The USA Olympic basketball team brought it every night and couldn't wait to drop the hammer on Spain for the Gold medal and now the California Horse Racing Board is doing the same thing with the enforcement of the 'no steroid' rule coming into effect at the end of the Del Mar meeting.

With quotes like this from Dr. Rick Arthur, the equine medical director for the CHRB, the line has been drawn in the sand.

Arthur: "But these trainers have to realize the gravy train is over."

The 'gravy train' is the grace period that was in effect so there would be an easy transition to a 'no steroids' world and some trainers decided to ride the steroid era for all its worth before it came to and end.

What this means to horse bettors is that they have to be very careful to back trainers that have been identified for overly using steroids.

The journeymen guys, the old-school trainers on the grounds, just may all of a sudden start winning races since the field will be on an even keel.

How still will the penalties be? Starting September 4 any positive test for steroids is a Class 3 violation with a minimum 30-day suspension, a fine of up to $10,000 and a forfeiture of purse.

This will hit not only the trainers, but also the owners, in the pocket book.

RAKED OVER

When the synthetic surfaces first came into play, one of the pluses was supposed to be that they required little maintenance.

That has not proven to be the case as the synthetic has been tinkered with more ofter than a Walt Disney character.

The main surface at Del Mar has played much faster than last year but there is one thing that horse bettors should look to in the final week of the week.

Horse bettors that dabble at Del Mar should be aware of things the workers do for the track as it can have a profound effect on results.

Del Mar has told its horsemen that the Polytrack will be power harrowed and tilled on Tuesdays, the track's dark day, about every 3 weeks.

Two weeks ago, the track did the same kind of maintenance and it resulted in slower times the next racing day. The last time it was worked on in this way was on August 5 and as the day went on during the August 6 card, speed was not holding anywhere near as well as it did early in the afternoon.

The maintenance schedule calls for the next and possibly final renovation on August 26 and horse bettors should expect the main surface to play a bit sluggishly on that next racing day.

UNFLOWING LAVA

Horse bettors are going to miss Lava Man and not because he was the greatest claim of all time and then went on to earn over $5 million but because he has been a pure bet against for months now.

There is nothing like being right about a false favorite and Lava Man just did not have it in recent runs.

He only won one of his last 9 races and that win came by a nose. Sharp horse bettors that were against him saw him contiunally get hammered at the window as he went from 4 to 5 to 5-1 in that 9-race span.

When horse bettors can get a handle on a false favorite, often times on runners that are taking big drops in class, it can be the best of times at the windows to tee it up on the other logical contenders.

NOTES ON A PROGRAM

'After Midnight' is a rock song written by J. J. Cale and although the beautiful laidback boogie feel of the song is a soulful rocker, cagey horse bettors should have their mind on another kind of nocurnal blur named Midnight Lute.

Named for the University of Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson, Lute worked 7 furlongs at Del Mar on August 7 and he did something that very rarely happens, he broke the track record in the morning.

The drill was accomplished in 1:21.60 and the record is held by Lethal Heat at 1:22.46.

Heat, of course, will maintain the record since it was recorded in a race, but horse bettors must circle Lute and double down with he shows up in the entries.

Midnight Lute had options but instead of racing in the Forego at Saratoga on August 30 he went in the Pat O'Brien last weekend at the beach and he had a horrible trip.

He acted up at the gate, didn't break sharply, and basically never had a chance.

When it was over, the clock struck midnight for Lute and Chicago invader Lewis Michael was left standing.

Lute has won on the synthetic and it might be wise not to dismiss him if he shows up Breeders' Cup Day.