NEW ORLEANS - At 65, Ann Timphony still had the enthusiasm of a young woman as she talked about preparing a free Christmas dinner for the backstretch help at Fair Grounds. She stood behind the counter at the track kitchen, surveying the domain she has ruled through several different racetrack ownerships. Timphony was getting ready to dish out hundreds of meals Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"We've got 15 turkeys, candied yams, mixed vegetables, cranberry sauce, dressing, and bread pudding," she said

Timphony comes from a long line of racetrackers.

CHICAGO - If Hawthorne Race Course somehow manages to squeeze in its Christmas Eve Day card, racing may be conducted here using sleighs and parkas.

The forecast for Friday's high temperature is around 10 degrees, not accounting for a strong west wind and the potential of a few inches of snow on the ground.

people hoped to get the streaking 3-year-old gelding one more start before the Chicago racing season ends, but the horse might wind up staying in his barn.

Robert Quigley, a longtime racing executive in New Jersey, and Wanda Hooper will be married on Dec. 30 at The Church by the Sea in Bal Harbour, Fla.

Quigley, 75, served 24 years as the vice president and general manager of Atlantic City Race Course. He then joined the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority as general manger of racing. In that position he supervised construction of The Meadowlands and assembled its staff before the track's opening in September 1976. He later served as president of Garden State Park.

Citing winter storm conditions, Turfway Park canceled the nine-race live card scheduled for Wednesday evening.

A winter storm moved in on the northern Kentucky area late Tuesday, and by midday Wednesday the town of Florence, Ky., home to Turfway, had declared a snow emergency.

The track planned to resume live racing on Thursday, although the National Weather Service was predicting that the area could get as much as 13 inches of snow by then.

The facility remained open Wednesday for simulcasting.

NEW ORLEANS - Turf stakes winners My Misty Princess, May Gator, Fun House, and Chance Dance are set to clash Thursday in the $60,000 Furl Sail stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

, winner of a pair of $100,000 races at Lone Star Park in her last two starts, the Yellow Rose Breeders' Cup on Oct. 3 and the Bluebonnet on Oct. 31, will carry 120 pounds in the Furl Sail and break from post 7 under Jamie Theriot. Dallas Keen trains the 4-year-old My Misty Princess for Melva Lou Strehler.

NEW ORLEANS - Smooth as Silver registered the fastest six-furlong time of the Fair Grounds meet Sunday, going the distance in 1:10.03 and beating stablemate Big Bold Sweep by a nose in the feature race, an optional claimer worth $36,000. He was awarded a 102 Beyer Speed Figure, 1 point shy of his career best, earned in September at Mountaineer Racetrack.

Delta Downs resumed racing Tuesday after track officials and jockeys came to an agreement over ambulance services, an issue that led to the cancellation of racing at the track Saturday night. Instead of being taken automatically to the nearest hospital, jockeys can now go to their hospital of choice for care if they are involved in an accident. The agreement was reached during a series of meetings that began Saturday and continued through Monday.

Trainer Ramon Gonzalez said he hopes to run Cajun Pepper in the $500,000 WinStar Derby on April 2, and the first big push toward that goal will come this weekend. Cajun Pepper, who is undefeated, will attempt to win his fifth straight race in the $161,324 at Sunland Park on Sunday.

"I think he's kind of a special colt," said Gonzalez, who is a six-time title winner at Sunland.

Attendance and handle at the Hollywood Park fall meeting, which ended Monday, dropped slightly from the 2003 meeting.

When statewide, interstate, and account wagering figures were included, the all-sources handle averaged $8,944,323, a drop of one-half of 1 percent. There was surprising growth of 1.3 percent in intertrack handle in the state, a category that has been in decline in recent years.

The ontrack average handle of $1,313,553 was a decline of 2 percent. On many weekdays, ontrack handle failed to reach $1 million.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Rene Douglas landed his first riding title at a Southern California track during the Hollywood Park fall meeting that ended last Monday, leaving the 37-year-old rider more anxious for the start of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting on Sunday.

Douglas was winless on the final program, but finished with 37 wins, two more than Tyler Baze.

"I didn't want to think about it until today because Tyler was getting close to me," Douglas said. "It's a thrill. It's a big deal."