The Breeders Cup Challenge has added more races to its program of automatic qualifiers, bringing the total to 62 races in which the winner clinches a berth in the Breeders Cup Championships in November.

The $25.5 million two-day Breeders Cup at Santa Anita features 14 races, including the $5 million Breeders Cup Classic. The races are Nov. 6-7.

Last year, there were 57 challenge races.

Most of the qualifiers are in the United States, with six other countries Australia, Canada England, France, Hong Kong and Irelandalso hosting races.

The qualifying races begin July 4 with the United Nations Handicap and the Salvatore Mile, both at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

Preakness-winning filly Rachel Alexandra has put in a final workout before her next start in Saturdays Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park.

Rachel Alexandra worked a half mile in 49.8 seconds at Churchill Downs on Monday morning, and trainer Steve Asmussen said the 3-year-old filly went beautiful and looked happy. She galloped out five furlongs in 1:03.40.

Rachel Alexandra won the Kentucky Oaks by 20 1/4 lengths on May 1, and her Preakness win against the boys gave her a six-race winning streak. The Mother Goose for 3-year-olds fillies will be her first start since the Preakness.

Put on the evening gown. Take off the sunglasses. For the first time in the 135-year history of Churchill Downs, the horses charged down the stretch under the lights.

In an event dubbed as Downs After Dark, the Kentucky Derby host track transformed the Twin Spires into a nightclub of sorts on Friday. A live band pumped energetic music through the paddock, where patrons could lounge on a couch, sip on a mojito and nibble on a kabob while watching the horses prepare to race.

The paddock, even more than the grandstand, was the place to be on this night, unless you had scored a ticket to the dance club upstairs or sprung for a luxurious five-course dinner in the suite known as Millionaires Row during the Derby. Churchill listed the attendance of 28,011, far above the average from a typical race day.

Youre going to have a great time here regardless, but this just brings a different atmosphere, Jennifer Howell said. Horses and happy hour. Its an awesome combination.

Although the first several races were run during daylight, temporary lights were illuminating the last ones, including the 11:11 p.m. finale.

Officially, Churchills first race after sundown happened at 9:40 p.m., with favorite Final Copy emerging as the winner. Jockey Robby Albarado, a veteran of night racing at Evangeline Downs, said the night racing was nothing new but the raucous crowd provided tremendous energy.

Im overwhelmed by the crowd, Albarado said. This was a big night for not only Churchill Downs but horse racing. This kind of solidifies what racing is about.

Albarado also endeared himself to a new fan, Billy Warrick. Warricks name was drawn for a chance to either pocket $100 or place a $1,000 bet on his choice of a winning horse. He chose to gamble and placed his money on Albarado, turning the investment into $2,400.

I will always bet on Robby, he said.

Night racing was well received, although it did make for a short night of sleep for the horsemen. Calvin Borel, the jockey who rode Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra, said he had to be at the track by 5 a.m. Saturday for morning workouts. Still, Borel said its needed to give the sport a jolt.

Weve got to do what weve got to do, Borel said. Just look at the crowd theyve got already. It might be all right.

Racing under the lights, which will take place on a test basis three nights this summer at Churchill, is hardly a foreign concept in the industry. Turfway has done it for four decades, and at the same time Churchills race card is going off, night racing will be taking place at tracks from California to Pennsylvania.

Trainer David Vance said he has been a longtime critic of night racing because he believes it hurts tradition and throws off schedules, but he agreed that if the people turn out, its all worthwhile.

If it would help Churchill Downs, I wouldnt care if they started at midnight, Vance said.

As for the racing fans, the support was largely resounding. Wayne Wilder was handicapping the days second race Friday while relaxing in a padded chair with his foot resting on a matching ottoman.

Well, I won the first race, Wilder said. I guess it must have been the chair.

Due Date rallied for a two-length victory over I Aint No Saint in the $49,000 allowance feature at Belmont Park on Friday.

Jose Lezcano guided the gray 4-year-old to his fourth win in 18 starts. Trained by Steve Margolis, Due Date ran the six furlongs in 1:09.03 on the fast track.

Due Date paid $18, $5.50 and $3.20. I Aint No Saint returned $8.50 and $3.90. Tsali paid $3.30 to show.

Put on the evening gown. Take off the sunglasses. For the first time in the 135-year history of Churchill Downs, the horses charged down the stretch under the lights.

In an event dubbed as Downs After Dark, the Kentucky Derby host track transformed the Twin Spires into a nightclub of sorts on Friday. A live band pumped energetic music through the paddock, where patrons could lounge on a couch, sip on a mojito and nibble on a kabob while watching the horses prepare to race.

