Daiwa Major, 31-1, upset the 7-5 favorite, Cosmo Bulk, in the Japanese 2000 Guineas, at Nakayama on Sunday, winning by 1 1/4 lengths and getting the 1 1/4 miles in 1:58.60 on firm ground. Daiwa Major and Cosmo Bulk are expected to meet again in the Japanese Derby at Tokyo on May 30. . . . Gallyn Mitchell became the first jockey to win 700 career races at Emerald Downs on Sunday after he guided Best Game in Town ($7) to victory in the first race. Mitchell, 41, is also the track's all-time leader in stakes wins and earnings.

* Danieltown ($4.40) set a blazing pace under jockey Tim Doocy and rolled to a 1 3/4-length victory over Jimmy Cracked Corn in the $50,000 Golden Circle Stakes for 3-year-olds at Prairie Meadows. Doocy was the riding star on opening weekend, winning seven of the 18 races run on the first two programs.

* Thundering Verzy ($2.80) remained unbeaten in the four starts he has made in Nebraska with a 1 3/4-length victory in the colts and geldings division of the $30,800 Fonner Park Special Stakes for statebred 3-year-olds.

A bomb scare that closed a terminal at Los Angeles International Airport for about two hours Friday night prevented jockeys Mike Smith and Corey Nakatani from taking a red-eye flight to Lexington, Ky., to ride in the Coolmore Lexington Stakes at Keeneland on Saturday.

Smith was replaced aboard Pomeroy in the Lexington by Brice Blanc, while Rafael Bejarano got the mount on Boomzeeboom from Nakatani.

On a day dominated by low-priced winners, Saturday's $2 Magna Pick 5 returned an all-time low of $1,074.20 to 380 ticketholders.

The winners were Water Cannon ($7.60) in the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico; Victory Girl ($3.40) in the fifth race at Santa Anita; Adreamisborn ($8) in the fifth race at Bay Meadows; Royal Teresa ($4.60) in the sixth race at Santa Anita; and Janeian ($8.40) in the Irving Distaff Stakes at Lone Star Park.

Jockey Patrick Valenzuela can resume riding on April 25 after receiving a stay from the California Horse Racing Board on Friday that allows him to ride while he appeals the termination of his conditional license by Santa Anita stewards on April 2.

Valenzuela, who has not ridden since Jan. 19, had the license voided for failing to submit to a mandatory drug test on Jan. 22.

John Harris, chairman of the racing board, met with Valenzuela on Tuesday and cited the jockey's recent treatment for depression as the main factor in granting the stay.

Two bills that would increase the takeout on exotic bets on California races, with the proceeds going to subsidize workers' compensation insurance, may reach the floor of the state legislature within a week, according to Bob Fox, a racing lobbyist.

The Kentucky Legislature passed a bill Wednesday that would allow account-wagering companies to set up betting hubs in the state.

The bill, which approves up to four hubs in the state, now goes to Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher for his signature.

The bill was being closely watched by account-wagering companies in Oregon. It would not tax wagers sent through the hubs. In Oregon, handle through the hubs are subject to a 0.25 percent tax.

With the Maryland racing industry facing tough questions about its future following the death of slot machine legislation Monday, the chairman of the company that owns Laurel Park and Pimlico has reiterated his commitment to revitalizing the sport in the state.

Pimlico heritage goes beyond just racing

I'm responding to the April 14 column by Andrew Beyer, "Magna must play its trump card."

Beyer wrote that, in response to the Maryland Legislature's rejection of slot machines, Magna Entertainment Corp. should close one of the Maryland tracks it owns, Pimlico, and move the Preakness Stakes elsewhere.

How dare Beyer suggest such a fate.

It has come to our attention that many users have not been receiving Watch Mail email notifications recently. This appears to be an internal issue that we are currently trying to resolve with the help of our Web hosting firm and a number of ISPs. Until the problem is identified and repaired, users should log in to their accounts to view new Watch messages. We apologize for the inconvenience this is causing and will update users when there is a change in the situation.

- DRF Internet Group