Etc. . . .

Recently retired Patricia Cooksey, the second-leading female jockey by victories, has been named winner of this year's Mr. Fitz Award, given by the National Turf Writers Association for typifying the spirit of racing. Also honored by the group were trainer Noble Threewitt for meritorious service to racing and Steve Haskin for lifetime excellence in turf writing. . . . MI Developments, the real-estate company that has made a $285 million bid for the outstanding shares of Magna Entertainment Corp., the racetrack company, announced Tuesday that Andrew Blair "will cease being MID's executive vice president and chief operating officer effective immediately." The announcement came two weeks after MID's CEO, Brian Tobin, quit after 5 1/2 months at the company.