ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Jockey Jim McAleney broke a leg just before the start of the 2007 Woodbine meeting, and returned with a newfound determination that August.

McAleney's drive to succeed has carried over to the 2008 Woodbine session, where he led the standings with 155 winners heading into the final two weeks of the meeting.

"When my leg broke, you'd naturally view it as a negative," said McAleney, a 39-year-old native of Fort John, British Columbia, who won Sovereign Awards as Canada's outstanding apprentice in 1987 and 1988.

West Side Bernie is following a proven pattern leading up to the Grade 3, $750,000 Delta Jackpot at Delta Downs on Dec. 5. He has shipped in well in advance of the 1 1/16-mile race, just as he did for the Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Juvenile, which he won in September at Turfway Park.

The horse that almost won the 2007 Travers Stakes for trainer Neil Howard is due to arrive this week to winter at Fair Grounds. The horse that almost won the 2008 Travers Stakes for trainer Neil Howard already is at Fair Grounds, worked six furlongs Monday, and was one of nine entered in the Tenacious Handicap, the Saturday feature.

That would be Mambo in Seattle, who figures as an odds-on favorite in the $60,000 Tenacious despite two disappointing runs since his microscopic defeat at the hands of Colonel John in the Aug. 23 Travers.

Laurel Park opened its backstretch on Wednesday after state agriculture officials confirmed that a second round of testing for the highly contagious diseases equine herpesvirus turned up no positive results.

Laurel officials have prohibited horses from leaving the grounds of the racetrack since Nov. 14, when a 2-year-old filly named Nin tested positive for equine herpesvirus. The filly was euthanized several days later.

Finger Lakes canceled its scheduled nine-race card for Tuesday, citing wet track conditions because of recent rain and snow in the region. It was the third Finger Lakes cancellation with a week.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - There are some mornings that are better than others, days when trainer Richard Matlow's hands do not work as he wishes and basic chores around the stable become difficult.

He has known for more than a year that he is ill. It was only earlier this year that he learned he was afflicted with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - Lou Gehrig's disease. Matlow's hands have lost their muscle tone in recent months, his speech has slurred, his walk is labored. The neurodegenerative disease strikes slowly.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The winter meet at Santa Anita begins the day after Christmas, but why wait? Lovely Isle and Bsharpsonata are ready now, and Thanksgiving Day at Hollywood Park, the 3-year-old fillies begin their winter campaigns one month early.

Trainer James "Sweet" Hodges figured he might get a decent line on his sharp Louisiana-bred 2-year-old Foreign Production by running him in the Old Hickory, an open stakes race last Saturday at Fair Grounds. After a vastly troubled career debut, Foreign Production walloped Louisiana-bred maidens in his second start, then thrashed more Louisiana-breds in a division of the Louisiana Stallion Stakes at Louisiana Downs. The Old Hickory, Hodges thought, would have better horses that could offer Foreign Production a sterner challenge.

MIAMI - If the Grand Slam I card on Dec. 6 is any indication, the final month of the 2008-09 Tropical at Calder meet will be a good one.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - C Karma had attracted plenty of attention here in the buildup to the Breeders' Cup, as she earned a guaranteed berth in the Juvenile Fillies Turf with her victory in the Grade 3 Natalma.

But C Karma came in well under the radar when she resurfaced in last Saturday's six-furlong Pontalba at the Fair Grounds.

Cutting back from the 1 1/16 miles of the Juvenile Fillies Turf, in which she finished eighth but was beaten just 5 3/4 lengths, CoKarma completed a distinctive triple in the Pontalba.