La Traviata, the undefeated 3-year-old filly bound for the Breeders' Cup next weekend, was a surprise arrival at John and Marsha Antonelli's farm in Santa Ynez, Calif., in February 2004.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - John Henry's memorial service took place at his graveside Friday at the Kentucky Horse Park, drawing about 200 people to the Hall of Champions where the Hall of Famer and five-time Eclipse Award winner had lived since 1985.

In a blustery autumn wind, some of the gelding's most prominent fans and some of his connections described him as an inspiration and an icon.

Andromeda's Hero recently arrived at Dutchess Views Farm in Pine Plains, N.Y., where he will stand the 2008 breeding

season.

The Questroyal stallion's fee is $6,000 (live foal stands and nurses).

Andromeda's Hero, a big son of Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus, has already attracted attention.

Calder Race Course's Festival of the Sun is a showcase for Florida's breeding industry. The two richest races of the year for the get of resident stallions, the $400,000 In Reality Stakes division of the Florida Stallion Stakes series, and the $400,000 My Dear Girl Stakes, the filly culmination of the Florida Stallion Stakes series, were held last Saturday during the festival.

Woods Edge Farm in Lexington, Ky., will open a stallion division in 2008 by standing Grade 1 winner Latent Heat.

A 4-year-old Maria’s Mon colt, Latent Heat will start his stud career with a $15,000 fee. He will stand as the property of a syndicate.

Latent Heat is a Juddmonte Farms homebred who won the 2006 Malibu Stakes and the 2007 San Carlos Handicap. He also finished second in the Grade 3 Long Branch Breeders’ Cup Stakes and third in the Grade 2 Santa Catalina Stakes last season. He won half of his 12 lifetime starts and has earned $450,400.

The number of active stallions and broodmares in North America decreased in 2007, according to statistics released Thursday by the Jockey Club. But stallions in Kentucky were more active than they were a year ago, and Kentucky also accounted for most of the stallions who covered 100 mares or more last year.

The Jockey Club report is based on Reports of Mares Bred received from the 2007 breeding season. The Jockey Club estimates that it has received about 90 percent of expected reports.

Lane's End will hold the line on most of its stud fees in 2008, with A.P. Indy topping the bill at $300,000, the same fee he carried in 2007.

The Farish family's nursery, Lane's End will change the fees for only seven of its 20 stallions.

Those getting lower fees in 2008 are City Zip, who will go from $20,000 to $15,000; Gulch, from $30,000 to $20,000; Mineshaft, from $100,000 to $75,000; and Stephen Got Even, from $20,000 to $12,500.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Following last weekend's stakes, two favorites for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile are colts who are sons of previous Breeders' Cup winners.

War Pass won the Champagne Stakes at Belmont, and he is a son of Cherokee Run, winner of the Breeders' Cup Sprint in 1994 and the champion sprinter. At Keeneland, Wicked Style won the Breeders' Futurity, and he is a son of freshman sire Macho Uno, winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2000 and the champion 2-year-old colt.

The annual New York Breeders' Sales Co. fall mixed sale takes place 10 a.m. Sunday at Saratoga Race Course.

The catalog is substantially larger than in 2006 and again is marked by a select weanling component, scheduled as Hip Nos. 1 through 86.

The company, which experienced some success with weanlings in its first few sales, made a push to emphasize them in 2006. The results were very positive, with the average for 28 sold coming in at $15,939.

The weanling average in 2004 was $10,616, while in 2005 it was $6,473.

Patricia and Frank Generazio participate in the Thoroughbred business in a big way - with 30 horses in training, 25 broodmares, and as the owner or co-owner of two stallions.

So New Jersey was bound to feel the impact when the Generazios, who live in Cape Cod, Mass. and Jupiter, Fla., transferred a sizable portion of their breeding stock to that state.