The paddock, even more than the grandstand, was the place to be on this night, unless you had scored a ticket to the dance club upstairs or sprung for a luxurious five-course dinner in the suite known as Millionaires Row during the Derby. Churchill listed the attendance of 28,011, far above the average from a typical race day.

Youre going to have a great time here regardless, but this just brings a different atmosphere, Jennifer Howell said. Horses and happy hour. Its an awesome combination.

Although the first several races were run during daylight, temporary lights were illuminating the last ones, including the 11:11 p.m. finale.

Officially, Churchills first race after sundown happened at 9:40 p.m., with favorite Final Copy emerging as the winner. Jockey Robby Albarado, a veteran of night racing at Evangeline Downs, said the night racing was nothing new but the raucous crowd provided tremendous energy.

Im overwhelmed by the crowd, Albarado said. This was a big night for not only Churchill Downs but horse racing. This kind of solidifies what racing is about.

Albarado also endeared himself to a new fan, Billy Warrick. Warricks name was drawn for a chance to either pocket $100 or place a $1,000 bet on his choice of a winning horse. He chose to gamble and placed his money on Albarado, turning the investment into $2,400.

I will always bet on Robby, he said.

Night racing was well received, although it did make for a short night of sleep for the horsemen. Calvin Borel, the jockey who rode Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra, said he had to be at the track by 5 a.m. Saturday for morning workouts. Still, Borel said its needed to give the sport a jolt.

Weve got to do what weve got to do, Borel said. Just look at the crowd theyve got already. It might be all right.

Racing under the lights, which will take place on a test basis three nights this summer at Churchill, is hardly a foreign concept in the industry. Turfway has done it for four decades, and at the same time Churchills race card is going off, night racing will be taking place at tracks from California to Pennsylvania.

Trainer David Vance said he has been a longtime critic of night racing because he believes it hurts tradition and throws off schedules, but he agreed that if the people turn out, its all worthwhile.

If it would help Churchill Downs, I wouldnt care if they started at midnight, Vance said.

As for the racing fans, the support was largely resounding. Wayne Wilder was handicapping the days second race Friday while relaxing in a padded chair with his foot resting on a matching ottoman.

Well, I won the first race, Wilder said. I guess it must have been the chair.

Porto Marmay won the $71,300 Great Lady M in a three-horse photo finish Friday night at Hollywood Park.

Porto Marmay won by a nose with Reba Is Tops and Royal Taat finishing in a dead heat.

Ridden by David Flores, Porto Marmay paid $24.20, $4.40 and $3.80. Reba Is Tops returned $2.10 and $2.10, while New Zealand-bred Royal Taat paid $2.60 and $2.80.

The winners share of $42,780 boosted Porto Marmays career earnings to $197,263.

With his horse not hitting the racetrack until after 11 pm Friday at Churchill Downs, trainer William Buff Bradley plans to spend the night on a couch in his barn.

Bradley says its a small price to pay if the grand experiment of night racing at the home of the Kentucky Derby pays off by attracting a larger, younger crowd to the Twin Spires.

I never thought I would see lights here, and if it works, fine, said the veteran of night racing at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. We need to do whatever we can to boost racing.

Even at Churchill Downs, racings Wrigley Field, a track steeped in 135 years of history hosting the Derby. Just as installing lights at the home of the Chicago Cubs in 1988 was a significant step in a sport where night games were already commonplace, Churchill officials are well aware of the historical significance of Fridays move.

We have a lot of tradition here, but quite frankly, if this is something that boosts horse racing and leads to people getting more excited about racing here, I think everybody is for that, said Jim Gates, Churchill Downs general manager.

Racing under the lights, which will take place on a test basis three nights this summer at Churchill starting Friday, is hardly a foreign concept in the industry. Turfway has done it for four decades, and at the same time Churchills race card is going off, night racing will be taking place at other tracks spanning from California to Pennsylvania.

The evening racing in Louisville, being dubbed Downs After Dark, comes at a time racetracks have been struggling economically, and Churchill has not been spared. It was forced to slash seven lightly attended race days from the spring racing calendar because revenues are down 20 percent other than Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks days.

Besides the expected attendance boost from the novelty of night racing at a more convenient time for most working adults, Churchill is changing the entire experience for patrons. The paddock area is being redesigned to resemble an upscale nightclub, with high energy music, drink specials and new hors doeuvres such as grilled shrimp and vegetable kabobs added to the menu.

Mike Mooney, spokesman at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., said the track has been doing night racing since 1991, including every Friday night.

It is successful as far as bringing out younger people on Friday night and creating a buzz, Mooney said. I dont know if its translated into future fans the way we thought it was, but our trademark almost is Friday night racing. They enjoy the dollar beers and they enjoy the bands. I dont know if its a big betting crowd, but it still gives us a better handle than other weekday afternoons.

