Two of California's late and most successful sires will be represented by a handful of offerings from their respective final crops in California's major summer yearling auction.

Three yearlings from the final crop of Lucky Pulpit and four from last crop of Unusual Heat are among the 86 cataloged for Barretts select yearling sale, set for Tuesday, Aug. 28 at Del Mar. 

Perennial leading sire Tapit’s stud fee rose to $300,000 at Gainesway Farm in 2015, making him the most expensive stallion in North America. The first foals conceived on that fee are juveniles of 2018, and Tapit recorded his fourth winner from this crop when Nitrous posted an impressive maiden victory on the first Saturday card of the Saratoga meet. The colt was given a 75 Beyer Speed Figure for the win.

Brill was a seven-figure purchase as a yearling last summer, and indicated that she is prepared to live up to high expectations with an impressive debut victory on opening day at Del Mar.

Into Mischief was among the leading juvenile sires of 2017 by a number of measures, and is again establishing a stellar season with his young runners, standing out on both coasts as Del Mar and Saratoga opened their boutique summer meetings over the past week.

Into Mischief’s son Sombeyay won the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes on the first Saturday of the Saratoga meet. Later that evening, the Spendthrift Farm stallion’s Rowayton won a maiden special weight at Del Mar.

Lady Aurelia, champion 2-year-old in Europe for 2016, has been retired from racing, leaving trainer Wesley Ward’s barn at Keeneland late Wednesday morning to begin life as a broodmare at Stonestreet Farm.

Lady Aurelia was bred by Stonestreet, where she was foaled and raised, and was owned by a partnership between Stonestreet and Peter Leidel. She’s retired with a record of 5-2-1 from 10 starts and earnings of $834,945.

Honour and Glory, a Grade 1 winner by Relaunch who has stood the last five years in Uruguay, died on Tuesday at Haras Rapetti stud farm in Uruguay after fracturing his femur, according to South American news reports. The stallion was 25.

Honour and Glory won four graded stakes, including the 1996 Metropolitan Mile, during two seasons of racing, retiring with a record of six wins from 17 starts. He was the early pacesetter in the 1996 Kentucky Derby before finishing 18^th.

In an era dominated by commercial breeders, building female families over decades is almost a lost art. With precious few private breeders left, female lines jump from one breeder to the next as success on the racetrack often results in sale for a profit in the broodmare market.

For most of the last 60 years or so, the male line of America’s greatest racehorse Man o’ War has been in serious jeopardy of extinction.

Man o’ War’s best son, 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral, was a great sire, leading the American sire list in 1945, but War Admiral’s best son, 1949 champion 2-year-old Blue Peter, died before going to stud, and none of his other sons made much impression at stud.

Multiple Grade 1 winner Oscar Performance will retire to his birthplace, Mill Ridge Farm in Lexington, Ky., at the end of this racing season to begin his stud career in 2019.

Oscar Performance, by leading turf sire Kitten's Joy, races as a homebred for John and Jerry Amerman. He is out of their stakes-winning homebred Devine Actress, a Theatrical mare who resides at Mill Ridge.

Queen’s Plate heroine Wonder Gadot added another feather to sire Medaglia d’Oro’s cap, and her Plate victory on Saturday did so in fitting style. Not only is she the latest standout filly for the Darley stallion, but she also displays his hallmark versatility.