North American Racing - Saturday, March 3

75th Santa Anita Handicap day and first time race is finale on the card. Gotham at Aqueduct has 13 runners led by BC Juvenile winner Hansen in his 2nd start as a 3 year old.

1:42 p.m. Central - Aqueduct - 5th race - 72nd Top Flight Handicap - The best play for bridge jumpers on Saturday if all five go is 1-4 favs Godolphin's It's Tricky in her 4 year old debut with Ramon up.

2:53 p.m. Central - Gulfstream - 7th race - 2011 Derby favorite Dialed In makes his 4 year old debut and first start since running 4th in the Preakness in this 1 mile - 1 turn optional claimer. Zito likely would set a course for the Metropolitan with a good performance here. Pants On Fire also makes his 4 year old debut in here.

3:34 p.m. Central - Aqueduct - 9th race - 37th Tom Fool Handicap - Half dozen runners all with a chance led by BC Mile winner Caleb's Posse in his first start since win, Repole Stable's hard knocker former claimer Calibrachoa and undefeated in two starts Emcee running in Godolphin Blue for the first time.

4:02 p.m. Central - Aqueduct - 10th race - 60th Gotham with a purse increase to $400k - Hansen at 6-5 in the morning line to get back in the winner's circle with 12 challengers with only two stakes wins (Jean Laffitte and Md bred Juvenile Championship) between them.

4:17 p.m. Central - Gulfstream - 10th race - 48th Canadian Turf Handicap - Juddmonte's Mutual Trust makes 2nd North American start for Bill Mott facing frontrunning Little Mike with Joe Bravo up gunning for their five consecutive win.

4:31 p.m. Central - Turfway - 10th race - 30th John Battaglia Memorial - honoring Turfway race caller Mike Battaglia's father John - former General Manager of Latonia (now Turfway). Six runners with Team Valor's State of Play and John Oxley's maiden Dynamical shipping in from Florida to take on three locals and another good Pa-bred 3 year old Ill Conceived with Smarty Jones connections of trainer John Servis and jockey Sean Elliott.

5:02 p.m. Central - Oaklawn - 9th race - Gazebo - features return of Exfactor to sprinting after disappointing 11th in the LeComte for trainer Bernie Flint.

6:33 p.m. Central - Santa Anita - 9th race - 30th Las Virgenes - Four of eight in here have won stakes but Bob Baffert trained Eden's Moon may go off favorite off maiden win. Very interesting final prep for the Santa Anita Oaks.

7:05 p.m. Central - Santa Anita - 10th race - 12th Kilroe Mile - honoring Jimmy Kilroe - former racing secretary and vice president at Santa Anita - features John Shirreffs trained Mr. Commons breaking from the rail as 4-5 morning line favorite with owner BJ Wright/trainer Mike Pender's first half of the late double - Jeranimo - looming the main danger.

7:35 p.m. Central - Santa Anita - 11th race - 75th running of the Big One - the Santa Anita Handicap - with food trucks in the infield in Arcadia. 13 runners including two shipping in - Twice the Appeal from Oaklawn and Ron the Greek from South Florida. 2nd half of the Wright/Pender double - Ultimate Eagle - will not go off near his prices in last three stakes wins (34-15- 7.5) and may be a running fool but will likely get pressed by someone in here (Gladding, Fiddlers Afleet, Ron the Greek???). Jockey Martin Pedroza rides Ultimate Eagle and will try to win his 2nd Big Cap (Martial Law in 1989) with the longest stint between wins (23 years) - same for trainer Julio Canani who is having his well deserved moment of fame as the inspiration for the Luck character of trainer Turo Escalante. Rafael Bejarano, Martin Garcia, and Victor Espinoza are also gunning for their 2nd Big Cap win. Top jock Joel Rosario looking for first on Gladding as is 46 year old Mike Smith on the tail end of a Hall of Fame career. Trainers Richard Mandella and Bob Baffert are going for their 4th Big Cap win and Doug O'Neill is looking for 3rd and first non Lava Man win.

10:28 p.m. Central - Sam Houston - 9th race - Maxxam Gold Cup - eight starters with 2-1 morning line fans Texas bred Coyote Legend facing shippers from Oaklawn (Steve Asmussen trained and owned Omniscient off allowance win) and Fair Grounds (Al Stall trained and Claiborne/Dilschneider owned Cease off allowance 2nd).

Jottings

Kentucky Gambling

Editor-in-Chief of the Bloodhorse has an editorial in current edition criticizing Kentucky lawmakers for daily to pass legislation allowing public to vote on casino gambling. He points out specifically the vote of Sen Alice Forgy Kerr of Lexington who voted "No".

But Kerr, specifically, said allowing seven casinos—some potentially at racetracks (where gambling already takes place)—was “terrible public policy” that would bring a scourge of “darkness and sin and addiction” on the state. Kerr, who was first elected to public office in 1998, has made no similar claims against the state lottery, which offers its games of chance at 2,913 retailers across the state and online. Why hasn’t she called for a repeal to the lottery? Because she was present at an Interim Joint Committee of State Government meeting Oct. 26, 2011, where she heard Kentucky Lottery Corp. president Arch Gleason report that the lottery had generated $3.55 billion since its inception in 1989 and that $1.66 billion had been directed to grants and scholarships and $20.8 million directed to affordable housing. It would have been a good time for Kerr to speak out against this burden on the state and its people, but if she did, it is not recorded in the committee’s minutes.

Mitchell nails the hypocrisy of state legislators on this issue. The same hypocrisy is seen in Minnesota where Racino legislation is considered a terrible "expansion of gambling" - even though gambling is already occurring at Canterbury Park and Running Aces - yet there is no movement to repeal the Minnesota Lottery. If you oppose gambling, then oppose it everywhere. But you will never see state legislatures repeal their precious lottery money even though it is the worst of all public policies.

Racing in Dubai

It is really hard to get involved in wagering on racing at Meydan due to lack of wagering onsite and dominance by Godolphin and other members of the Maktoum ruling family. Super Saturday (preview of World Cup Day) and Dubai World Cup Day are exceptions but as standard fare, I just can't get excited about racing within such a cloistered environment.

Glad Rags Great Grandson

Racing can only hope that Union Rags makes it to Derby Day so that NBC can tell viewers the great story about Hickory Tree and their foundation mare Glad Rags who won the 1966 One Thousand Guineas at Newmarket. The story of how owner Phyllis Wyeth bought back the colt after originally selling him would rank among the lore of homebred Derby winners like Black Gold, Carry Back, Sunny's Halo and Unbridled.