INGLEWOOD, Calif. - David LaCroix does not need a special Hallmark holiday to keep in mind the legacy that was left to him by his father. But as long as there is a Father's Day, LaCroix was hoping to celebrate on Sunday in the best possible way with a victory in the Haggin Stakes at Hollywood Park.

That plan was dashed early Friday afternoon, however, when the Haggin was canceled. Only three horses had entered, including Corazondelcampeon from the LaCroix stable, and management was not inclined to go with such a small field.

NEW YORK - Since being elected New York's state comptroller in 2002, Alan Hevesi has issued more than 300 audits of state agencies, many of them turning up the same kind of violations of accounting procedures for which he lambasted the New York Racing Association in an audit released last Wednesday. In NYRA's case, the lack of corporate controls that led to laxity in bidding and procurement procedures from 2002 to 2004 have been exhaustively examined and largely remedied under a new management team and the relentless on-site presence of a court-appointed monitor.

NEW YORK - For a brief but giddy spell last weekend, racing fans could salivate over what might happen Oct. 29 at Belmont Park: Ghostzapper, making his final career start in the Breeders' Cup Classic, cruising off the stretch turn with a daylight lead. Afleet Alex, slipping through at the rail and gathering steam for the stretch run. The nation's best older horse in front, the best 3-year-old making a final run at him. A race for the ages.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - It wasn't done this way on purpose, but Saturday's Affirmed Handicap at Hollywood Park comes at the perfect moment to remind the game once again that there may never be another Triple Crown winner because there will never be another Affirmed.

TUCSON, Ariz. - "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

It's not us.

At least, not according to the English newspaper The Racing Post, which took a long look at United States racing recently in a four-part series and concluded that our horsemen were using chemistry at an alarming rate.

I happen to agree.

The series was written by Paul Haigh, and in typical English journalistic style, the headlines were big and bold.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Now that the 2005 Triple Crown has ended, and Afleet Alex has emerged as the lone survivor of racing's own network reality show, what more can be said about the little bay colt who wins his races by a country mile?

Horsemen have lined up in praise of Afleet Alex, citing his coldly efficient stride, his acrobatic grace, and his quick-twitch reaction time that not only keeps him on his feet, but ignites a bang-zoom acceleration that puts races away in the blink of an eye.

ELMONT, N.Y - John Shirreffs was on his fourth or fifth television interview of the morning, this one with ESPN's Kenny Mayne, and Mayne was having a hard time believing what he was hearing.

Mayne: So, I hear you don't bet.

Shirreffs: That's right.

Mayne: You don't like to bet.

Shirreffs: No, I don't.

Mayne: You're telling me you're not sorry you didn't bet on him at 50-1 in the Derby.

Shirreffs: I don't bet.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The end is in sight. Just one more lap and the 3-year-old class of 2005 can breathe easy.

For these young horses, the Triple Crown can be as daunting as Donner Pass, requiring three tough races over three completely different playing fields in a span of just 35 days. This year, only Preakness winner Afleet Alex and Derby winner Giacomo will try all three, culminating in their showdown on Saturday in the 137th Belmont Stakes.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - For the promoters of the game, the Triple Crown has become a zero-sum endeavor, with inordinate emphasis placed upon the prospect of a winner, sometimes to the detriment of individual performances.

This is natural, though, since humans tend to court heartbreak. Still, after the emotional Belmont Stakes losses of Smarty Jones, Funny Cide, Charismatic, Real Quiet, and Silver Charm, there is speculation that the Rapture will arrive before another horse wins the Triple Crown.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - When it comes to the endless debate over the relative influences of heredity and environment, horse racing offers plenty of fodder.

Don't look to the Baze clan, though, for a whole lot of help in tipping the scales toward either nurture or nature. As Russell Baze and his riding relatives can attest, they were all born into the business - some with jockeys for both a mother and father - and then raised under its prevailing influence, with the fine points of the craft passed down by honorable tradesmen in the family tree.