Defrere, New Jersey’s leading sire by progeny earnings all but one year from 2003 to 2015, died Tuesday following a paddock accident at Snow Hill Farm in Paris, Ky., where he resided as a pensioner. He was 25.

Thoroughbred Daily News initially reported the story.

The son of Deputy Minister was bred in Kentucky by Due Process Stable, and is a full brother to champion juvenile Dehere. He ran as a homebred for his brief on-track career, winning 3 of 5 starts for $65,300 and finishing third in the in the Bahamas Stakes at Hialeah Park.

Led by classic sire Curlin, whose fee remains unchanged at $150,000, Hill 'n' Dale Farm has released its roster and advertised fees for the 2018 season.

Mr. Big, a winning son of Dynaformer, will relocate to Harris Farms in Coalinga, Calif., for the 2018 breeding season and will stand for an advertised fee of $6,500. The 14-year-old stood the most recent season at E.A. Ranches in Ramona, Calif., for $6,000.

Mr. Big has sired five crops of racing age consisting of 16 foals. Eight of them are winners, and his runners have amassed earnings in excess of $1.2 million. Big Score, a Grade 3 winner, highlights Mr. Big’s progeny, along with Grade 3-placed Big Book and five-time winner Big Break.

Barbara D. Livingston

Classic Empire retires with 5 wins from 9 starts and earnings of $2.5 million.

The roller-coaster career of champion Classic Empire has come to an end, with Coolmore's Ashford Stud announcing Wednesday that the colt has officially been retired and will enter stud in 2018.

Coolmore announced days following Classic Empire's runner-up effort in the Preakness Stakes - which turned out to be his final career start - that it had inked a deal to stand John Oxley's Pioneerof the Nile colt upon retirement.

Coady Photography

Madefromlucky's biggest victory came in the Grade 2 West Virginia Derby.

Madefromlucky, a Grade 2 winner, has been retired from racing and will enter stud at Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City, Md., for the 2018 breeding season.

A fee will be announced for the 5-year-old son of Lookin At Lucky at a later time. Northview Stallion Station is currently in the process of syndicating the horse.

“Madefromlucky has a combination of racing ability and pedigree that we just could not pass up,” said Northview president Richard Golden.

Michael Burns

Blond Me, by Tamayuz, wins the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine.

The Fappiano, Smart Strike, Gone West, Forty Niner, Seeking the Gold, and Machiavellian branches of the Mr. Prospector male line are all recognized as major players on the international stage, but male-line descendants of Mr. Prospector’s 1988 champion sprinter Gulch have not earned the same panache. Thus, it was interesting to see granddaughters and great-granddaughters of Gulch win two of the biggest races in Canada over the weekend.

Barbara D. Livingston

Inside Information in 2015.

Hall of Famer Inside Information died Saturday at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., from natural causes due to old age. She was 26.

The daughter of Private Account was born at Claiborne Farm as a product of the vaunted breeding program of Ogden Mills Phipps. She was later placed in the barn of trainer Shug McGaughey to run as a homebred for Phipps.

Emily Shields

Bird Song wins the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes in May.

Grade 2 winner Bird Song will enter stud at Gainesway in Lexington, Ky., for the 2018 breeding season at an advertised fee of $5,000.

The 4-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song retired in September with five wins in 14 starts for earnings of $512,707. He won the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes and Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper Stakes and finished in the money in the Grade 3 Hal’s Hope and Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes.

Bird Song raced as a homebred for Marylou Whitney Stables and was trained by Ian Wilkes.

Sinndar, the only horse to have won the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in the same season, has been pensioned from stallion duty in France.

The 20-year-old son of Grand Lodge raced as a homebred for the Aga Khan and stood as his property at Haras de Bonneval for an advertised fee of $4,137 (3,500 Euros) during the 2017 season. He has been moved to Haras d’Ouilly in Normandy to reside with fellow Aga Khan pensioner Dalakhani, who was retired from stallion duty last year.

Grade 1 winner The Factor will stand the 2018 breeding season at one of the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders Association’s farms on a one-year lease.

The 9-year-old son of War Front entered stud at Lane’s End in Versailles, Ky., in 2013, and has resided there for each of his Northern Hemisphere seasons. He was advertised in 2017 for $25,000.