DEL MAR, Calif. - The best 2-year-old in the country emerged from last year's Del Mar meeting in Stevie Wonderboy, who won the Del Mar Futurity and later the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Del Mar offers a fresh start, as well as a fresh turf course. The grass has not been used here for 45 weeks, but it will get quite a workout over the next seven weeks.

After split divisions of the Oceanside Stakes on Wednesday, Del Mar will run two of its most important grass races of the meet this weekend, the Grade 1 Eddie Read and the Grade 1 John Mabee. On Monday, several horses pointing for those races were among the first 28 to work this meet over Del Mar's course.

Wednesday's opening day crowd at Del Mar will in some places resemble an audience at a sporting event, and in others a Mardi Gras gathering or a beach party. Sometimes, it will be all those things at once.

"Opening day is like spring break meets Royal Ascot," said horse owner Aron Wellman, 28.

The first of 43 days of racing at Del Mar is like no other event on the Southern California racing calendar. In a sport largely without seasons, Wednesday is an exception. There has been no live horse racing in the San Diego area since last September, when the 2005 meeting closed.

HENDERSON, Ky. - The damage could not have been much worse, but at least the timing wasn't bad. The tornado that tore through this region of western Kentucky and southwestern Indiana on Nov. 6 took its heaviest toll just three miles north of Ellis Park, killing 20 people in one trailer park alone and inflicting hundreds of millions of dollars in property loss throughout the area.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Churchill Downs wrapped up its 57-day spring meet Sunday with a slight increase in daily average handle. Daily average all-sources handle was $11.4 million, up slightly less than 1 percent from last year.

Total all-sources handle for the meet, which ran one week longer than usual, was $652.3 million, up 11.4 percent over corresponding figures for the 52-day spring meet in 2005.

OCEANPORT, N.J. - George Handy proved it is never too late to start over. A training legend in New England, Handy got back into the game on July 14, one day after his 83rd birthday.

"It was quite a happy day," Handy said. "It was good to start back in the business."

Handy won his first race in over a year when Vow got up to win for a $10,000 claiming tag at Monmouth Park. Handy claimed Vow for $7,500 with his own money June 30 after promises of horses to train all fell through.

For a filly who began her career in spectacular fashion, the last few months hardly could have unfolded any worse for Original Spin.

But trainer Tony Mitchell expects the 3-year-old season of Original Spin to start heading in the right direction Wednesday. Making her first start outside of stakes company since she captured a maiden race nearly a year ago, Original Spin figures as a solid favorite when she tries statebred allowance fillies in the co-featured seventh race at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Ill.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Business figures for the Hollywood Park spring-summer meeting were mixed, with attendance falling and all-sources handle showing a slight increase. The 61-day meeting began on April 26 and ended Sunday.

Average all-sources handle increased 1 percent, to $10.4 million daily. The track said it did not have detailed handle figures, but that they would be available later this week.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Tom Albertrani is not one of those trainers who prefer to work their horses fast. So take it as a sign that Preakness winner Bernardini is champing at the bit to run in the July 29 Jim Dandy following a five-furlong workout clocked in 58.70 seconds Monday morning at Belmont Park.

After three relatively slow breezes, Bernardini was ready to roll on a steamy morning, carving out fractions of 12.62 seconds, 24.14, and 35.01, meaning he got his last quarter in 23.69 seconds. Belmont clockers caught him galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.28.

Jockeys Lonnie Meche and Jose Verenzuela were involved in an altercation as their mounts were being unsaddled after Sunday's first race at Louisiana Downs, a track official said.

Verenzuela rode the 6-5 favorite, Literary Row, and Meche rode the 9-5 second choice, Campinout. The two alternated for the lead through fast fractions for six furlongs of the 1 1/16-mile turf race, and both were passed by Summertime Mood and Charming Kid. Literary Row gained the nod over Campinout for the show spot.