One needs to look no further than the Pennsylvania-bred stakes schedule for a sign of the impact slot-machine revenue has on racing in Pennsylvania.

In 2008, a record $3.3 million was allocated for restricted stakes, quadrupling the amount available just two years earlier. With more than 40 stakes offered at Philadelphia Park, Penn National, and Presque Isle Downs last year, statebred runners had opportunities galore. The result? A new high mark of statebred stakes winners in a single year, with 48 Pennsylvania-breds gaining stakes success.

Barretts launches a reduced 2009 sale calendar on Monday with a one-day mixed sale preceded by moderate expectations. Recent mixed sales in other parts of the nation have seen declines in revenue caused by a troubled economy.

The Barretts January mixed sale has a main catalog of 314 horses and a supplemental catalog of 19 horses. The sale, which begins at 11 a.m Pacific in Pomona, Calif., includes broodmares, horses of racing age, yearlings, 2-year-olds, and a few stallions.

Proud Tower Too, winner of the 2006 Dubai Golden Shaheen who returned to training last fall at Sunland Park with his connections hoping for another appearance in that Group 1 race, has been retired and will stand at stud this season in New Mexico, his trainer, Sal Gonzalez, said on Wednesday.

It will be the second retirement for Proud Tower Too, who in 2007 was sidelined with a tendon injury.

"He came up with some filling in it, and we decided to stop on him," Gonzalez said Wednesday. "We're going to stand him in New Mexico, and maybe next year he'll stand in California."

Breeders' Cup will allocate $5 million to its supplemental stakes program for distribution in 100 races at 40 tracks in 2009, the Breeders' Cup said in a release on Tuesday.

The $5 million amount is identical to the amount that Breeders' Cup distributed in 2008. In late December, the board of the Breeders' Cup voted to suspend the program for at least one year because of budgetary concerns, but the board restored the program after many breeders who nominate their foals to the organization raised complaints.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Overbrook Farm pensioned its great sire Storm Cat earlier this year due to declining fertility, but the 26-year-old horse's breeding career apparently isn't entirely over.

Quarter Horse breeders have the opportunity to breed to Storm Cat through artificial insemination, which is allowed under Quarter Horse registry rules but not for Thoroughbreds. Storm Cat, whose stud fee peaked at $500,000 during his highly successful breeding career, will have a $20,000 live-foal stud fee for Quarter Horses and will probably cover between 10 and 20 mares.

Access Fee's convincing victory in the $50,000 What a Summer Stakes at Laurel Park last Saturday ended a long dry spell for prominent Maryland owner/breeders Sondra and Howard Bender.

The Benders - Maryland's leading breeders for three years running from 2001 to 2003 - endured frustrating seasons in 2007 and 2008, when their stable, composed almost exclusively of homebreds, failed to win a single stakes.

With Sez Who Thoroughbreds leading the way, six state breeders topped the $1 million mark in progeny earnings for 2008.

With earnings of $3,808,152, Sez Who Thoroughbreds topped the state list for the fourth consecutive year.

Its leading earner was Ahvee's Destiny at $139,010. The daughter of Sez Who Thoroughbred stallion Rizzi captured the Mechanicville Stakes at Saratoga last summer. She is out of Love Destiny, a daughter of Silver Deputy, who also produced New York Stallion Stakes winner Accurate.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Thank goodness horseman Barry Abrams has a team of California-breds bound for the Sunshine Millions races at Gulfstream Park next Saturday. Otherwise, the state would barely be represented in four of the eight races in the lucrative series for California-breds and Florida-breds.

Peppers Pride, who on Thursday was retired with a perfect 19 for 19 record, will be bred to Tiznow, her owner, Joe Allen, said Friday. He said Peppers Pride is scheduled to be shipped from New Mexico to Kentucky around Feb. 1.

Tiznow stands at WinStar Farm in Versailles, Ky., which played a role in the decision.

"We like the horse and we like the fact that he's getting runners," said Alen, who also bred Peppers Pride. "Plus, we like the fact that WinStar has been very good to New Mexico."

Thoroughbred owner and breeder William Carl, founder of the equine insurance specialist Old Colony Insurance Service and owner of Wakefield Farm, died Jan. 12 at age 78.

A funeral service is to take place Thursday at 11 a.m. at Second Presbyterian Church, 460 E. Main Street, in Lexington, Ky. Visitation was set for Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at Milward on Broadway in Lexington. Memorials are suggested sent to Second Presybterian Church or to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Secretariat Center at 4089 Iron Works Pike, Lexington, 40511.