Horse Racing

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With nary a thought to Hamlet, trainer Bob Baffert is currently suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. In his current situation, and in a world where oft-misinformed social media stirs the rumor pot to a boil, there is little he can do. Shakespeare might advise not to "take arms against a sea of troubles. " Baffert's friend Wayne Lukas advises the same, but in straighter language. "Bob will take the high road," Lukas said Thursday. The issue is a prickly one. It has created more Internet buzz than an acre of beehives.

Katie Fitzgerald, a little girl with glasses from Lewisville, N.C., was at Bob Baffert's barn at Churchill Downs, hoping to meet the trainer of Point Given and Congaree, the favorites in today's Kentucky Derby. Baffert obliged, breaking from his busy schedule. Katie, 9, suffers from acute lymphocytic leukemia, and is here because the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted her wish to attend the Kentucky Derby.

1. MARCIANO Odds: 30-1 Jockey: Mark Johnston Trainer: Tim Ritchey Owner: Win More Stable Record: 11 starts-5 wins-3 2nds-0 3rds Earnings: $237,500 Sire: Two Punch (Mr. Prospector) Dam: Pardonable (Magesterial) Comment: As a son of Two Punch, Marciano is the best-named horse in the field. He's also the youngest, having been foaled on May 4, 1998. Trainer Tim Ritchey will have the colt sent by van from his base at Delaware Park, with Marciano expected to arrive at Pimlico about noon today.

Quite the ladies' man, this Mike Smith. He may be bald, he may be just a little guy, and he may be just three years shy of that symbolic male decline age of 50. But put him in the saddle of a filly or mare in a big-money horse race and it is instant mutual love. Friday at Santa Anita, in a $2-million Ladies' Classic Breeders' Cup race that was expected to be the best and most closely contested of all the 15 races in this two-day, $25.5-million thoroughbred extravaganza, Smith guided his current girlfriend, Royal Delta, to a convincing length-and-a-half victory.

Make no bones about it. The location of Seabiscuit's burial is an issue. Friday and Saturday, as many as 100,000 horse racing fans will gather at Santa Anita to watch the Breeders' Cup. Some may wander to the paddock, where a bronze statue commemorates Seabiscuit and his legendary 1940 victory in the Santa Anita Handicap. Seabiscuit was an oft-injured thoroughbred whose gritty races caught the attention of an American public needing domestic heroes during the Great Depression and at wartime.

A professional gambler has been indicted by a federal grand jury in a racetrack scheme that allegedly involved cashing other bettors' tickets and obtaining refunds from false tax returns. The activities of James J. Greulich of Huntington Beach took place at the Del Mar, Santa Anita and Hollywood Park tracks in 1995.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As the Kentucky Derby approaches, consider Dennis O'Neill and Tom Knust as Twin Spires for racehorse Goldencents. The backstretch barns at Churchill Downs were celebrity central Wednesday morning, led by the current biggest celebrity in town, Rick Pitino. He coached Louisville's basketball team to the NCAA title a month ago and now has a shot at an all-time strange daily double - NCAA and Kentucky Derby titles. Pitino owns 5% of Goldencents, an investment of $3,100 made last summer at Del Mar when he heard about the horse and asked in on the action.

It was wedding day for Laura and Wayne Lukas. It was also a sunny summer morning and there were horses to be trained. So Wayne went to Santa Anita to work with his thoroughbreds and Laura to Los Alamitos to work with her quarter horses. When work was done, the couple grabbed a flight to Las Vegas and said their vows. Then they grabbed a flight home. Then they got up the next morning, kissed goodbye and went off to Santa Anita and Los Alamitos. This is a busy time for trainers.

Grand Del Mar resort in San Diego is marking the opening of the Del Mar horse-racing season with a package that includes tickets, racing forms and even two mint juleps. The deal is pricey -- it starts at $475 a night -- but it saves a bit if you're up for a splurge and love the ponies. -- The deal: The Del Mar racetrack , which dates to 1937, opened last week for its 2011 season. The Day at the Races package includes two Stretch Run reserved seats at the racetrack (worth $10)