Antony Beck, president of his family’s Gainesway Farm north of Lexington, Ky., sees himself as a steward of some of the Bluegrass country’s most historic and productive land. But the 125-year-old farm isn’t a fusty old museum relic. Inside its unpretentious, old-fashioned office and its graceful barns, Gainesway hums with the purposeful activity of a modern Thoroughbred business. That’s something Beck, 48, takes seriously: keeping the operation commercially successful, especially during the bloodstock business’s recent downturn.

Smarty Jones, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner and champion 3-year-old male of 2004, will shuttle to Uruguay this year for stallion work.

Smarty Jones, sire of Risen Star Stakes favorite Rogue Romance, relocated from Kentucky’s Three Chimneys Farm to Ghost Ridge Farms in his native Pennsylvania last August. Owner Pat Chapman previously has said she did not want Smarty Jones, a 10-year-old Elusive Quality horse, to leave the United States.

Chapman did not immediately return calls seeking comment Thursday.

Keeneland has cataloged 169 horses for its April 2-year-old auction, which will take place on April 11 in Keeneland’s sale pavilion in Lexington, Ky.

The 2011 catalog is 7 percent smaller than last year’s 181-horse catalog and features 2-year-olds by 72 different sires. Notably, it includes a colt from Storm Cat’s three-horse final crop. The colt is out of Grade 1 winner Halo America, by Waquoit. He is a full brother to graded-placed Marino Marini and a half-brother to graded-placed Quick Temper.

Chief Seattle, runner-up in the 1999 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, has relocated to a new farm in Indiana, The Stallion Company has announced.

A 14-year-old Seattle Slew horse, Chief Seattle will stand for $2,500 at Lake Shore Farm in Scottsburg, Ind. Last year was Chief Seattle’s first year in Indiana after several years in New York. he stood the 2010 season at WinRich Thoroughbreds for $2,500. He currently is the state’s leading sire by progeny earnings.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Keeneland has altered the format for its September yearling sale slightly but will keep the night sessions for its first two days in 2011.

A $77,000 North Light colt named Late Night Sky was the inaugural sale-topper Tuesday night at the first Pegasus Training Center 2-year-old auction in Redmond, Wash. The sale sold 17 horses for a combined $633,000.

Sandee and Al Kirkwood purchased the sale-topper, a bay son out of Bernhardt. Kentucky-bred Late Night Sky is the first foal for his dam, a winner by Out of Place and a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Top Commander and stakes placed State Power.

Barretts has cataloged 105 juveniles to its March select 2-year-old sale, which is slated for March 21 at California’s Fairplex Park.

That represents a 28 percent drop in numbers from last year’s catalog of 134, which had gone up in size by 8 percent from the previous year. The 2011 catalog includes juveniles by such sires as A. P. Indy, Congrats, Indian Charlie, Malibu Moon, More Than Ready, Stevie Wonderboy, Tapit, War Front, Wildcat Heir, and numerous others.

Birds do it. Bees do it. Even educated fleas do it. And that’s about as far into the very old song as this writer is willing to go, especially since there is nothing about the mating of two Thoroughbred horses that has anything remotely to do with falling in love.

Just as Well, a Grade 3 winner and multiple Grade 1-placed runner, has been sold for stud duty in South Africa.

South Africa’s Sporting Post has reported that a group of KwaZulu-Natal Thoroughbred breeders has purchased the A. P. Indy 8-year-old from trainer Jonathan Sheppard. Plans call for Just as Well to enter stud at Bruce le Roux’s Spring Valley Stud this year. Agent Alistair Brown brokered the deal.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Unusual Suspect, winner of the Grade 1 Hollywood Turf Cup last November, is in quarantine until late February for an eventual relocation to Australia for stud duty, trainer Barry Abrams said.

Unusual Suspect may race in Australia, though Abrams said that was uncertain. “The trainer there will evaluate him,” he said.