The great Northern Dancer set the standard as a sire of sires for the late 20th century, with his sons Be My Guest, Danzig, Fabulous Dancer, Fairy King, Lyphard, Nijinsky II, Northern Taste, Nureyev, Sadler’s Wells, and Try My Best all leading sire lists in major racing countries. That has proved to be an impossibly high standard for his successors like Mr. Prospector, Danzig, and Sadler’s Wells to match, with his grandson Danehill perhaps coming closest as the sire of leading sires Danehill Dancer, Dansili, Fastnet Rock, Flying Spur, and Redoute’s Choice.

A total of 2,103 stallions covered 37,244 mares in North America during the 2014 breeding season, resulting in 22,104 live foals in 2015, according to figures released Thursday by The Jockey Club.

The live foal count accounts for an increase of just under 2 percent from the previous breeding/foaling season, which produced 21,697 foals in 2014. The Jockey Club estimates that the number of live foals reported so far for 2015 is about 90 percent complete, with final registered foal crop projected at 22,000.

The bellwether Keeneland September yearling sale kicked off its 12-day run on Monday with solid, if not spectacular, returns in the early hours of the opening session.

As of press time, 77 yearlings had gone through the ring in about three hours, with 52 sold for a total of $15,335,000. The average price at that point was $294,904, with a median of $250,000. Last year’s opening session finished with 120 yearlings sold for $33,165,000, an average of $276,375 and a median of $245,000.

Ken and Sarah Ramsey were honored as 2014's National Owner of the Year and National Breeder of the Year at the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association's annual awards dinner Friday night at Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Lexington, Ky. Also walking away with a major piece of hardware were Perry Martin and Steve Coburn, honored as National Small Breeder of the Year.

Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern will be retired at the end of this season to join the stallion roster at Hill 'n' Dale Farm in Lexington, Ky., the farm’s John Sikura announced Friday night.

The 4-year-old son of Offlee Wild remains in training with Bob Baffert and is pointing for the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes on Sept. 26 at Santa Anita.

Grade 1 winner Silver Max has been retired from racing and will debut at stud at Adena Springs North in Aurora, Ontario, for the 2016 breeding season.

The 6-year-old son of Badge of Silver finished his career with 12 wins in 27 starts for earnings of $1,954,738. He earned his signature victory in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile in October 2013, a race that was moved from the turf to the Polytrack and marked the final defeat in the career of two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan.

Green Desert, one of Europe’s top sires, has been euthanized due to the infirmities of old age at Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud in Norfolk, England. He was 32.

The son of Danzig had resided at Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s operation since 1990 after beginning his stud career at Melton Paddocks, another Shadwell property. He was pensioned in 2011.

Green Desert sired 24 crops, with 768 winners and progeny earnings of more than $66.8 million. His progeny includes 46 graded or group stakes winners.

Conduit, the champion turf male of 2008, will relocate to Tullyraine House Stud in County Down, Ireland for the 2016 breeding season, Racing Post reports.

The 10-year-old son of Dalakhani previously stood at Big Red Farm in Hokkaido, Japan, where he entered stud in 2010. He will stand in Ireland for both flat and jumps racing.

Conduit is the sire of three crops of racing age with 63 winners and combined progeny earnings of more than $4.7 million. His runners are led by Japanese stakes-placed Kineo Pegasus.

The offspring of dual leading sire Smart Strike rarely have been noted for their physical beauty. His best son, Curlin, is no exception. He is a big, strong, reasonably correct horse with an impressive shoulder and muscular quarters, and he is sturdy and workmanlike but reminds no one of an Alfred Munnings oil painting.

Charlie Boden has been named stallion season sales director and racing manager for historic Calumet Farm in Lexington, Ky.

Boden previously served as head of sales at Darley’s U.S. base at Jonabell Farm in Lexington, where he managed the careers of stallions including Bernardini, Street Cry, and Medaglia d’Oro over a nine-year tenure.