Etc. . . .

Agence Francaise's annual yearling sale at Deauville finished strongly Wednesday night to post solid overall gains in gross sales as well as average and median prices. The five-day total was 351 sold for $29,978,227, an increase of 13 percent over 2002. . . . Fair Grounds Race Course has renamed the Grade 2 Explosive Bid Handicap after Mervin Muniz, its longtime director of racing and racing secretary, who died this week. The Mervin Muniz Memorial will be run on March 21 next year.