HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - One of the greatest seasons in all of sports gets under way in earnest Saturday with the running of the Holy Bull Stakes here at Gulfstream Park and the Santa Catalina Stakes at Santa Anita. The Kentucky Derby, first of the Triple Crown events, is 15 weeks away, but time flies when you are having fun, and the 3-year-old classic season is great fun.

ARCADIA, Calif. - In the two months stretching between the Breeders' Cup at the end of October and the end of the Christmas holidays, Jerry Bailey figures he rode about 13 days. So much for his off-season.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla.- He's been there.

When Florida state steward Walter Blum says the most difficult aspect of his job is watching horses break down and, sometimes, injuring their riders, he speaks from considerable personal experience. Blum rode for 23 years until his retirement in November 1975 - and won almost 4,400 races and was elected to the Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in 1987.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Check the backyard, the closets, between the cushions, and behind the fridge. If you've got a male Thoroughbred born in 1999, preferably with both testicles and tail attached, you might have a gold mine.

It is that time again, the crazy days of January and February, when the market for a proven 3-year-old soars beyond reason, and otherwise responsible investors go ape over a chance to buy a piece of Triple Crown glory.

TUSCON, Ariz. - Minnesota may be the Land of Sky Blue Waters, but there still are sizeable pools of muddy thinking there.

Over the weekend, and undoubtedly to be continued over coming weekends, the Minneapolis Star Tribune was having a ball with a non-story.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - They gave themselves away.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Storm Cat might need to take a cold shower.

The commanding victory of Tout Charmant in the San Gorgonio Handicap on Sunday was among the best performances of her career. Backers of Janet thought they had a shot at the eighth pole, but then - bang, zoom! - tough little Tout kicked home with blast from her accomplished past.

Tout Charmant (literal translation: "so charming") was all booked to visit Storm Cat this spring. The candles were lit, the champagne poured, the Barry White CD cued up on the box. Then she went and spoiled everything.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The first five runnings of the San Gorgonio Handicap were won by four Hall of Famers and the guy who almost trained Secretariat.

Never mind that the race back then was run as either a claiming stakes or a sprint on the grass. Any time Charlie Whittingham, Pancho Martin, Buddy Hirsch, Bobby Frankel, and Roger Laurin are part of the history, the event deserves attention.

NEW YORK - Now that we know the three finalists for each of Thoroughbred racing's 10 championships, it's easier to predict whether there are going to be any actual surprises when the sport's champions are announced next month. According to the closest thing we have to a tracking poll, the results could be a tad different from what everyone has been expecting.

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - America's horseplayers eagerly anticipate the racing season at Florida's Gulfstream Park because its large fields, wide-open races and frequent big payoffs are such a contrast to the fare at most tracks. But since Gulfstream opened Jan. 3, its fans have been disappointed by the product, and their disappointment turned to dismay and alarm Monday.