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

FLORIDA HOUSE COMMITTEE PASSES BILL FOR RACING
Full-card simulcasting, entree for the Breeders' Cup to return to south Florida, cardrooms and a tax-break for the parimutuel industry may become a reality for the beleaguered Florida racing industry, after the Florida House Finance and Tax Committee passed a bill approving them, Tuesday, April 23. The bill now goes to the House Appropriation Committee, with little time to spare: the legislative session ends on Friday, May 3.

The bill originally was to be voted on April 18, but two amendments were attached, which would have allowed Hialeah Park to run winter dates in alternating years and killed the clause enabling the establishment of card rooms. The Committee voted down both amendments.

OJC CHANGES RULES ON EXACTA WAGERING
The Rexdale, Ont.-based Ontario Jockey Club, which operates Woodbine Racecourse and Fort Erie Racetrack, has announced it will change the rules governing exacta wagering at its tracks, effective April 26, to facilitate cross-border betting from the U.S.

In an exacta, bettors must select the first two finishers in a race, in precise order. Under the old rules, Canadian bettors could separate horses in an entry for exacta wagering, so that if a two- horse entry finished 1 and 1A, bettors collected on the exacta. An entry consists of horses that have the same trainer or owner, which are usually treated as a single betting interest.

Under the revised OJC rules, if two horses in an entry finish first and second, the exacta payoff will be on horses finishing first and third, in accordance with U.S. rules of wagering.

DERBY FAVORITE UNBRIDLED'S SONG HAS HIS OWN WEB PAGE
Fans of Unbridled's Song can log onto the World Wide Web for news of the Kentucky Derby favorite, who was last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner. The web page is courtesy of Taylor Made Farm and can be accessed at http:slash slash www.napanet.net slash unbridledssong.

Now 'under construction,' the site will feature video, audio and interviews with the favorite's connections.

DERBY WINNER WINNING COLORS PRODUCES HER FIRST COLT
Eleven-year-old Winning Colors, who gave trainer D. Wayne Lukas his first Kentucky Derby victory in 1988, foaled a colt on Monday at Graham Beck's Gainesway Farm near Lexington, Ky. The son of Rahy is the first colt born to Winning Colors, who has produced five fillies. Winning Colors will be bred back to 1990 Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled.

LOUISIANA DOWNS GOING TO THE DOGS WITH THE WEINER DOG NATIONALS
Louisiana Downs will be going to the dogs when the Bossier City, La., racetrack hosts the second annual Weiner Dog Nationals on Saturday, May 11 beginning at 11:00 a.m. Thirty-one dachshunds will be chosen to compete in one of four qualifying rounds. Each race will be a 70- yard dash from the official starting gate to the finish line on the main track. The winners of each heat will receive a limited-edition Weiner Dog Nationals T-shirt and will return to face 'Dicey,' winner of last year's inaugural Weiner Dog Nationals. Dicey is owned and trained by local jockey Shane Romero. Fans will be encouraged to place $2 wagers, which will serve as donations to Animal Welfare, Inc. , a local humane shelter.

MONMOUTH PARK'S REPLAY SHOW TO AIR ON SPORTSCHANNEL N.Y. The races from Monmouth Park, Oceanport, N.J., will be beamed into New York living rooms with the debut of a race-replay show on SportsChannel beginning on the track's opening day, Saturday, May 25. The show will air nightly from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. during the 73-day meet, which concludes on Labor Day, Sept. 2. 'We're delighted to add Monmouth Park to our racing line-up, as SportsChannel continues to offer the best in local Thoroughbred and harness racing,' said Mark Shuken, SportsChannel vice president and general manager.

RACING COMMISSIONERS TO HONOR PAULSON
Allen Paulson, who elected to keep his star Thoroughbred racehorse, Cigar, in training for 1996 rather than send him to stud, will be honored with the William H. May Award, presented by the Association of Racing Commissioners International during its annual meeting, May 10-14 in Banff, Alberta. Paulson, according the ARCI, 'bucked the trend of owners sending prize horses to stud during the prime of their racing careers.' The May Award is voted on by a committee of ARCI officers and past chairmen.

TIDBITS AND TRIVIA FOR THE 122ND KENTUCKY DERBY
Favorites: The Derby favorite has finished last five times: Alard Scheck (1901); Abe Frank (1902); Proceeds (1904); Total Departure (1983) (part of a three-horse D. Wayne Lukas entry); and Demons Begone (1987). There have been 47 favorites who have won, although none has been victorious since Spectacular Bid, who went off at 3-5 in 1979.

Undefeated going in: Fourteen horses in modern times have been undefeated entering the Derby with only four emerging unblemished after the race (Regret, 1915; Morvich 1922; Majestic Prince, 1969; Seattle Slew, 1977).

