Casino Drive, unbeaten and untested after two starts in Japan and New York, is expected to make his California debut in a $52,000 allowance race at Santa Anita on Sunday designed as a prep for the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic here on Oct. 25.

Mast Track, winner of the Hollywood Gold Cup in June, will start in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on Oct. 25 and not the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic on the same day, trainer Bobby Frankel said Saturday. Frankel said the entries and starting fees of the two races and the distances were the main factors in his decision.

While many of his 3-year-old compatriots have raised their game to another level in the last five months, time has stood still for Cowboy Cal.

Six-furlong stakes sprints for fillies are in both of Sunday's pick fours. The featured $100,000 Xtra Heat Handicap for 3-year-olds and up on the inner turf is the ninth race on a 10-race card. The $75,000 House Party, an overnight event for 3-year-olds, goes as race 3.

When looking for races in which to run Sunshine for Life, trainer Richard Schosberg believes the longer the better. But when a 10-furlong overnight stakes race failed to fill earlier this month, Schosberg was left with little choice but to run his filly in the Grade 3 Athenia Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.

Despite running just three horses in the Breeders' Cup the last five years, trainer Shug McGaughey's nine wins still rank him second in the history of the event. This year, McGaughey is expected to have four chances to add to his total.

Jockey E.T. Baird rode Strait of Mewsina to a 19-1 surprise in the Grade 3, $250,000 Hawthorne Derby on Saturday. Adriano, beaten as the 1-2 favorite, had no visible excuse while finishing fourth.