Gates says the decision to do this now, at a time racetracks are lobbying Kentuckys General Assembly to boost revenues and purse sizes with the aid of video gaming, was largely coincidental. Permanent lighting was in the racetracks reconstruction plan since 2001, but it was removed when revenues tightened.

This is just one way we are trying to move the needle and get people more excited, Gates said. The fact there are other challenges and that the industry as a whole is struggling, I dont think that was the impetus for trying this.

The lighting structures being used were wheeled in, but there is no shortage of illumination as the track lighting will provide the equivalent of 20,383 60-watt household light bulbs.

There is plenty of history attached to the structures themselves. They have been used at sporting events ranging from the Olympics to NASCAR races to college football games, movie sets such as Titanic and Lord of the Rings and even were called in to help illuminate the World Trade Center and Pentagon sites after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Jeff Rogers, vice president of Oskaloosa, Iowa-based Musco Lighting, which was contracted to do the work, said the company has provided permanent lighting at numerous horse tracks, but this is the first time temporary lighting has been used. Good lighting is particularly important in that sport to prevent glare from spooking the horses, Rogers said.

Chip Woolley, who trained Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, said the lights can be a factor with some horses.

Some of them it doesnt seem to affect at all, Woolley said. Others it takes a toll on them. As a trainer, youve got to be very careful. I can tell you as a human, Dont pay attention to those shadows, theyre not going to bother you. But you cant exactly tell a horse that.

For that reason, Churchill allowed trainers to jog their horses in the early morning hours this week under the lights. There were no complaints, and Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra fared so well in her workout, owner Jess Jackson announced she was ready to race again in the Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park.

Although Gates expects Downs After Dark will be successful, he isnt pushing for regular race days to go under the lights, particularly on the weekends. And any talk about the Kentucky Derby being hosted on the first Saturday night in May rather than simply the first Saturday is premature and years away if it ever happens, he said.

Were not looking to just take our day racing product and put it under the lights, Gates said. We want to make it special.

Delta Storm returned from a six-month layoff to score a front-running victory in Thursdays $76,145 Robert Kerlan Memorial Handicap at Hollywood Park.

Ridden by Joel Rosario, Delta Storm covered six furlongs on the turf in 1:07.94, holding off Sky Cape by 1 lengths.

Delta Storm paid $9.20, $4.40 and $3.00. Sky Cape returned $5 and $3.40, while Candy Pull paid $4.80 to show. Get Funky, the 2-1 wagering favorite and defending champion, finished third in the field of eight older horses.

Delta Storm is trained by Mike Mitchell, a friend of Kerlan, the late surgeon who founded the renowned Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic, which has treated some of the worlds most famous athletes. The 8-year-old gelding has career earnings of $388,523, with 11 wins in 28 starts.

Rosario rode three winners on the card, while Rafael Bejarano rode two and Martin Pedroza rode his first winner after being sidelined five months with a pelvic injury.

Mor Chances held off Law Enforcement by a half-length to win the $72,150 High Ice Stakes in the slop at Belmont Park on Thursday.

The race for New York breds, originally scheduled for six furlongs on the turf, was shifted to the main track at the same distance.

The surface change was a boon to Mor Chances, who would not have run if the race remained on grass.

The 5-year-old, ridden by Jose Lezcano for trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr., was timed in 1:10.61. Mor Chances, the 3-5 favorite, improved to 9-for-29, including 4-for-6 on wet tracks.

Mor Chances paid $3.40, $2.50 and $2.10. Law Enforcement returned $4.10 and $3.70. Motor Patrol paid $3.60 to show.

Barbaros brother has another win to celebrate.

Nicanor won an allowance race on the turf at Delaware Park on Wednesday, covering 1 1-8 miles in 1 minute, 52.95 seconds. He went off as the favorite, won by 1 3/4 lengths and paid $2.80, $2.40 and $2.10.

White Holiday took second, and Stevil was third.

After losing his first three races, Nicanor has two straight wins. He broke his maiden on May 13 in a romp on the turf at Delaware Parkthe same track where Barbaro won his first career race.

Nicanors team is the same one that backed Barbaro three years ago: He is owned by Roy and Gretchen Jackson, and trained by Michael Matz.

We are not exactly sure where we may run him next, Matz said. We want to take our time and see how he comes out of this race. But we were very pleased with his race today.

Matz said there is a possibility Nicanors next start will be in the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs on July 18.

Nicanor is a full brother to Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner. Barbaro never recovered from injuries sustained in the Preakness of that year and was euthanized because of laminitis several months later after a gallant effort to save him.