DOVER, Del. - Here in the capital city of the nation's first state, gambling-industry heavyweights gathered to confer for three days last week to discuss the suddenly hot status of American racetracks. The heat has nothing to do with the pick six scandal consuming most horseplayers' interest these days, but with the increasingly clear direction that tracks will be taking in the years ahead - a direction perfectly embodied by the site of the conference, Dover Downs.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Over the past couple of weeks we've read a great deal about people who have acted against racing. Today we would like to recognize a man who has acted for racing over a long period of time.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Carla Gaines had the best day of her training career last Saturday at Santa Anita, when she sent out Super High to win the $150,000 California Cup Matron and Unlimited Value to take the $150,000 California Cup Sprint. As a reward for a job well done, the Gaines crew got a night on the town, two lovely floral garlands, and an eviction notice.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Lucky Jack Robbins. He just saved two hundred and fifty bucks a year. As the 2002 Honor Guest of the Thoroughbred Club of America, he will be granted a lifetime membership in the organization.

WASHINGTON - The alleged attempt by two computer experts to rig the Breeders' Cup Pick Six was one of the biggest, most audacious coups in the history of racing. But it was by no means unprecedented.

The events of Oct. 26 are similar in many ways to a scam that took place at Miami's Flagler Greyhound Track in the 1970's. In both cases, the perpetrators managed to enter wagers after races had been run. In both cases, they were employees of Autotote, the company that processed the bets. And in both cases, the cheaters were ultimately tripped up by their own greed.

TUCSON, Ariz. -Phil Johnson and Volponi were a great Breeders' Cup story - the septuagenarian trainer and his upset horse winning this country's richest race - but no one in racing could have anticipated what happened after they won. The story quickly was drowned in a raging torrent of wrongdoing that had nothing to do with horses, but rather with humans who bet on them, and with carelessness by the people who run betting.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Seeing is believing.

Added Edge won his first three starts by a combined margin of 22 lengths. But because he did it elsewhere, in this case at Woodbine in Toronto, the impact was muted. He was the second choice at 5-2 in Saturday's $109,700 Nashua Stakes for 2-year-olds at Aqueduct, while Boston Bull, who won the recent Cowdin by four lengths in front of the hometown folks, was favored at 4-5.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Tom Shapiro and his family stormed into the Santa Anita winner's circle last Saturday, delirious with joy over the victory of Calkins Road in the California Cup Classic and singing the praises of their trainer, their jockey, and their horse, who had just beaten Continental Red in a real thriller.

"He's the greatest," Shapiro said to anyone who would listen. "John is the greatest."

John was also missing. John Shirreffs, that is, the man behind the development of the Calkins Road into the best California-bred 3-year-old of 2002.

WASHINGTON - Horseplayers worried about the implications of the Breeders' Cup pick six scandal were surely amazed by the comments of Lorne Weil, chairman of the company where the alleged fraud was perpetrated. "This matter has been resolved," he said, "before any damage has been done."

Oh, really?

NEW YORK - Every horseplayer in America has been secretly hoping that the highly suspicious winning Breeders' Cup pick six ticket was an innocent and lucky accident, or at worst an isolated incident of attempted fraud.

I have no such hope. This story is only going to get worse. While each day brings new information that makes it increasingly unlikely that the winning ticket was legitimate, the most incriminating fact is that this may well have happened before under very similar circumstances.