An Australian court case regarding the use of artificial insemination in Thoroughbred breeding has been revived, following the appeal of a December decision against the practice in regards to the breed’s registry.

The Lumber Guy took top honors at the New York Thoroughbred Breeders’ annual awards banquet for New York-bred divisional champions Monday night, as the Grade 1-winning sprinter was named 2012 Horse of the Year, and he and his connections accounted for six total awards.

Java’s War and Overanalyze captured the two final major Kentucky Derby preps on April 13, each earning 100 points on Churchill Downs’ Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying series. Both horses had accumulated points previously and dwelt in the lower tiers of the leaderboard but assured themselves of a spot in the starting gate for the May 4 classic with their first Grade 1 victories.

An excerpt from Chapter 5 of “Flying Change, a Year of Racing and Family and Steeplechasing,” by Patrick Smithwick.

The late Dr. Tony Ryan would have liked Patrick Smithwick, no doubt about it. Although separated by vast swaths of time and space, they nevertheless shared several essential qualities – fiercely competitive natures, courage, a penchant for risk-taking, a profound love of the Thoroughbred, and a powerful literary bent. They would have known each another in a crowd, anywhere, instantly.

Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom will stand for an inaugural fee of about $40,500, or $38,500 in Australian currency, when he enters stud for the 2013 Southern Hemisphere season. The Leroidesanimaux horse is joining the ranks at John Messara’s Arrowfield Stud, which released 2013 fees for its 10-stallion roster on Sunday.

While the very top of last year’s 2-year-olds-in-training market was devoid of horses who breezed a furlong in under 10 seconds during the presale under-tack shows, a $1.8 million Smart Strike colt put it all together in 2013 and probably will finish the year as North America’s highest-priced juvenile.

A driving victory by Overanalyze in the Arkansas Derby further bolstered the broodmare resume of his dam, Unacloud, who became a multiple Grade 1 producer with the win.

A 16-year-old mare by Unaccounted For, Unacloud has produced six winners from eight foals to race. She is out of the winning Two Punch mare Cloud’s Ambre, and is a half-sister to stakes-placed Bear’s Lightning and Illusoria, who is also a stakes producer.

Punching a ticket to the Kentucky Derby is exciting. Doing so with a homebred is even better, according to owner-breeder Charles Fipke, who watched his Java's War storm down the stretch to win the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Saturday afternoon.

Michelle LeBlanc, DVM, Dip. ACT, a theriogenologist, or reproductive specialist, at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., died on April 13 following a battle with colon cancer. She was 58.

Dr. LeBlanc previously worked as a professor in equine reproduction at the University of Florida. At Rood and Riddle, she conducted research and wrote extensively on mare infertility, placental infections, embryo transfer techniques, and other topics related to equine reproduction.