ARCADIA, Calif. - If it didn't draw horses like Lava Man, Bordonaro, Proud Tower Too, Take D' Tour, and Sweetnorthernsaint, the Sunshine Millions would be little more than an extravagant waste of purse money that could be otherwise spent to reinforce the importance of traditional events open to all comers.

Then again, it's a helluva party, chock full of dancing girls, bikini contests, balloons, and smiling, happy people. The fields are full, Magna is flush. So why not share the wealth with owners and trainers who may never see this kind of scratch again?

ARCADIA, Calif. - With just a little coaxing, California export Steve Specht began having his very own Florida flashbacks.

"The last time I was in the Gulfstream barn area I was rubbing horses for a guy named Eddie Kelly - E.I. Kelly - who trained for Harry Isaacs of Brookfield Farm and all those horses whose names started with an 'I,' " Specht said. "That was 1967. Things have changed a little."

TUCSON, Ariz. - As a boy, I was taught to respect and learn from my elders.

My father forgot, however, to tell me what to do when I ran out of elders, as I have now. So I do what I enjoy tremendously, which is to turn to my youngers.

Over the years I have done well, hiring and then sending into battle some of the best and brightest young minds in American racing. I will spare you the list, but chances are you know of most of them.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Sometimes it takes bright lights, fancy dress, and wall-to-wall cable TV coverage to reveal the obvious, as was the case Monday night at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel when the Eclipse Awards ceremony made one thing abundantly clear. The American version of the Thoroughbred industry is on the verge of becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the Middle East and its natural European ally, Austria.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Once the gold-plated Horse of the Year Eclipse Award statue is handed over to those lucky people sitting at the Invasor table on Monday night in Beverly Hills - only ballots riddled with hanging chads could prevent it - the 2006 racing season will be history. Time to turn the page.

NEW YORK - The names of Cool N Collective, Raffit, and Spooky Mulder will not be called from the podium in Beverly Hills on Monday night when the best racehorses of 2006 will be crowned with Eclipse Awards. While this trio of winter warriors may seem like Beverly Hillbillies next to the Eclipse honorees, their recent modest but gritty accomplishments over the Aqueduct inner track are in their own way as compelling as the achievements of last year's champions.

ARCADIA, Calif. - If, as expected, Todd Pletcher's name is in the envelope at Monday night's Eclipse Awards dinner, he not only will be winning for the third straight year, but also will be the first trainer to accept the honor while under suspension.

Horrors, you say. Whatever is the game coming to? How can anyone be placed on such a pedestal with such a dark cloud hanging over his head? Why not just invite Pete Rose or Scooter Libby to present the trophy and be done with it?

NEW YORK - No one was going to get rich playing the trifecta in the first race at Aqueduct last Monday, a six-horse affair that ended in a dead heat between the 9-10 favorite and an 8-1 shot. There's no good reason, however, that there was no payoff at all and that the entire pool had to be refunded because of a silly and antiquated rule.

ARCADIA, Calif. – In 1962, Warren Beatty was presented with a Golden Globe Award for “Most Promising Newcomer.” They got that right. But then, 20 years later, the desperately untalented Pia Zadora won the same title, marking pretty much the last time anyone took the award seriously.

WASHINGTON - When Congress passed a bill to curb most online betting, gamblers protested that the measure was an infringement on their individual freedoms and that the legislative process had been a travesty.