Etc. . . .

Bowman's Band, a multiple stakes winner with earnings of more than $1.1 million, will be retired at the end of the 2004 racing season and stand at the Maryland Stallion Station's new facility, scheduled to open in December. The stud fee has yet to be determined. . . . Seven-year-old Exciting Story, Canada's champion 2-year-old in 1999 and most recently a stallion at Lane's End Texas, was euthanized earlier this month as the result of a "degenerating joint condition," the farm announced Monday. . . . The Thoroughbred Championship Tour, a proposed racing series tied to major events such as the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup, has hired Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association president Dan Metzger as its president and CEO. Metzger also will remain in his position at TOBA. . . . Bernie Thurman, general manager of Bay Meadows, which is operated by Magna Entertainment Corp., has resigned. Thurman, 51, had been general manager of Bay Meadows since 2002 and had worked there since 1976. . . . Heavy rains forced the cancellation of the final three races at Retama Park on Sunday night. The lost races have been brought back as extra races for Friday.