Much has been made, and rightly so, about the European-trained horses being the dominant group in the 2008 edition of the Breeders’ Cup. What has not been noted is the inability of Florida’s Thoroughbred industry in general and Florida stallions in particular to measure up to world standards, as they once did.

In the 25 years since the inaugural BC championship races in 1984, Florida-breds have won 19 races – none in this year’s two-day, 14-race event. Fourteen of the Florida-bred Breeders’ Cup winners were by stallions who stood in Florida when their get won a BC event.

California-based Tommy Town Thoroughbreds has purchased Kafwain privately from Darley Stud and will move the stallion from Darley to Alfred Nuckols Jr.'s Hurstland Farm in Midway, Ky.

Nuckols announced the sale Thursday and said the 8-year-old Cherokee Run horse will stand for $6,500 in 2009.

Tapit, whose first crop included the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, Stardom Bound, will get a hefty fee raise from $12,500 to $35,000 for 2009.

Gainesway Farm in Lexington, Ky., noted Stardom Bound's three Grade 1 wins this year as part of the decision to boost her sire's fee. Tapit, a 7-year-old Pulpit horse, also has sired Laragh, a stakes winner who was third in this year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, and the Grade 3-placed Retap in his initial crop.

Ready's Image, a Grade 2 winner, has retired to stud.

A 3-year-old More Than Ready colt, Ready's Image will stand at co-owner Walmac Farm in Lexington.

Walmac has set his fee at $12,500.

Ready's Image won the Grade 2 Sanford Stakes and the Tremont Stakes last year. He also was runner-up in the Grade 1 Hopeful behind Majestic Warrior and finished third in the Grade 3 Kentucky Breeders' Cup Stakes. This season, he won Belmont's Adjudicating Stakes, beating Desert Key.

Frank Calabrese’s track-record-setting homebred Lewis Michael has retired from racing and is now at Three Chimneys Farm, where he will stand at stud alongside his sire, Rahy, in 2009.

The farm will set a fee for the 5-year-old Lewis Michael in early November.

Lewis Michael is a full brother to champion Dreaming of Anna. He won the Grade 2 Washington Park and Pat O’Brien Handicaps, as well as the Grand Canyon Handicap on turf. He also placed in six other stakes, five of them graded.

Aldebaran, 2003's champion sprinter, will head to Japan for the 2009 season. Darby Dan Farm in Kentucky announced Monday that Aldebaran, a 10-year-old Mr. Prospector horse, has been sold to the Japan Racing Association in a deal brokered by Rollin Baugh.

Aldebaran will stand at the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association Stallion Station.

Aldebaran's first runners are 3 this season. To date, they include Group 3 winner Arcadia's Angle, Graade 1-placed Grace Anatomy, and Japanese stakes-winner Danon Go Go. He stood for $30,000 in 2008.

The veterinarian Dr. Barry Eisaman is a Florida-based commercial breeder and pinhooker who targets the 2-year-olds in training sales. Most of his sales 2-year-olds are yearlings he buys at public auction. A small percentage of his annual cadre of 2-year-olds in training are homebreds. In 2008, Eisaman Equine, agent, cataloged 91 2-year-olds in training for the four Ocala Breeders' Sales auctions.

A weak equine sales market and a poor economy will lead to a quiet two days at the Barretts October mixed sale in Pomona, Calif., on Monday and Tuesday, according to sale management.

"My guess is that it will be a buyer's market," Barretts president Gerald McMahon said. "The breeding stock market on the lower end is very soft. It might be a good time to get some value."

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Alysheba is healthy and preparing for his Oct. 31 official Bluegrass reunion.

The 1988 Horse of the Year returned to Kentucky Oct. 17 after an eight-year stay in Saudi Arabia, where he was a breeding stallion at King Abdullah's Janadria Farm. Before that, he had been on the stallion roster at Lane's End in Versailles, Ky., where he started his stud career after retiring from racing as the sport's then leading money earner, with $6,679,242.

Raffie's Majesty is enjoying perhaps his finest year at stud. The 13-year-old son of the outstanding former state sire Cormorant stamped his season when Stud Muffin won the $250,000 Empire Classic on New York Showcase Day.

It was the third straight year a son of Raffie's Majesty won the nine-furlong Empire Classic, the others being the full brothers Organizer in 2006 and Dr. V's Magic in 2007.

All three were bred by the Majesty Stud of Digby Barrios.