Etc. . . .

Jim Rasmussen, a leading owner and breeder in Iowa who was instrumental in bringing casino gaming to Prairie Meadows, died of cancer Wednesday at age 66. Rasmussen - who with his wife, Sandra, owned River Ridge Ranch and was the leading owner in Iowa from 1996 to 2002 and the leading breeder from 1996 to 2003 - stepped down earlier this year as chairman of the board of the Racing Association of Central Iowa. . . . Tour the Hive ($6.60) beat the 6-5 favorite, Frankie R's Winner, by a half-length to win the $77,500 Mountaineer HBPA Stakes for the second straight year Tuesday at Mountaineer Race Track. Tour the Hive completed six furlongs on a muddy track in 1:09.34. . . . A $31,000 Trippi filly was the leading seller as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, day three of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's fall mixed auction, sold to Dry Creek Stables by Cashel Stud, agent. Tuesday's second session, topped by a $145,000 Tale of the Cat weanling, grossed $2,442,700 for 138 lots, down from $2,600,500 for 193 last year, for an average price of $17,701 (up 31 percent) and a median of $10,000 (up 20 percent). . . . A pair of yearling colts by Alzao and Night Shift sold for $80,661 at the Tattersalls October sale's second portion, which opened in Newmarket, England, on Wednesday and is to continue through Friday. The session grossed $2,356,529 for 179 lots, with an average price of $13,164 and a median of $8,768.