A deal to open a casino at Aqueduct is dead again. New York Gov. David Paterson said in a statement issued Thursday that the state's lottery "has concluded that it cannot issue a gaming license to Aqueduct Entertainment Group," the sprawling partnership whose selection in late January by state government leaders to operate the casino sparked criticism and controversy.

Last week, trainer Vladimir Cerin intended to run Cigar Man in the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap. The plan was foiled when Cigar Man did not receive a high enough weight to gain a spot in the 14-horse field. The consolation is a $56,000 allowance race at Santa Anita on Friday.

Ramon Dominguez said it doesn't feel all that long ago when he won his 1,000th career race. It was actually Oct. 8, 2001. Less than nine years later, the 33-year-old Dominguez is nearing his 4,000th career victory.

Jockey Mike Smith, who has been aboard Zenyatta for 11 of her 14 wins, says the 6-year-old mare seems better than she was last year. She will be expected to win again when she makes her 2010 debut in Saturday's $250,000 Santa Margarita Handicap at Santa Anita.

If racing fans are itching to see Rachel, the 2009 Horse of the Year, make her first start since the Sept. 5 Woodward Stakes, just think how ready her jockey, Calvin Borel, must be for Saturday's New Orleans Ladies at Fair Grounds.

The start of another week's racing at Fair Grounds, and what better to greet it than another round of rain? Friday's featured ninth race, an entry-level allowance for fillies and mares, stands a good chance of being switched from turf to dirt.

Trainer Tom Albertrani knows Odysseus is a good horse. He'll get a better idea of just how good when he sends his once-beaten colt up against Super Saver and five other 3-year-olds in Saturday's $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby.