Andy Serling of NYRA writes with some updates/info on recent topics.

Commenter LJK wrote on Monday to call attention to Conformondi, who went down after winning at Aqueduct last week; he said that it looked “catastrophic,” but Serling tells us that the horse only stumbled, and got up and walked off the track on his own. Good news, and thanks for sharing it with us.

In the same post, I noted the scrambling of the keypads on the betting machines; according to Serling, a customer recently raised the question of security, and thus the numbers have been moved around randomly to prevent PIN theft. Seems to me that the PIN without the card is of little use, but I suppose anything that makes people feel more secure about their money is a good thing.

This Saturday is the Belmont Child Care Association’s holiday party at Anna House, at which the children who attend Anna House can choose Christmas gifts to give to their family members. Anyone interested in donating can contact me or the BCCA directly.

In the market for a racing-related holiday gift? You’ve got your choice of two movies. The Hennegan Brothers’ The First Saturday in May, about the road to the 2006 Kentucky Derby, is available from their website, and John Corey, director of Lost in the Fog, writes to say that that film is now available on DVD. Corey will be appearing on Riders Up, Vince Francia’s show out of Turf Paradise, this Sunday morning at noon (Eastern time) on KXAM 1310AM, which can be streamed online. I’ve seen these movies and can offer a very enthusiastic thumbs up to both—excellent gifts for the racing fans in your life.