LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Einstein was permitted to enter the Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs after the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission granted an owner's license to Matthew L. Garretson, in whose name the horse will run Friday as the court-appointed receiver for former owners Midnight Cry Stable.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Todd Pletcher's ability to win the last four Eclipse Awards as the nation's outstanding trainer was due in large part to his success on the New York Racing Association circuit. From 2004 to 2007, Pletcher won 75 graded stakes combined at the Aqueduct, Belmont, and Saratoga meetings.

Pletcher enters the final major weekend of racing in 2008 with just three graded wins on this circuit.

The infield at the Kentucky Derby just got a little less rowdy. A new "Infield Club" will be made available to fans at the 2009 Derby and Oaks next May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

The club will be cordoned off from the rest of the infield, which long has been noted for its anything-goes atmosphere. Churchill officials are describing it as a sports-bar type of experience, with private mutuel windows, restroom facilities, large-screen televisions, and other amenities.

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.