WASHINGTON - People connected to the Maryland racing industry - owners, trainers, breeders, employees, and fans - are in a state of shock and disbelief. For years, they hoped that the legalization of slot machines would rescue the suffering sport; on Election Night they celebrated the passage of a referendum that approved slots and channeled money into racing purses. And then last week Marylanders learned the stunning news that the owner of Laurel Park and Pimlico failed to post the requisite $28.5 million payment before the deadline to obtain a license.

NEW YORK - As American horseplayers try to make sense of the limited amount of 2-year-old and early 3-year-old form in hopes of making a successful Kentucky Derby Future Wager this weekend, one of the biggest questions they have to deal with is what to do with the increasing influence of the Maktoum family and its Dubai prep races on the American classic picture.

The movement to renovate the information provided Eclipse Award voters is admirable, and embarrassing. If, after 12 months of paying attention to the sport, an intelligent decision can't be made without numbers to back it up, then perhaps it is time for Eclipse Awards by decree.

Michael "Whitey" McCarthy, sentimental guy that he is, gave a green light to celebrate his wedding on the day after Valentine's Day, this Sunday. Little did he know at the time that the Santa Anita stakes book would conspire against him, and that three of the best fillies and mares in the stable would have important engagements spread across the holiday weekend.

"Thank goodness Todd is here," McCarthy said.

WASHINGTON - Imagine the following discussion in the executive suite of a modern-day corporation.

Executive 1: "The economy is killing us. Customers are deserting us. Our business is terrible. What are we going to do?"

Executive 2: "I've got an idea. Let's raise our prices!"

Executive 1: "Raise prices! Brilliant!"

Surely no business - not even the Detroit auto industry - would be foolish enough to do this when the country is plunging into a deep recession. But there is one industry that believes raising prices makes economic sense.

TUCSON, Ariz. - It was baseball's turn this week, as horse racing got a brief respite from headlines thanks to New York Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez. And not only A-Rod, but other major stars of that sport as well.

Revulsion at drug use is becoming so commonplace that it dulls the senses.

The overlooked tragedy in all this is not Rodriguez, despite his transgressions or whatever with Madonna or whomever. He already has paid that account in part with the departure of his lovely wife, who had enough.

ARCADIA, Calif. - If you are a horse, and your portrait hangs on the east wall of the ground floor of the Del Mar Clubhouse, then you've done something special.

Arrayed there, in a variety of artistic styles and poses, are the images of the winners of the Pacific Classic, dating back to its first running in 1991. They have names like Pleasantly Perfect, Lava Man, Best Pal, Free House, Bertrando, Candy Ride . . . you get the idea. The Classic is a young race, aging well.

For those who enjoyed the first installment of the reality show "Jockeys" that aired last Friday night on Animal Planet - complete with thrills, spills, and artificial plot lines - wait until you get a load of the one they got on Saturday.

What's that? No cameras rolling?

"Too bad they're not," said Mike Smith, one of the stars of "Jockeys." "This is some good stuff."

ARCADIA, Calif. - Of all the questions hanging over the season now beginning to unfold, none is more tantalizing than the idea of the Big Mare taking on the boys. Zenyatta is still weeks away from her first start as a 5-year-old, but already the imagination is running wild. (After all, racing fans cannot feed on 3-year-olds alone.) What if, goes the scenario, Zenyatta's people broke from the timid trends of American ownership and tossed their champion into a traditional main-track event both rich in history and deep in talented males? Would the earth move? Would the sky fall?

NEW YORK - Leave it to racing and the people who regulate it to start doing precisely what you shouldn't in the midst of a severe economic recession: raise prices and taxes on your customers, and make it more difficult for them to buy and use your products.