Longshots: Twenty-six Derby horses have went off at odds of 100-1 or greater; none has finished in the money. The closest to glory was King Celebrity, who ran fourth in a field of 10 in 1979 at odds of 112.40-1, missing third money by 1 3-4 lengths. The highest-priced winner was Donerail, who paid $184.90 in 1913. The last 100-1 shot was Fighting Fantasy who finished 15th and last in 1990 at 111.30-1.

Winning colors: There have been 56 bay, 39 chestnut, 17 dark bay or brown, four black, four gray and one roan horse to win the Derby.

Letters: There have been 15 triumphs by horses whose names started with S, making it the most popular letter among Derby winners. Next is B (11), C (10) and A (8). There has never been a Derby winner whose name started with a Q, X or Y. No horse whose name has started with an X has ever run in the Derby.

Margins: The widest margin of victory was eight lengths, by Old Rosebud (1914), Johnstown (1939), Whirlaway (1941) and Assault (1946). The narrowest margin of victory was a nose, by Spokane (1889), Azra (1892), Ben Brush (1896), Alan-a-Dale (1902), Brokers Tip (1933), Iron Liege (1957) and Tomy Lee (1959).

Fillies: Thirty-six fillies have started in the Kentucky Derby with three winning: Regret (1915), Genuine Risk (1980) and Winning Colors (1988). The last to run was Serena's Song, who finished 16th in 1995.

RACING ON THE AIR
April 25 'Racehorse Digest' 2:30-3:00 a.m., ESPN
April 25 'Racehorse Digest' 1:00-1:30 p.m., ESPN
April 27 Kentucky Derby Preview, 4:40-6:00 p.m., ABC
April 27 Kentucky Derby Trial 5:00-5:30, ESPN2

RACING TO HISTORY
April 26, 1853: En route to becoming England's first Triple Crown winner, West Australian won the 2,000 Guineas, the first of three races that comprise England's Triple Crown.

April 26, 1916: Sir Barton, the first winner of the Triple Crown, was foaled at Hamburg Place, Lexington, Ky.

April 26, 1961: Eclipse Award-winning jockey Jose Santos was born in Concepcion, Chile

April 27, 1943: Charles Dickey, one of the first jockeys to don a Navy uniform during World War II, was reported killed in action.

April 27, 1973: At Churchill Downs, Secretariat worked six furlongs in 1:12 3-5 in preparation for the May 5 Kentucky Derby.

April 29, 1976: The State of Connecticut opened its own betting parlors in 11 communities.

April 30, 1941: Jockey Eddie Arcaro rode four winners out of five mounts at Jamaica racetrack before leaving for Churchill Downs to ride Whirlaway in the Kentucky Derby.

April 30, 1989: Bill Shoemaker won his 1,000th stakes race, guiding Charlie Whittingham-trained Peace to victory in the Premiere Handicap at Hollywood Park.

May 1, 1943: Count Fleet won the 'street car' Kentucky Derby, for which no tickets could be sold to out-of-town spectators due to wartime travel restrictions.

May 1, 1948: H.A. 'Jimmy' Jones, son of Ben A. Jones, stepped aside as the trainer of Citation, allowing his father to be named the colt's official trainer in the Kentucky Derby. Ben Jones was attempting to match the record of H.J. Thompson, who had trained four Derby winners. Citation did win and Ben A. Jones subsequently won two additional derbies, in 1949 and 1952, to set the mark for most number of wins in the Run for the Roses, six. Jimmy Jones was named as Citation's trainer in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, however, giving the Jones family a Triple Crown sweep.

May 1, 1960: Steve Cauthen, the last jockey to sweep the Triple Crown races (in 1978) was born in Covington, Ky.

May 2, 1904: Mrs. Charles Durnell became the first woman to own a Kentucky Derby starter and winner when longshot Elwood took the 30th Run for the Roses. Elwood, the only Missouri-bred to win the Kentucky Derby, was also the first Derby winner to be bred by a woman, Mrs. J.B. Prather.

May 2, 1934: Triple Crown winner War Admiral was foaled at Faraway Farm, Lexington, Ky.

May 2, 1953: Native Dancer suffered his only defeat in 22 starts. He finished second in the Kentucky Derby as the 7-10 favorite, beaten a head by a 25-1 shot, Dark Star. Going into the Derby, Native Dancer had 11 consecutive wins.

May 2, 1970: Diane Crump became the first female jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. Her mount, Fathom, finished 15th in a field of 17.

May 2, 1973: In his last workout prior to the Kentucky Derby, Secretariat went five furlongs in :58 3-5.

