Here and There…

Golden Missile continues to lead all challengers in the NTRA Thoroughbred poll. Lemon Drop Kid and Behrens hold tight to their place and show positions. Fusaichi Pegasus may be third in the Thoroughbred poll, but the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner holds tight to the top spot on the 3-year-old poll. Red Bullet remains in second, while More Than Ready moves from sixth to third. After winning the grade II Dwyer Stakes Albert The Great makes his first appearance on the poll at number five… Dale Romans won his first Churchill Downs training title as he tied with Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas for the Spring Meet crown. Both trainers ended the 53-day meet with 18 wins. Romans had a chance to win it outright in the final race on closing day, but finished second with Bien Lucido. Romans has one other training title to his credit, the 1988 winter/spring meet at Turfway Park…Louisiana Derby (gr. II) winner Mighty has taken the next step in his bid to return to competition with an easy three furlong workout Monday at Churchill Downs. The son of Lord At War breezed three furlongs in :38.2/5 over a “fast” track…Through the first seven days of the 2000 meet at Louisiana Downs, the average on-track attendance of 7,142 represents a 5.19% gain over the 1999 average of 6,789 and on-track handle was up 5.93% from an average of $412,494 in 1999 to $436,956. The July 4 crowd of 11,897 was the highest Independence Day attendance figure at Louisiana Downs since 1992, and was up 32% increase over the 9,034 patrons recorded on July 5, 1999, the recognized holiday…Johnny Gaspard and Lloyd Romero's champion filly Hallowed Dreams will attempt to tie the modern day national record of 16 consecutive wins when she competes in Saturday's $40,000 Dixie Miss Stakes at Louisiana Downs. The modern-day record of 16 straight wins is shared by Eclipse Award winners Cigar and Citation. Hallowed Dreams has already broken the modern-day record for fillies set by Personal Ensign, who won all 13 of her starts in the mid-to late 80's…Citing a decline in the track's horse population, Hastings Park in Vancouver, Canada, has dropped five Wednesday dates from its schedule. The days being eliminated are July 26, Aug. 23, Sept. 13, 20, and 27. The decision, supported by the local division of Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, is designed to help strengthen the three-day weekend cards, with an attempt to make up the lost races by adding to the Saturday and Sunday cards.