OCEANPORT, N.J. - The mood was decidedly upbeat on a rainy Tuesday afternoon as Monmouth Park hosted its annual kickoff press conference.

The Turf Club was packed with owners, trainers, jockeys, and media members for the first official event launching one of the most eagerly awaited seasons in the track's 65-year history.

The meet that gets under way Saturday will be unlike any other at Monmouth. The core summer season will offer 50 days of racing with purses averaging $1 million a day, the highest in North America. First post will be 12:50 p.m. for the 12-race card.

Snakebite Kit will be a flashy newcomer to the Louisiana Cup Day program on Saturday. He is set to make his first start against Louisiana-bred stakes rivals in the $100,000 Turf Classic, and could start as the favorite off his record of 4 wins from 5 career starts. The 1 1/16-mile race is one of six statebred stakes on the first major card of the meet at Louisiana Downs.

MIAMI - Sweet Repent, who went to the farm this winter riding a five-race winning streak, posted her first work on the comeback trail here Saturday, breezing an easy three furlongs in 38.60 seconds.

Trained by David Braddy, Sweet Repent steadily ascended the filly-and-mare handicap division, closing her 3-year-old campaign last year with four straight victories at Calder, including a nose victory in the Grade 3 Stage Door Betty Handicap in late December. She returned five weeks later and dominated the Sunshine Million Distaff at Gulfstream Park before going to the farm.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After Thursday, Kid Rigo can get started on his next 100 races.

By running in the first race Thursday at Churchill, a $7,500 claiming event, 12-year-old Kid Rigo will join the century club. He enters the one-mile race with 99 starts, 26 wins, 13 seconds, 11 thirds, and earnings of just more than $300,000.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The midweek resignation of Santa Anita track president Ron Charles adds to the growing list of challenges facing owner MI Developments.

Charles on Tuesday confirmed his resignation as president and chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Turf Club, which conducts racing at Santa Anita. Charles, track president since fall 2004, said Wednesday was to be his last day.

Jockey Roy Brooks, who at 68 is the second oldest jockey riding in North America, sustained a broken pelvis and torn urethra in an accident Saturday night at Remington Park in Oklahoma City. Brooks was injured behind the starting gate when his mount in a trial race for the Graham Paint and Appaloosa Futurity fell and rolled over Brooks.

ALBANY, Calif. - Golden Gate Fields is embarking on a five-day racing week beginning Wednesday, and the track's general manager, Robert Hartman, says that plans are to continue with five-day weeks until the conclusion of the meet on June 13.

Northern California's reduced horse population prompted the track to run four-day weeks during the winter months, and, when Hollywood Park opted to begin its meet with four-day weeks, Golden Gate followed suit.

Hartman believes Golden Gate will be able to fill its races despite adding an extra day of racing each week.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Much Rejoicing, a winner of her first two starts, worked a strong five furlongs in 1:00.44 Monday morning over Belmont's main track in preparation for a start in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes.

Much Rejoicing is a daughter of Distorted Humor out of the champion turf mare Soaring Softly. James Toner, who trained Soaring Softly, is also the trainer of Much Rejoicing.

On Feb. 14, Much Rejoicing won her debut at Gulfstream by three-quarters of a length. On April 3, she won a first-level allowance race going about seven furlongs over Keeneland's synthetic surface.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Drosselmeyer, the runner-up to Fly Down in the Dwyer Stakes here on May 8, worked four furlongs in 47.64 seconds Monday morning as he continues preparation for a start in the $1 million Belmont Stakes on June 5.

Trainer Bill Mott caught the final quarter of the work in 23.60 seconds.

"For him being solo he worked very good," Mott said.

While disappointed Drosselmeyer was beaten six lengths by Fly Down in the Dwyer, Mott thought it was a useful prep race.

ELMONT, N.Y. - The New York Racing Association reiterated on Monday that if it does not receive financial assistance from the state, it will be unable to complete the Belmont Park spring/summer meet. The meet runs through July 18.

"NYRA's current cash position will not allow us to make it through the entire Belmont Park race meet," NYRA's president and CEO, Charles Hayward, said in a press release issued late Monday afternoon. "We are in discussions with the state regarding potential avenues for us to acquire funding."