One of two companies that applied to slaughter horses and earlier this year was granted a permit to open has now dropped the plan, saying it will focus on beef instead.

Allan Murray, owner of Murmur Farm and Berkley Training Center in Darlington, Md., died August 13 at age 80.

Murray, a native of Havre de Grace, Md., became interested in Thoroughbreds at an early age, attending the races at the town’s eponymous track. He began his breeding operation in 1959, based in Churchville, Md.

While his farm grew to over 100 horses, Murray spent nearly four decades working at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, an army post on the Chesapeake Bay used to test military equipment. He retired in 1989 to focus solely on his breeding operation.

John Stuart, president of Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services, was born into the Thoroughbred world. His mother started the Stallion Service Bureau in 1960 in Virginia with Tyson Gilpin, and before that, she worked for a decade at Liz Whitney Tippett’s Llangollen Farm.

“I grew up to be a bloodstock agent,” said Stuart, 62, who is from Upperville, Va., not far from Paul Mellon’s Rokeby headquarters, which provided one of Stuart’s most memorable sales consignments. “I was lucky to sell the last crop of Mr. Mellon’s yearlings for his estate.”

Due Diligence took command early and never looked back, showing a powerful kick down the stretch to win his debut effort by 7 1/2 lengths on Monday at Saratoga Race Course.

The dark bay or brown War Front colt completed the 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race in 1:02.65 over turf labeled as firm, with jockey Javier Castellano aboard. Due Diligence earned a 73 Beyer Speed Figure in his debut.

Last weekend offered a comparatively light graded stakes schedule in North America compared to what came before and what’s on the immediate horizon, but there was no shortage of star power as reigning Horse of the Year Wise Dan returned to the Saratoga turf in an attempt to score a repeat win in the Grade 2 Fourstardave Handicap, and champion female sprinter Groupie Doll made her first appearance of 2013 in the Grade 3 Gardenia Stakes at Ellis Park, a race she won in 2011.

Few things help build the résumé of a freshman sire like an impressive maiden winner at Saratoga Race Course. When that maiden winner just misses setting a track record in her first start, it’s that much better.

On Sunday, Sweet Whiskey giving her sire, first-cropper Old Fashioned, a notable boost, effortlessly winning a maiden special weight race at Saratoga by 5 1/4 lengths. The bay filly completed the 5 1/2-furlong race in 1:02.81 over a fast main track, threatening the track record of 1:02.52.

Freedom Child, runaway winner of the Grade 2 Peter Pan at Belmont Park in May, emerged from the Jim Dandy with a high suspensory ligament tear in a hind leg and has been retired.

He will stand stud at Country Life Farm in Maryland, according to Terry Finley, president of West Point Thoroughbreds which owns Freedom Child in partnership with St. Elias Stable and Spendthrift Farm. Finley said all three partners will stay in on the horse as a stallion.

The Jockey Club projects another year of declines for the 2014 North American foal crop, with an expected 22,000 foals based on reports of mares bred, down 4 percent from the 2013 estimate.

North American foal crops have been on the decline since 2006, greatly influenced by the market crash of the late 2000s, from which the Thoroughbred industry continues to recover.

The organization also scaled back its projections for the 2012 and 2013 foal crops to 23,500 and 23,000, respectively. Both crops were originally projected by The Jockey Club to be about 24,700.

She’s All In, who is on the brink of $1 million in career earnings after finishing second to Royal Delta in last month’s Grade 1 Delaware Handicap, was among the Oklahoma-bred runners honored at a Friday night gala jointly put on by the Thoroughbred Racing Association of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Racing Commission. The event recognized individuals and horses that led their divisions in Oklahoma-bred earnings in 2012.

A federal magistrate has ordered animal rights groups that won a temporary ban on horse slaughter in the U.S. to post a $500,000 bond to potentially cover revenue lost by the plants during the trial, the Associated Press reports.

If the animal rights groups lose in their legal battle to halt the opening of two horse slaughter facilities in New Mexico and Iowa, the half-million dollar bond will cover the companies’ costs and lost profits for the next 30 days. A federal hearing to decide whether the facilities will be permitted to operate will be held during that time frame.