Vote.

- NYRA made a last minute donation of $10,000 to the Senate Democrats through its NY Thoroughbred Racing Industry PAC. Has Charlie Hayward and company been doing a little handicapping of those Siena poll figures?

Governor Paterson joined the Joe Addabbo robocall hit parade. The Governor voted in Harlem this morning, and noted: “I’ve never seen so many people stand on line for so long and be so excited." Kinda like at the track, right?

Mayor Bloomberg waited on line too, though he apparently didn't get up as early as Eliot Spitzer.

- I picked Long Island Handicap winner Criticism ($10.40) on Saturday morning, of course when the traffic on the site is almost non-existent. The only comment I got was this critical piece of news. As Senator Obama has said, his opponents try to make small matters into big issues. And this one really took off, eh?

I was at the Big A on Saturday, my first official appearance at a NYRA track since closing day at Saratoga, and despite my brilliant selection as noted above, I was a victim of my usual rotten luck....among other things, such as, maybe, stupidity?

Didn't notice any changes at the track, nor any nails and hammers flying on the Delaware North racino. I suppose that may have to wait until the state issues the $250 million in bonds, the proceeds of which is to pay for the construction. So it would appear we're in for some more delay.

One thing that was different was immediately apparent when, as I was walking out to the clubhouse apron, I noticed some guy being led away in handcuffs by a plainclothes NYC cop. Yes, the party-ing is over I guess. I've been going to NYRA tracks for over 30 years now, and pot smoking has always been tolerated there; and officially so. I've written a couple of times how I used to see the Pinkertons direct patrons at Saratoga to what then served as the accepted stoner zone, back along the fence facing Siro's before it became part of the enclosed paddock. And man, I can tell you stories from my far younger days (though I think I won't).

So no surprise that I saw a couple of the Rasta guys in a state of shock outside. I mean, they were buggin'; had to be the first time I actually saw their eyes in 30 years. Look, it's about time that NYRA had this cleaned up. They do their thing brazenly and arrogantly in areas filled with kids; and besides, I'm kinda sick of having my air polluted with such consistently low-grade commercial. Just seems to me that there should be some kind of interim step between looking the other way for 30 years, and "you're under arrest." Perhaps something like "Yo, dude, don't do this anymore" would have sufficed.

Perhaps there was a warning, I don't really know. But in any event, in order to help NYC's finest achieve its goal, and to avoid having the court system clogged with those committing minor offenses, I say to those who are so inclined, "Yo, dude, don't do it anymore!"