The breeding season reaches its unofficial halfway point this week, and the last two months have not been an easy time for many Thoroughbred breeding farms in California.

An economy in a recession, combined with the high costs of keeping Thoroughbreds in California, has resulted in many stallions having smaller books of mares this year. The expected cutback in mares bred has led to concern that the state's Thoroughbred crop will fall in coming years and affect the number of racehorses available for the state's two major circuits.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Bob Baffert struck again Tuesday at Keeneland's April 2-year-old sale, taking home his second session-topping colt in as many days.

On Monday, Baffert bought $1.9 million Vallenzeri, the two-day auction's most expensive horse, for new client Kaleem Shah. On Tuesday, he signed for a $475,000 Smart Strike-Private Feeling colt for one of his oldest owners, Mike Pegram, and partners Karl Watson and Paul Wietman of Midnight Lute fame.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - "He finally found a home!"

That was how trainer Bob Baffert put it Monday night after signing the ticket for $1.9 million Vallenzeri, the 2-year-old son of two Horses of the Year: A.P. Indy and Azeri. Vallenzeri became notorious last year when he became the world's most expensive buyback at Keeneland's September yearling sale on a final hammer price of $7.7 million. This time, Vallenzeri's trip to the Keeneland April 2-year-old auction Monday resulted in a sale.

Australia's Inglis Easter select yearling sale ended with steep declines across the board, but sale company officials took heart from a low buyback rate and strong buying activity from major purchasers Darley and Patinack Farm.

The sale ended its three-day run Tuesday with a total of 369 yearlings sold for about $63,232,600, yielding an average price of approximately $171,362 and a median of about $127,800. Compared year to year in the local auction currency, Australian dollars, the gross fell 37 percent, average dropped 36 percent, and median fell 28 percent.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Australia's Inglis Easter yearling sale, the first major select yearling auction of the year, has started with downturns.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Keeneland's April 2-year-old sale, the last major select juvenile auction of the season, was to begin Monday night in Lexington at 7 p.m.

The two-day sale had 145 entries still remaining on Monday afternoon after scratches whittled the catalog down from 216 horses.

Keeneland will stream the two-night sale live on its website at , and HRTV also will broadcast the auction live both nights.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Buyers and sellers will arrive at Keeneland's 2-year-old sale this Monday and Tuesday with a clear view of the 2009 select juvenile season's economic landscape. Based on results from four previous major sales from Florida to California, the select 2-year-old gross sales have been down a combined 34 percent, and the collective average price from all four has dropped 30 percent.

At each sale, figures for gross, average, and median have all been down, with declines roughly from 25 percent to 40 percent.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Spring Hill Farm owner Edward P. Evans used a simple approach when he planned the mating that produced Florida Derby winner and Kentucky Derby hopeful Quality Road: combine quality speed with quality stamina.

Until last weekend, Silic was living a somewhat quiet existence as a stallion at Getaway Thoroughbred Farm in Romoland, Calif.

Business has picked up noticeably since Silic's son Gladiatorus pulled an upset in the $5 million Dubai Duty Free at Nad Al Sheba Racecourse on the undercard of the Dubai World Cup on March 28.

"The phone has been ringing off the hook," said farm manager Nadine Anderson. "We've had interest in standing the horse in the Southern Hemisphere. We're definitely booking a lot of mares."

A Songandaprayer colt topped the work tab Tuesday at the preview for Keeneland's April 2-year-old auction when he worked an eighth in 9.80 seconds.

The dark bay or brown colt sells as Hip No. 23. He is part of the Wavertree Stables consignment and is out of the Storm Bird mare Beach Bunny. The mare also is the dam of winners Smart Bunny and Banyan Tree.