ARCADIA, Calif. - With barely an eighth of a mile left to run in last weekend's $1 million Santa Anita Handicap, there suddenly appeared to be a very real chance that Patrick Valenzuela could actually win the race aboard a dead-game longshot, Western Pride. They eventually finished second to Milwaukee Brew.

Now, it looks as if Valenzuela and Western Pride will be the only American team flying the flag on March 23 in the $6 million Dubai World Cup.

The winner gets $3.6 million.

Is this a great country or what?

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Even before he won the 1995 Kentucky Derby with Thunder Gulch, Michael Tabor held that classic in high regard. Since the memorable victory, however, Tabor's appreciation of the Derby knows few bounds. Although surrounded by legitimate Derby prospects such as Johannesburg, Nokoma, and Mayakovsky, Tabor is once again in the news with the private purchase of the undefeated Smooth Jazz.

ARCADIA, Calif. - John Henry turns 27 on Saturday, and there is a party planned at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., where he lives in a large paddock and roomy stall in a barn called the Hall of Champions. Dignitaries will show up to rub elbows with the old boy. Fans will bring their memories. But as for gifts, there's the dilemma. What do you get for the horse who's done everything?

ARCADIA, Calif. - The success of Laura Hillenbrand's biography of Seabiscuit has triggered a feeding frenzy among publishers both large and small. They smell best-sellers, where once there was only manure. Horse stories, now all the vogue, will come spilling onto the shelves at the big chains over the next few months with titles like "Stud" and "My Racing Heart." Perhaps horse racing can become a trickle in the mainstream after all.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - As another uninteresting race with a small field was being run at Gulfstream Park, I retreated to the area by the paddock to enjoy the sunshine, one of the racetrack's unspoilable assets. Gulfstream stages rock concerts in this location on weekends, and as one was about to begin, marketing director David Rovine addressed the crowd.

"This is the last year we'll be having the concerts in this location," he said. "Next year we'll have a stage at the other end of the track. It's part of a three-to-five-year renovation program here at Gulfstream."

ARCADIA, Calif. - Kevin Attard squinted at the herky-jerky images on his laptop screen and tried to make sense of what he saw. It was hopeless.

Streaming video - what a joke. Thank goodness, though, for Trevor Denman's crystal clear audio.

"He was getting pretty excited," said Attard. "And so was I."

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - It is California's premier horse race and has enjoyed that distinction since steeplechase convert Azucar won the inaugural in 1935. Saturday's 65th running of the Big Cap looks to be a wide-open contest, in contrast to the 1972 edition, when Cougar II was the solid 9-10 choice.

Don Pierce was riding Triple Bend in that race, and he had a problem.

ARCADIA, Calif. - In February 2001, President Bill Clinton signed an order that turned Gary Tanaka's birthplace into a national monument. This alone would make him unique among the owners who have a horse running on Saturday in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap.

Normally, such an honor is reserved for political leaders or military heroes. High schoolers take field trips to national monuments. Tour books list them at length. Mount Vernon is a national monument. So is Monticello.

TUCSON, Ariz. - If you watched the Olympic winter games, or read about them, you know that Johann Muehlegg, the German who skies for Spain, won three gold medals in grueling stamina events, and then lost one of them - the 50-kilometer classic - because of a positive test for darbepoetin.

What's darbepoetin?

It's the next step past erythropoietin, or EPO, as a blood enhancer, a stimulant of red blood cells which carry oxygen to muscles, and thus reduce fatigue and add stamina.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - To bring a 3-year-old into the Triple Crown series, a trainer needs skill, sound judgment, patience, and coolness under pressure. Should his virtues also include loyalty?