May 3, 1769: Namesake of racing's annual awards, Eclipse made his first public appearance in a heat race at Epsom, England. The chestnut won his first trial easily, prompting gambler Dennis O'Kelly to predict 'Eclipse first, the rest nowhere' at the start of the second heat. O'Kelly's forecast was correct. Eclipse won the second 4-mile race by nearly 1-4 mile.

May 3, 1902: Jockey James Winkfield, the last African American rider to win the Kentucky Derby, won his second consecutive Derby aboard Alan-a-Dale. Winkfield headed for Russia the following year, reportedly to ride for the czar. He later rode extensively throughout Europe and became fluent in several languages before retiring at the age of 48. It is believed Winkfield rode as many as 2,300 winners.

May 3, 1952: The first coast-to-coast, network-televised Kentucky Derby aired on CBS. Favorite Hill Gail won the Derby, giving his jockey Eddie Arcaro a record fifth victory in the Kentucky Derby, and his trainer, Ben A. Jones, the record for most number of wins (six). Arcaro's record was matched on this day in 1969 by jockey Bill Hartack. Jones's record has not been equalled.

May 3, 1958: CBS used a 'split screen' for its telecast of the Kentucky Derby, necessitated by the presence of the popular runner Silky Sullivan, who was famous for running far off the pace. Most of the screen was allotted to the main group of runners, with a small corner given over to Silky Sullivan. Although he was one of the favorites for the race, Silky failed to deliver his customary winning drive in the stretch and finished 12th, beaten 20 lengths by the victorious Tim Tam.

May 3, 1969: Jockey Bill Hartack won his fifth Kentucky Derby aboard Majestic Prince, tying Eddie Arcaro's 1952 record. Majestic Prince was trained by Hall of Fame jockey John Longden, the only man to have trained and ridden a Kentucky Derby winner.

May 3, 1980: Diana Firestone's Genuine Risk became the second filly to win the Kentucky Derby. Regret won it in 1915; Winning Colors, in 1988.

May 3, 1986: Charlie Whittingham, at age 73, became the oldest trainer to win his first Kentucky Derby when he sent Ferdinand to victory. Ferdinand's rider, Bill Shoemaker, was the oldest jockey (54) to take the Run for the Roses. Whittingham topped himself in 1989, winning the Derby a second time (at age 76) with Sunday Silence.

May 4, 1898: African American jockey Willie Simms won the second Kentucky Derby of his career when he rode Plaudit to victory. Simms also has the distinction of being the only African American jockey to win the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of racing's Triple Crown, aboard Sly Fox later that same year. Simms is also credited with introducing the short stirrup riding style in England, later popularized by jockey Tod Sloane.

May 4, 1905: Belmont Park opened for its first race meet.

May 4, 1957: Bill Shoemaker, aboard Gallant Man, misjudged the finish line for the Kentucky Derby and stood up in the irons prematurely. Gallant Man lost the race by a nose to Iron Liege. Round Table was third and Bold Ruler was fourth in this historic finish.

May 4, 1968: Dancer's Image became the first horse to be disqualified from the Kentucky Derby because post-race testing revealed an illegal medication. Forward Pass was declared the winner, giving Calumet Farm its eighth Derby winner, a record.

May 5, 1973: Secretariat became the first horse to complete the 1 1-4-mile course for the Kentucky Derby in less than two minutes when he won the 99th Run for the Roses in a record 1:59 2-5 -- 3-5 faster than Northern Dancer's 1964 mark of 2:00 -- to set a track and stakes record that still holds. He ran each successive quarter-mile of the race faster than the previous one, with times of :25 1-5, :24, :23 4-5, :23 2-5 and :23.

Derby Trial, 3yo, $100,000, 1 Mile, Grade III, Churchill

Fort Marcy Handicap, 3&up;, $75,000, 1 1-16 Miles Turf, Grade III, Aqueduct

National Jockey Club Handicap, 4&up;, $250,000, 1 1-8 Miles, Grade III, Sportsman's

Senorita Stakes, 3yo fillies, $100,000, 1 Mile Turf, Grade III, Hollywood

Suffolk Downs Breeders' Cup Handicap, 3&up;, $100,000, 6 Furlongs, Suffolk

A Gleam Handicap, 3&up; (f&m;), $100,000, 7 Furlongs, Grade II, Hollywood

Beaugay Handicap, 3&up; (f&m;), $75,000, 1 1-16 Miles Turf, Grade III, Aqueduct

National Jockey Club Oaks, 3yo fillies, $150,000, 1 1-16 Miles, Sportsman's

San Francisco Mile, 3&up;, $200,000, 1 Mile Turf, Grade II, Golden Gate

Woodstock Stakes, 3yo, $75,000, 6 1-2 Furlongs, Grade IIIC, Woodbine

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