INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Don't get Bob Lewis started. If he blows, there's no telling who might get hurt. He is obviously a man of barely bottled rage, with passionate opinions fueled by roiling emotions that he keeps under a chokehold of absolute control.

I mean, why else would this volcanic racehorse owner and industry activist begin his most heartfelt statements with tacit warnings to duck and cover?

"Please don't take this as a criticism, but . . ."

"I don't mean to offend anyone, but . . ."

"Now don't get me wrong, but . . ."

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The NTRA is once again fielding votes from racing fans for what it calls horse racing's Moment of the Year. The moment is supposed to illustrate a "wide range of human emotions and achievements, as well as outstanding displays of equine athleticism," wording obviously crafted by lawyers to disqualify the candidacy of my long-hair dachshund's debut at the Los Alamitos Wiener Nationals last June.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Winter racing presents some unusual problems to most participants, as starter Bob Duncan said the other day.

The inner course at Aqueduct, built to deal with the effects of severe weather, has limited starting points because of its size. One of the points lost is for races at seven furlongs. As a consequence, traffic is particularly heavy at six furlongs, and Duncan noted there is a tendency for horses with little or no experience, who are drawn on the inside, to be hesitant at the break.

WASHINGTON - Dan Borislow, owner of the Maryland-based 2-year-old Toccet, has bought a series of full-page ads in the Daily Racing Form to make an announcement and issue a challenge.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The decision to pass the Preakness with the 1985 Kentucky Derby winner, Spend a Buck, in favor of the Jersey Derby and a $2 million bonus was quite controversial, the colt's trainer agrees. But Cam Gambolati points out that in the long run, the Triple Crown concept was strengthened by the introduction of a $5 million bonus that remains a key element of the classics package today.

News of the recent death of Spend a Buck in Brazil, where he had been standing at stud, touched off memories of one of the fastest horses of our time.

ARCADIA, Calif. - My first exposure to show biz took place upon the occasion of my fourth birthday, in November of 1954, as a guest of the "Smokey Rogers" children's show in San Diego on local KFMB, channel 8. I ate cake and loved every minute. At least, that's what I am told.

Obviously, the experience paid off. Nearly half a century later, I found myself in front of the camera again, along with 3,000 total strangers, as unpaid background extras on the set of the "Seabiscuit" feature film in production last Saturday at Santa Anita Park. There was no cake.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - At one time or another, since 1908, the record for single-season earnings by a jockey has been held by Joe Notter, Earl Sande, Johnny Longden, Ted Atkinson, Doug Dodson, Eddie Arcaro, Bill Shoemaker, Bill Hartack, Braulio Baeza, Laffit Pincay Jr., Angel Cordero, Steve Cauthen, Darrel McHargue, Chris McCarron, Jose Santos, Mike Smith, Gary Stevens, and currently, Jerry Bailey.

NEW YORK - When Hialeah Park refused to allow betting on its premier Derby prep in 1966 because Buckpasser was so overwhelming a favorite, the race became forever known as the Chicken Flamingo. Similarly, no matter what else is said or done at the annual Symposium on Racing at Tucson, Ariz., next week, this will be the year of the Chicken Symposium.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The road to success for Snake Mountain had several sharp turns.

As a 2-year-old in 2000 he showed considerable promise, and his trainer, Ireland's Aidan O'Brien, was looking forward to his 3-year-old campaign with anticipation. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. And though O'Brien had another brilliant year in 2001, Snake Mountain wasn't one of his many stars.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - His name might sound like a guys' magazine, or a website that requires parental control. In fact, Men's Exclusive is nothing less than a proud California institution, nearly 10 years old and still going strong enough to lead the field at Hollywood Park on Saturday, when he tries for his third straight victory in the Vernon O. Underwood Handicap.

Oh yes, and he was also reared next door to a nudist camp.