'

Prairie Meadows is owned by Polk County but the parimutuel and casino licenses are held by the non-profit Racing Association of Central Iowa (RACI) under a five-year agreement that runs through 1999. Almost all the profits are earmarked for the county, causing constant friction between the track, which wants more money for purses, and the county, which wants to continue to receive the lion's share. Iowa law requires that part of the slot profits go to purses, but doesn't say how much. The Democratic-controlled County Board does not want to give up control of the track and its profits, while the Republican-appointed Racing and Gaming Commission wants the county to not be involved.

Recent events have proven that the issue is unlikely to just go away. On July 22, Polk County supervisors voted 3-2 against a tentative agreement that called for an estimated $140 million over five years going to the county and purses nearly doubling to $19.9 million in 2002. Two days later, the commission voted 5-0 vote to hold a hearing to consider revoking RACI's license. The county supervisors want the track's board to be changed so that its members would be appointed by various political and community interests.

TRAINER NOTES HIS INFLUENCE ON INFLUENT

New York-based Thoroughbred trainer Howie Tesher recently commented on his conditioning expertise on the ever-improving six-year-old gelding, Influent, winner of the Grade I Caesars International on June 28th and the July 13 Grade II Bowling Green Handicap. 'Influent is a tough horse to train because he runs with his head down and he stumbles, so I tried different things with him. But you know something? Sometimes horses go bad or they get good and it has nothing to do with the trainer. It's all them,' he dead panned.

Aug. 2, 1864: America's oldest Thoroughbred racetrack, Saratoga Racecourse, opened its inaugural meet with four days of racing.

Aug. 2, 1969: Jockey Robyn Smith, one of the first female jockeys in the U.S., won her first career race, at Ferndale.

Aug. 3, 1989: Jockey Jorge Velasquez notched his 6,000th career victory aboard three-year-old filly Maddie Bumpo in the third race at Arlington International Racecourse.

Aug. 4, 1973: In his first race against older horses, 1-10 favorite Secretariat was defeated in the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga by Allen Jerkens' four-year-old Onion, who beat him by a length. Secretariat was subsequently found to be suffering from a virus.

Aug. 5, 1988: Trainer Dale Baird won his 5,000th career race with Stuffed Johnnie at Mountaineer Park, becoming the second trainer in history, behind Jack Van Berg, to reach that mark.

Aug. 6, 1951: The National Museum of Racing opened in Congress Park at Saratoga Springs, N.Y. More than 2,000 people attended the opening ceremonies presided over by C.V. Whitney.

Aug. 7, 1900: Trainer 'Sunny' Jim Fitzsimmons had his first stakes winner, Agnes D., at Brighton Beach.

Aug. 7, 1988: Jockey Eddie Delahoussaye won his 4,000th race, aboard a two-year-old filly named Fawn and Hahn in the fourth race at Del Mar.

Aug. 8, 1970: Jockey Bill Shoemaker won his 6,000th career race, aboard Shining Count at Del Mar.

Aug. 2, Racehorse Digest, 5:30-6:00 a.m., ESPN
Aug. 2, Whitney Handicap, Saratoga Racecourse, 4:30-5:30 p.m., ESPN
Aug. 3, Haskell Invitational, Monmouth Park, 5:00-6:00 p.m., espn2
Aug. 3, 2Day at the Races, 6:30-7:00 p.m., ESPN
Aug. 6, Racehorse Digest, 3:30-4:00 p.m., ESPN
Aug. 7, Racehorse Digest, 3:00-3:30 a.m., ESPN

Whitney Handicap, 3&up;, $350,000, 1 1-8 Miles, Grade I, Saratoga
Last year's three-year-old champion, Skip Away, back to winning form after capturing the Massachusetts and Suburban Handicaps in his last two starts, meets the two horses that chased him in both races. Will's Way was second in the Suburban and third in the Massachusetts Handicap while Formal Gold was third in the Suburban, won the Brooklyn Handicap and was second in the Massachusetts Handicap. Editor's Note and Circle of Light, both winners at Belmont in their last start, as well as Pyramid Peak, winner of the July 5 Baltimore Breeders' Cup, are expected to run.

Arlington Handicap, 3&up;, $150,000, 1 1-4 Miles Turf, Grade II, Arlington

Ramona Handicap, 3&up; (f&m;), $300,000, 1 1-8 Miles Turf, Grade I, Del Mar

Spirit of Fighter Handicap, 3&up; (f&m;), $150,000, 5 Furlongs Turf, Calder

Buick Haskell Invitational, 3yo, $1,000,000, 1 1-8 Miles, Grade I, Monmouth
Belmont Stakes winner Touch Gold meets Free House, second or third in all three Triple Crown races and a winner of the Swaps Stakes, July 20. Also expected to compete are Ohio Derby winner and runner-up Frisk Me Now and Anet, and the intriguing Tale of the Cat, undefeated after two lifetime starts.

Jim Dandy Stakes, 3yo, $200,000, 1 1-8 Miles, Grade II, Saratoga
Banker's Gold, whose loss in the Dwyer Stakes was the first of his career, takes on Behrens, the horse who beat him. Others pointing towards the Jim Dandy are Awesome Again, Affirmed Success, Glitman, Universe and Falo.

Eagle Hardware & Garden Derby, 3yo, $100,000, 1 1-8 Miles, Emerald

Eatontown Stakes, 3&up; (f&m;), $50,000, 1 1-16 Miles Turf, Grade III, Monmouth

Eddie Read Handicap, 3&up;, $300,000, 1 1-8 Miles Turf, Grade I, Del Mar

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