News and notes from around the Thoroughbred racing world, compiled by Thoroughbred Racing Communications, Inc. (TRC) (212.371.5911..)

AUTO RACING MAY COME TO ATLANTIC CITY RACE COURSE
Atlantic City Race Course Chairman Robert Levy confirmed that he is looking into alternate uses for the New Jersey horse racing facility and that one of those being considered is auto racing. In an article that appeared in the Sunday, April 7 issue of the 'Press of Atlantic City' newspaper, Levy said negotiations are underway to bring auto racing to the McKee City racetrack three weekends a year beginning as early as 1997. The current plan does not call for the replacement of horse racing with auto racing. The Atlantic City Racing Association hopes to create a mutually beneficial arrangement, similar to that of Dover Downs in Delaware, which has five months of live harness racing and two Winston Cup NASCAR races.

Levy acknowledged that he already has the zoning permits for the architectural changes necessary for auto racing and that a decision could come as early as next week. 'We're talking to two different groups and it will involve some sort of merger,' Levy was quoted in the 'Press.' 'It's in the lawyers' hands right now so it's a little delicate.' IndyCar racer and former Atlantic City Race Course board member Roger Penske is an adviser to Levy on the merger discussions but is not one of the entities involved. Levy refused to identify the auto racing groups involved in the discussions.

Levy is looking into alternate uses for the facility because the track has overpaid purses by $1.8 million over the past two years and in January it lost the $2 million 'infringement fee' paid annually by area casinos.

CIGAR'S BIRTHDAY IS THURSDAY
Happy birthday wishes to 1995 Horse of the Year Cigar, who will turn six on Thursday, April 18. The champion, who is North America's all- time leading money-earner with $7,669,015, was foaled at Country Life Farm in Bel Air, Md. Cigar is attempting to break Citation's win streak of 16 races and has won 14 consecutive races so far.

DELAWARE PARK LIVE MEET WITH SLOTS OPENS SATURDAY
Delaware Park opens Saturday and will offer its first live card since the introduction of slot machines last December. The 130-day meet begins with a 20 percent increase in purses over last year, attributable to the slot machine revenues. Live racing is conducted every Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday and will run through Nov. 10. The Wilmington, Del., racetrack will also offer its popular 'Racing 101' school April 20 and 27. The program will feature handicappers, trainers, jockeys and racetrack personnel who will educate novice handicappers on how to read past performance charts and speed figures, the value of pedigrees and money management strategies for bettors. The cost of the program is $20 for both sessions and includes lunch and an official track program for both days. To register call the racetrack at (302) 994-2521 extension 363.

EQUIBASE SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH ON-LINE ENTERTAINMENT PROVIDER
Equibase Company, the Thoroughbred industry's central database of racing information, has signed an agreement to provide extensive electronic racing data to You Bet International, Inc. ('You Bet!'), developers of an on-line service designed to give personal computer users the ability to experience, in the comfort of their home, the interactive aspect of horse racing that makes it unique as a sporting event. In a joint announcement by the two organizations, Equibase President Alan Marzelli called the agreement a step into the future which further enhanced the company's goal of bringing Thoroughbred racing information to a wider market.

'This is just one example of how the existence of Equibase makes it possible for today's fast-moving advances in communications technology to be taken and used to re-shape the way racing can be brought to a potentially enormous new market,' said Marzelli. 'One of the main reasons behind the company's formation six years ago was to make racing information easier to understand and more accessible than it had been in the past. Having an industry-owned database makes this possible, and providing instant information to consumers through this progressive new on-line system is another step in our continued efforts to do so.'

Beginning this winter 'You Bet!' will use its proprietary interactive simulcast technology to deliver live racing, with powerful handicapping tools and up-to-the-minute on-line information.

'We are proud to bring the elite guardian of racing information to the leading edge of on-line entertainment,' said 'You Bet!' Executive Vice President-Racing, Steve Molnar. 'Our alliance is the evolutionary step that will reach the generation that racing missed. 'You Bet!' is honored to help shape the future of the sport of kings. '

'You Bet!' International is a publicly-held on-line entertainment company headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. Established in 1990, Equibase Company is a partnership between The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America.

ABC TO TELECAST TRAVERS STAKES
The Travers Stakes from Saratoga Racecourse, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., will be broadcast on a special edition of ABC's 'Wide World of Sports, ' Saturday, Aug. 24. The program begins at 3:30 p.m. (ET); post time for the Travers Stakes will be 3:36 p.m. A recap of the race will also air on ESPN from 6:00-7:00 p.m. during a 'Racing to the Breeders' Cup' telecast.

