OZONE PARK, N. Y. - If Dogwood Stable's Boston Bull, impressive winner of the Cowdin, had made his debut at Saratoga a bit earlier than Aug. 31, he might have been ready for last weekend's Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Judging by Boston Bull's four-length victory on a sloppy track in the Cowdin, the son of Boston Harbor might have given a good account of himself at Arlington Park. But trainer Todd Pletcher is not agonizing over the hand dealt to him and seems satisfied that Boston Bull will run on Saturday in the $100,000 Nashua Mile for 2-year-olds.

ARCADIA, Calif. - For the past two years, the California Cup has given West Coast cheerleaders a chance to raise a hearty rah rah rah in the wake of Tiznow's performances on the national stage. There it was, in living color, proof that a true champion could be produced in California, winning back-to-back runnings of the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Alas, Tiznow was retired, and it has been a long year without him.

WASHINGTON - The suspicious wager placed on the Breeders' Cup Pick Six may have defrauded bettors of more than $3 million, and that is only the beginning of the racing industry's problems in this scandal. It raises questions about the integrity of the entire American parimutuel business and, if true, would confirm doubts that horseplayers have harbored for years.

ARCADIA, Calif. - My wife intends to return to competition in Friday's fifth race at Santa Anita Park. On Saturday she has two mounts in the 13th edition of the Cal Cup, the biggest day of the Oak Tree meet. Beyond that she is looking forward to the opening of the Hollywood Park fall meeting next Wednesday, Nov. 6.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Wait till next year.

That cry might offer the only consolation for racing fans who saw the 2002 season come to a dispiriting climax in the Breeders' Cup Classic. The nation's most prominent horses delivered a pitiful collective performance, making this yet another year in which America didn't produce a worthy champion Thoroughbred. But the races for 2-year-olds Saturday at Arlington Park suggested some bright stars are on the horizon.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - It is said that before you freeze to death, before hypothermia pulls the shade, you pass into a sleep-like trance of near hibernation. That makes sense, because while I slept last Saturday at Arlington, both nose and toes going numb from exposure, I dreamed that Volponi won the Breeders' Cup Classic.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - One of the best.

Nineteen Breeders' Cups are history, and only a few can, on reflection, compare with Saturday's races for quality, drama, and significance. It was an overwhelming day of racing for many - just what John Gaines had in mind when he conceived the brilliant format in the early 1980's.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - As a third straight day of raw, damp weather surrounded Arlington Park on Friday, ticket holders for Saturday's races began to wonder whether having a Breeders' Cup here would turn out to be such a good idea. Track operators and Cup officials were already wondering the same thing for entirely different reasons.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Any horseplayer with a pulse relishes the thought of playing the Breeders' Cup pick six and trying to win a stratospheric payoff, like the $3 million bonanza in 1999. But prudent bettors often look at the lineup of Cup races and conclude that they are simply too tough.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Earlier this year, racing was celebrating champions named Johannesburg, Tempera, Tiznow, Sakhee, and Squirtle Squirt, all with promising campaigns ahead of them. Siphonic and Repent were the favorites for the Triple Crown. These and other stars young and old - Bella Bellucci, Caller One, Flute, Left Bank, Officer, Saarland, Spain, Street Cry, Val Royal, You - figured to be the sport's headliners in 2002 and the early favorites for Breeders' Cup XIX.