I guess we\'re getting a bit off topic but it seems to me the only magical places left to see the races are Saratoga and Delmar. I went to Santa Anita on a weekday 2 years ago and was stunned at the depressing atmosphere. It used to be the kind of place that would make you move West. Simulcasting has been a money-maker (I guess), but the tracks bye and large are no longer the same.

A friend visiting Chicago called me on a cell phone to tell me Arlington was a paradise, but he once said the same thing about Stockton (Ca.) OTB.

Guys, get some perspective, NBC is covering a sporting event, not a gambling result. When Secretariat won the Belmont by 31, I\'m glad they didn\'t swing the camera off him in midstretch to show Thrice A Prince (or whoever it was) get up for second.

Appreciate the analysis but can\'t share the enthusiasm for Shawklit Mint. Looking at the Vosburgh fractions reveals the most evenly paced 6.5 furlong race I\'ve ever seen and a huge lead in a 3-horse race. On the plus side, I\'m sure it didn\'t wear her out.