LAS VEGAS - Kingmambo gets all the press, but watch out for his little brother Miesque's Son.

Kingmambo was the more accomplished runner, winning the Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas), Emirates Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, St. James's Palace Stakes, and Prix Djebel, and has received only the highest-quality mares. With quality runners such as El Condor Pasa, Lemon Drop Kid, and a number of other classic winners in Europe in his first four crops, Kingmambo is among the world's elite stallions.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Last weekend was another showcase weekend for Theatrical and the breeding program of Allen Paulson, as Astra won the Grade 1 Beverly Hills Handicap and Hap won the Grade 3 New Hampshire Sweepstakes. Both were sired by Theatrical and bred by Paulson at his Brookside Farm in Kentucky.

Although Paulson died last year and his estate sold the farm, Gerald Ford bought a large portion of the property and renamed it Diamond A Farm. Theatrical still stands there for a fee of $80,000 live foal.

Twenty years ago the Hyperion line was well represented in Florida. Noholme II and his sons Nodouble and Medieval Man were two of the more popular sires of this line.

Today, the 27-year-old That's a Nice is one of the few Hyperion-line stallions still standing in Florida. A son of the Noholme II stallion Hey Good Lookin, That's a Nice stands at Noel and Bobbie Hickey's Irish Acres Farm. That's a Nice, a graded stakes winner, had a book of six mares this year and all are reported in foal.

Linda Rice had plenty to choose from when she judged the Maryland Horse Breeders Association Yearling Show on June 24 at the Timonium Fairgrounds.

Of the 152 yearlings entered, 132 were exhibited - the second-largest number in the 67-year history of the show.

After nearly seven hours in the ring, Rice selected as grand champion a bay colt by Carnivalay-Miss Rolla Punch, by Two Punch, owned and bred by Frank and Ginny Wright.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A bill that would eliminate the sales tax paid on Thoroughbred breeding stock bought for use in California may be introduced in the legislature in coming weeks.

Sponsored by Assemblyman Mike Briggs of Fresno, the bill was recently categorized as a "two-year bill," which meant it was unlikely to be presented this year but would be considered next year. There was concern that California, which is cash-strapped due to energy concerns, would not support a bill that would reduce taces.

Petrushka, the champion 3-year-old filly in Europe last year, has been sold by Highclere Thoroughbred Racing to Darley Stud for a price "in excess of $5 million," Highclere announced on Friday.

A daughter of Unfuwain out of the Ela-Mana-Mou mare Ballet Shoes, Petrushka was retired earlier this month after running fifth and injuring her right fore tendon in the Group 1 Coronation Cup at Epsom Downs. Her career record was five wins from nine starts, including three consecutive Group 1 victories last year, with earnings of $547,618.

Television Games Network (TVG) will present live coverage of the Keeneland July Selected Yearling Sale July 16-17 from 7-10 p.m. EDT.

TVG will also air video profiles of 60 yearlings as well as races of their sires and/or dams on July 1 in a two-hour program, "The Sales - A Keeneland July Preview."

The preview show, which will air from 10 a.m. until noon, will be rebroadcast July 3, 4, 7, 10, 11, 12 and 14, also beginning at 10 a.m.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - In the late 1980's, veterinarian Cliff Naretto worked occasionally at Westerly Training Center in Santa Ynez, where many foals by Storm Cat were based.

Storm Cat had yet to become one of the world's leading stallions, so Naretto was involved in gelding many Storm Cat males, breeding prospects lost in an effort to promote a stallion on the racetrack.

"With an unproven stallion, and with Storm Cats being tough, they decided to cut them," Naretto remembers. "You're better off with a nice gelding than an unmanageable colt."

LEXINGTON, Ky. - In recent years, medical experts have expressed concern that bacteria are becoming resistant to some of the antibiotics used to combat them. The same issue, to a lesser degree, also has been on the minds of some equine veterinarians and researchers. Now, researchers at Texas A & M University say they might have found a new way of dealing with the resistance problem: by using a protein made by a tiny virus to prevent bacteria from multiplying.

A good horse can come from anywhere. Take, for example, Sunday when the cream of the Canadian-bred 3-year-old crop will start in the 142nd Queen's Plate.

There are homebreds in the field such as Dancethruthedawn, a filly from the legendary Sam-Son breeding program. Her sire, Mr. Prospector, was regarded as one of the world's best before his death and her dam, Dance Smartly, won the Canadian Triple Crown and produced last year's Plate winner Scatter the Gold.