LOUISIANA DOWNS REWARDS CHILDREN WITH FREQUENT VISITOR PRIZES
Louisiana Downs is has announced a frequent-visitor program for children, which rewards youngsters for attending the Bossier City, La. , racetrack. With a Kid's Kard, children between the ages of 6-17 earn five points with every visit. Points can be redeemed in the track's Kids Korner for a variety of prizes, including video game tokens, ball caps, food and more. The Kid's Kard will be punched with every visit. At the end of the track's meet, the child with the most visits will receive a $100 gift certificate redeemable at Toys R Us.

ONE MORE LATE TRIPLE CROWN NOMINEE
Triple Crown Productions received the final nomination to the VISA Triple Crown Challenge in the mail yesterday, with a valid March 30 postmark. The newest nominee is Thundering Storm, winner of three consecutive races including the $150,000 Tampa Bay Derby. This latest addition brings the total number of horses nominated to the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes to 361.

DERBY WINNER TO RECEIVE HEADSTONE
The accomplishments of William Walker, an African-American jockey who rode in the inaugural Kentucky Derby in 1875, will be inscribed in stone and placed as a memorial headstone at his now-unmarked grave in a ceremony to be held Monday, April 29 at the Louisville Cemetery, Louisville, Ky. The ceremony will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the cemetery where Walker is buried along with his wife Hannah. The event nearly coincides with the 100th anniversary of Walker's last mount in the Kentucky Derby, May 6, 1896, when he finished seventh aboard a horse named The Winner.

The ceremony will commence with the dedication of the four-foot high, gray granite headstone at the gravesite. The inscription on the headstone will outline Walker's career in racing and will feature a single horseshoe intertwined with roses. It was created and donated by Muldoon's Memorials of Louisville.

Walker, a Kentucky native, was born into slavery in 1860. He began riding at the age of 11 and won his first stakes race as a 13-year- old. Walker, who won the 1877 Derby aboard Baden-Baden, rode in four Kentucky Derbies during his career, including the first three (1875- 1877). Although Walker retired from riding sometime following the 1896 Kentucky Derby, he remained closely involved in the industry. He was considered an authority on Thoroughbred pedigrees and became a trainer and breeding consultant to owner-breeder John E. Madden who bred a total of five Kentucky Derby winners.

ARBITRATOR RULES DIAZ MUST RETURN MAGAZINE ECLIPSE AWARD
The Thoroughbred Racing Associations, 'Daily Racing Form' and the National Turf Writers Association have withdrawn the 1995 Eclipse Award for magazine writing after an independent review of the winning entry submitted on behalf of Stephanie Diaz. The 1995 Eclipse Award for that category will remain vacant and will be listed as such in the future. Allegations of plagiarism prompted review of her work, which appeared in 'Backstretch' magazine. Frank McCulloch, a former newspaper editor and bureau chief with 'Time' magazine was retained as an independent arbitrator at Diaz' recommendation and with the mutual consent of the Eclipse Award's sponsoring organizations. McCulloch determined that the Eclipse Award for magazine writing should be returned, but that Diaz could retain the 1995 Eclipse Award for newspaper writing, which she also won.

RACING ON THE AIR (all times Eastern)

April 11 'Racehorse Digest' 2:30-3:00 a.m. ESPN
April 11 'Racehorse Digest' 1:00-1:30 p.m. ESPN
April 13 Wood Memorial Stakes, Aqueduct, 4:30-6:00 p.m., ABC
April 13 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, Keeneland, 4:00-5:00 p.m., ESPN
April 13 2-Day at the Races, 6:00-6:30 p.m., ESPN2
April 17 'Racehorse Digest' 4:30-5:00 p.m., ESPN
April 18 'Racehorse Digest' 2:30-3:00 a.m., ESPN

RACING TO HISTORY

April 11, 1945: Triple Crown winner Citation, Horse of the Year in 1948, was foaled at Calumet Farm, Lexington, Ky.

April 12, 1873: Fair Grounds, the nation's third-oldest racetrack, began its inaugural meet.

April 12, 1948: After winning seven consecutive races, Citation lost the Chesapeake Trial Stakes by a length to Saggy, but rebounded to post 16 consecutive victories, including the Triple Crown.

April 12, 1969: Jockey Sandra Schleiffers, one of the first female riders in America and a former member of the Sisters of St. Francis convent in Clinton, Iowa, won her first career race at Turf Paradise. Schleiffers subsequently became the first woman to be admitted to the Jockeys' Guild.

April 13, 1913: Hall of Fame trainer Charlie Whittingham was born in San Diego, Calif.

April 15, 1940: With the start of the racing season at Jamaica, New York became the last major racing state to adopt electronic parimutuel wagering, thus eliminating on-track bookmaking.

April 15, 1941: In preparation for the May 3 Kentucky Derby, Whirlaway worked 1 1-8 miles in 1:52 at Keeneland.

April 17, 1955: Ribot, who retired undefeated in 16 starts, won the Premio Emanuele Filiberto by 10 lengths. It was his fifth career victory.

April 17, 1972: Champion filly Ruffian was foaled at Claiborne Farm, Paris, Ky.

