Turf racing provides less than 35 percent of purse money in North American racing, which makes it very difficult for top turf horses to succeed as stallions. That is what makes Kitten’s Joy’s feat of leading the American sire list in 2013 all the more remarkable. Almost 74 percent of the more than $70 million that the progeny of Kitten’s Joy have earned to date has come from races over turf, a powerful bias that the 2004 champion turf male has overcome to rank in the top five on the American sire list each of the last five years.

The popular Ben's Cat, who recently arrived at his new home in Kentucky to begin his retirement, underwent colic surgery Thursday.

The 11-year-old gelding was operated on by Dr. True Baker at the renowned Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington to repair an epiploic foramen entrapment – the displacement of a segment of small intestine through a small hole. He is currently recovering at the clinic.

The Queen’s Plate is worth only listed black type status in the international pattern system because it is restricted to Canadian-breds, but it remains Canada’s greatest and most prestigious race, as well as one of the richest, with a $1 million purse. Despite that munificent prize and because it is a restricted stakes, the quality of the winners of the Queen’s Plate is highly variable. But it is almost certain that this year’s winner, Holy Helena, is a high-class filly by any standard.

Two freshman sires recorded their first stakes wins over the weekend: Animal Kingdom’s Sunny Skies won the Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs, and Surrender Now, by Morning Line, won the Landaluce Stakes at Santa Anita.

It was a fitting result when Danzing Candy won the Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita, as the colt is closely related to Better Talk Now, who died four days prior of complications following colic surgery.

Grade 1 winners Paddy O’Prado and Corinthian have been sold to stand at Evicmen Harasi in Kemalpasa, Turkey.

Paddy O’Prado previously resided at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky., while Corinthian was at Pin Oak Lane Farm in New Freedom, Pa.

Mike Fox had no business winning the 2007 Queen’s Plate.

The blood-bay colt was sputtering at the top of the Woodbine stretch and looked ready to settle for a minor award while pacesetter Alezzandro and heavy favorite Jiggs Coz pulled away to be the only horses with a shot to win the Canadian classic.

Defining a textbook horse who is likely to succeed on dirt or turf can be as simple as glancing at the specimen’s physical makeup and pedigree page. Horsemen, however, remain divided over determining an archetype for synthetic-surface runners.

Grade 1 winners Tizway and Archarcharch have been sold to stand in Korea and will debut there for the 2018 breeding season.

Both stallions previously resided at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky., with Tizway standing for an advertised fee of $7,500 in 2017 and Archarcharch for $6,000. They both debuted at stud in 2012.

Kevin Dickson, formerly the farm manager at Vessels Stallion Farm in Bonsall, Calif., will take the job of farm manager at Barton Thoroughbreds in Santa Ynez, Calif., in August, the farm announced on Wednesday.

Barton Thoroughbreds, owned by Southern California businessman Richard Barton, is finalizing the purchase of Magali Farm, a deal currently in escrow that is expected to close July 31.