LEXINGTON, Ky. - Ongoing research by a pair of Clemson University scientists has identified another possible culprit for mare reproductive loss syndrome: the hemlock plant.
Dr. Dee Cross, a professor of animal science at Clemson, and graduate student Sam Gray have been studying the syndrome since May 9 at the request of several large central Kentucky farms. Their work has revealed a high correlation between the presence of poisonous hemlock plants and the syndrome's occurrence.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - University of Kentucky researchers have begun surveying central Kentucky farms in the hope of uncovering factors involved in mare reproductive loss syndrome. The syndrome has killed at least 1,200 early- and late-term fetuses and foals in central Kentucky since April 26.
Researchers said last week they believe cyanide from wild cherry trees caused the abortions, but they are still trying to determine how affected mares became exposed to the poison.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Lane's End stallion Pine Bluff, whose progeny include recent stakes-winner Megans Bluff, will miss the rest of the breeding season after undergoing colic surgery this week at Rood and Riddle. The 12-year-old Danzig stallion was to be shipped back to Lane's End on Thursday.
"He's doing fine," Bill Farish, son of farm owners Will and Sarah Farish, said of Pine Bluff. "But he will be out for the rest of the year. He's recovering nicely."
Farish said that Dr. Scott Hopper performed the surgery.
The thrill of breeding a stakes winner obviously remains fresh for Robert Meyerhoff and Mrs. Allaire duPont, two Maryland icons who were once again in the winner's circle at Pimlico on April 21.
The occasion was Maryland Spring Challenge Day, launched eight years ago to celebrate the state's breeding industry and serve as a complement to the fall's Maryland Million. Four stakes worth a combined $335,000 were offered to runners born in Maryland, and the $200,000 Federico Tesio Stakes, Maryland's top classic prep, carried a bonus of $50,000 for Maryland-bred runners.
LAS VEGAS - Two-year-old racing really starts in earnest in May and June. From coast to coast, 2-year-old racing is in bloom, and this year's freshman sires are already on a tear. It is still very early in the season, and juveniles from big-name, first-crop sires such as Alphabet Soup, Boston Harbor, Louis Quatorze, Top Account, Touch Gold, and Victory Speech are sure to appear at racetracks in the next several months. In the meantime, other freshman stallions are wasting no time establishing themselves as sires of precocious individuals.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A day of stakes for horses bred in California and Florida has been discussed by Magna Entertainment and state breeding officials and could be implemented as early as next winter.
Tenatively titled the Sunshine Cup, the program was unveiled recently to top officials of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association by Frank Stronach, the chairman of Magna Entertainment, which owns Gulfstream Park in Florida and Santa Anita in California.
Undefeated Astrapi, last year's champion New York-bred 2-year-old filly, is being readied for her first start of the year, which is expected to come in the $200,000, Grade 1 Prioress at Belmont Park on July 4.
In the meantime, Astrapi's trainer, Bob Klesaris is getting acquainted with her 2-year-old half-brother, who was purchased last week by Astrapi's owners, Malakasa Farms.
The New York-bred son of Slew the Knight, out of Scotch n' Sound, was purchased Tuesday for $60,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midatlantic 2-year-olds in training sale in Timonium, Md.
Satish Sanan's Padua Stables was until this year mostly a training facility. The change to become one of the area's new stallion stations was made in time for the 2001 breeding season. The stallion trio of Yes It's True, Sasha's Prospect, and Dance Master were the first to arrive on the scene. There will be others come next year, and the graded stakes winner Exchange Rate is among the candidates.
"It went very well," reflected Padua Stable's manager Bruce Hill. "Yes It's True generated well over 200 applications and it was decided to book 100."
Breed speed to speed and most likely you'll get speed.
Add a bit of attitude and a lot of heart and you might get a tough nut like Mysterious Affair, currently the best older mare in Ontario.
A 4-year-old bay, she has won three consecutive races in 2001, including Woodbine's Whimsical and Grade 3 George C. Hendrie Handicaps, and six of her last eight starts dating back to last fall.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - A day of stakes for horses bred in California and Florida has been discussed by Magna Entertainment and state breeding officials and could be implemented as early as next winter.
Tenatively titled the Sunshine Cup, the program was unveiled recently to top officials of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association by Frank Stronach, the chairman of Magna Entertainment, which owns Gulfstream Park in Florida and Santa Anita in California.