Julien Leparoux, who is not even from Kentucky, had the audacity to win seven of the nine races run at Churchill Downs on Tuesday, effectively turning Veterans Day in America into Bastille Day on the Ohio.

Seven wins in a day, especially at a major track, is a very big deal. Leparoux was suitably moved, but he did not really understand the significance of his accomplishment until he learned that the only other jockey to do it in the history of Churchill Downs was Pat Day. Even in France, they've heard of Pat Day.

TUCSON, Ariz. - Only a cynic would question the motivation of some of racing's ambitious projects these days, but over the years experience has taught that cynicism can help blunt later disappointment.

Much has been written and spoken lately about looking out for the welfare of the horse. Most of it followed the tragedy of Eight Belles, and much of it was motivated not only by mourning for the gallant filly but by the dire fear of federal intervention.

NEW YORK - A year ago, all 12 equine Eclipse Awards could have been safely sent out for engraving the morning after the Breeders' Cup. This year, only seven of the 12 seem secure, and the other five are still open to plenty of argument.

Big as he was, Seattle Slew's grandson French Postcard still found it hard to stand out in the Thoroughbred crowd gathered at Hollywood Park during the first week of November 1997. Among the horses on the scene at the time were Skip Away, Singspiel, Favorite Trick, and Spinning World, all preparing for the 14th running of the Breeders' Cup.

Not long after all the Breeders' Cup dust had settled, trainers Chad Brown and Jonathan Sheppard crossed paths in the Santa Anita stables. Congratulations ensued. Sheppard had won the Filly and Mare Turf with Forever Together, while Brown took the Juvenile Fillies Turf with Maram, his first Breeders' Cup starter.

"Well done," Sheppard said. "It only took me 23 years to get it right."

Just now, in the shadow of broad-shouldered history, horse racing never felt so small.

It is a matter of proportion, not status, and certainly not a reflection on the many talented and dedicated people who cherish the game. But in light of the events of Election Day, not to mention the national challenges that lie ahead, what goes on at the many racetracks sprinkled around the country can seem downright inconsequential.

A fellow racing writer who had formerly covered city hall for a major metropolitan newspaper once told me that after taking a close look at how political sausage was made, he would never bother to cast another vote. Eventually, he landed a government job. I do not know, though, if he ever took up voting again.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Barry Abrams is having his best year as a Thoroughbred trainer. He also lost his best friend.

Lev Abrams, Barry's larger-than-life father, was as much a part of the Southern California scene as the mountains above Santa Anita or the ocean at Del Mar. At the track he was everyone's kindly uncle. Every usher and most horseplayers knew him by sight.

NEW YORK - After the fifth race at Santa Anita on Oct. 25, the Breeders' Cup had the equivalent of a 10-length lead turning for home.

With 15 of the 21 races of the two-day event in the books, handle was up more than $35 million from a year ago after the same number of races at Monmouth. Granted, there were three new Breeders' Cup races that hadn't existed in 2007, and there had been two perfect rather than miserable days of weather. Still, it would be hard to quibble with what seemed headed for a $50 million year-over-year gain.

After two days and 14 races worth of Breeders' Cup action, television viewers were left with one nagging question:

Where were Larry and Wayne?