Reprinted from editions of June 1, 2001

Pat Day was still one winner shy of the 8,000 mark late Thursday morning when he was asked to sort through the 7,999 he already had on the books and come up with the one that meant the most.

There were plenty from which to choose. He could have gone way back to July 29, 1973, at Prescott Downs in northern Arizona and a horse called Forblunged. That was his first winner. The purse was $631.

Just as Ernie Banks meant the world to Wrigley Field and Bill Russell owned the boards of Boston Gardens, Pat Day has inscribed his name indelibly upon every square inch of the stretch at Churchill Downs, where he reigns as the all-time leading rider.

It is appropriate, therefore, that Day should be given a day of his own at the Louisville track on Saturday, beginning with an autograph session for fans, followed by a variety of tributes, and ending with a Pat Day celebrity roast to benefit the Race Track Chaplaincy of America.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Veterans Day used to be a big deal. A very big deal, as in "no school" big deal. No matter what the day of the week, the 11th day of November was celebrated with parades, speeches, the occasional fireworks and a one-of-a-kind horse race right next door to the nation's capital.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The gritty performance of McCann's Mojave in the $250,000 California Cup Classic on Sunday, closing day of the Oak Tree meet, proved once again that Thoroughbreds are nothing more than four-legged answers just waiting for the right questions to be asked.

The star of the Cal Cup festival, McCann's Mojave was bred and is owned by Santa Anita publicity director Mike Willman and his partner, Alix Hunt, and trained by Paddy Gallagher, a son of Northern Ireland's County Tyrone.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Devil Badgett went to bed on the evening of Oct. 2, back in familiar surroundings, probably wondering if the previous month had been nothing but a dream.

Since March of 2004, he had been an upright citizen in the Jack Carava stable, holding down a key spot in the lineup and more than paying his way. He liked the food, the hours were good, and the sounds around the Carava shed row were like music to his ears.

NEW YORK - There were 14 betting interests in the Breeders' Cup Turf last Saturday and 13 in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Those numbers would have been reversed if a couple of rule changes worth thinking about had been in place.

The Classic could have had 14 rather than 13 if the Breeders' Cup permitted also-eligibles in oversubscribed fields. Rock Hard Ten was declared from the race Friday morning and Lord of the Game could have been added to the field before the start of advance betting.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Four of the 10 races on Sunday's $1,325,000 California Cup program will be contested on the Santa Anita Park grass course. Fans of local turf racing are advised to bet early and often, and maybe even set your VCR's, because once the Cal Cup Distance Handicap, Starter Handicap, Distaff, and Mile are in the books, that's a wrap. No more grass racing in Southern California until at least the start of the Santa Anita winter meeting on Dec. 26.

ARCADIA, Calif. - On Thursday night of Breeders' Cup Week, two days before he was due to saddle Stevie Wonderboy in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Doug O'Neill was quietly dozing through the waning scenes of "Spamalot" at New York's Shubert Theater when he became vaguely aware that attention was turning his way.

TUCSON, Ariz. - The Breeders' Cup said goodbye to NBC last Saturday, and just in time. The peacock's feathers were losing their luster, and the proud bird was beginning to look tired and bedraggled.

For its farewell show, the network reached into its old scripts drawer, pulled out the dried-up document once again, blew off the dust from the yellowed parchment, and went through the same old motions a final time.

It was not exactly an exhilarating afternoon.

Eight reruns of the Mike and Bob Show, racing's Odd Couple, are seven too many. Maybe eight.

ELMONT, N.Y. - By now it should be evident that a passion for Thoroughbred racing is instilled not by mass marketing, advertising campaigns, or premium giveaways. It's a rare individual who wakes up one morning, imbued with the inspiration of a slick radio spot, and heads straight for the nearest racetrack.