April 18, 1970: The New York State Legislature passed a bill enabling off-track betting.

April 18, 1990: Champion Cigar was foaled at Country Life Farm, Bel Air, Md.

April 19, 1952: Native Dancer won his first race, at Jamaica racetrack.

April 19, 1969: Bill Veeck, promoter and president of Suffolk Downs, staged a $10,000 race featuring all female jockeys, then a novelty in racing. Called the Lady Godiva Stakes, the event attracted such riders as Diane Crump, Tuesdee Testa and Robyn Smith. It was Penny Ann Early, however, who won the race -- her first career victory. The previous year, Early had attempted to ride at Churchill Downs, but the male jockeys boycotted and the race was canceled.

April 20, 1949: Jockey Bill Shoemaker won his first race, aboard Shafter V, at Golden Gate Fields, Albany, Calif.

April 21, 1973: In a surprising defeat, Secretariat finished third to stablemate Angle Light and runner-up Sham in the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct, his last start before sweeping the Triple Crown. The following day, Secretariat was found to have had an abscess in his mouth, which may have caused him discomfort while racing.

April 22, 1947: Citation won his first race by 1-2 length, at Havre de Grace.

WEEKEND STAKES

SATURDAY

Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, 3yo, $700,000, 1 1/8M, Grade II, Keeneland
A solid field of seven are entered in a very competitive Blue Grass. Semoran has won all four of his 1996 starts, including the Remington Park Derby March 23. He will meet Nick Zito's Diligence, owned by New York Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner, who won the Unbridled Stakes March 16 at Gulfstream Park and has taken his last three. Another Nick Zito trainee is Louis Quatorze, who was a bad fourth in the Grade I Florida Derby but had two allowance wins previous to that race. He was second in the Grade I Futurity and Hopeful Stakes last year. Ensign Ray was a minor turf stakes winner who was last in the Florida Derby but rebounded to run second in the Grade II Jim Beam Stakes March 30. Others entered are: Draw, second to Diligence in the Unbridled Stakes; Skip Away, second or third in five stakes; and Editor's Note, a D. Wayne Lukas trainee who has been close in top company but hasn't won since Sept. 23.

Arkansas Derby, 3yo, $500,000, 1 1/8M, Grade II, Oaklawn
A field of 12 is scheduled to go to the post, led by D. Wayne Lukas's Grindstone. The winner of the Louisiana Derby March 17, Grindstone has only run twice this year and twice in 1995, winning half his starts. Calexus broke his maiden by 16 1-4 lengths and won an allowance race by six before three straight stakes defeats. Pugnacious won the Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park and has a two-race winning streak. Others entered are: Halo Sunshine, winner of the Golden State Derby at Bay Meadows; Beefchopper, winner of the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park; Zarb's Magic, a Louisiana stakes winner who was second in the Louisiana Derby; Blow Out and Bunker Hill Road, both of whom have been chasing Ide all spring; allowance winners Black Tie Dinner; and maiden winners Jewelled Road, Dynapopper; and Zanferrier.

Wood Memorial Stakes, 3yo, $500,000, 1 1/8M, Grade II, Aqueduct
Kentucky Derby favorite Unbridled's Song is a 2-5 favorite in his final prep before the May 4 'Run for the Roses.' The son of 1990 Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled, Unbridled's Song was second in his first two starts this year before uncorking a powerful victory in the Grade I Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, March 16. His competition may come from Romano Gucci, who has won all four of his career starts, including the Grade III Best Turn Stakes and the Grade II Gotham Stakes, both at Aqueduct. Others entered are: In Contention, winner of the Grade III Cherry Hill Mile at Garden State Park; Feather Box, trained by Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero Jr.; Harrowman, who has run his last three races on the turf; and Secreto de Estado, who is 0- for-4 in the U.S.

Bay Shore Stakes, 3yo, $100,000, 7F, Grade III, Aqueduct
Black Helen Handicap, 3&up (f&m), $200,000, 1 1/8M (T), Grade II, Hialeah

California Derby, 3yo, $200,000, 1 1/8M (T), Grade III, Golden Gate

Lady Hallie Stakes, 4&up (f&m), $100,000, 1M, Sportsman's

San Pedro Stakes, 3yo, $100,000, 6 1/2F, Santa Anita

Whimsical Stakes, 4&up (f&m), $75,000, 6F, Grade IIIC, Woodbine

SUNDAY

Achievement Stakes, 3yo, $75,000, 6F, Grade IIIC, Woodbine

Bold Ruler Handicap, 3&up, $100,000, 6F, Grade III, Aqueduct

Commonwealth Breeders' Cup, 3&up, $200,000, 7F, Grade II, Keeneland

La Puente Stakes, 3yo, $75,000, 1M (T), Santa Anita

Poinciana Handicap, 3&up (f&m), $100,000, 7F, Hialeah

The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com/alauck)