Maryland-breds ranked among the top sellers at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale, held Oct.o2-4 at Timonium. A Maryland-bred daughter of Forestry, sold for $200,000, tied for second-highest price among the 658 yearlings who were purchased at the sale, the largest horse auction ever held in the state. At $170,000, another Maryland-bred filly (by Johannesburg) was among the 14 yearlings who brought $150,000 or more.

This is not your typical feel-good story about a small-time Thoroughbred breeder who made it big.

In fact, Alison Westrop is no longer involved in the industry and she has some bitter feelings about her experiences, but the British-born horsewoman has reason to be proud about her stint as a breeder.

Westrop, who lives in the small town of Lindsay, Ontario, was pleasantly surprised to learn that Cold War, one of just a handful of foals she bred, became North America's winningest horse of 2006 with his 10th win on Oct. 9 at Woodbine.

Flower Alley, the winner of the 2005 Travers Stakes, will be retired at the end of this year and will stand in 2007 at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky., the farm announced Wednesday.

Flower Alley, by Distorted Humor out of the Lycius mare Princess Olivia, will stand for a fee of $25,000 live foal as the property of Eugene Melnyk and Three Chimneys, the announcement said. Three Chimneys has reached an agreement in principle with Melnyk to buy 50 percent of the horse upon his retirement. Melnyk purchased the horse as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale for $165,000.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Breeding a graded stakes winner is a major accomplishment, but breeding the first two racers home in a graded event shows more than good planning and judgment. It requires plenty of good luck, too.

But that was the case in the Jerome Handicap last weekend, when the winner, Discreet Cat, and second horse, Valid Notebook, were both products of the breeding program of the late E. Paul Robsham.

The winner was bred in Kentucky, and the runner-up was bred in Florida, where most of the Robsham horses are kept.

Maryland stallions will be on center stage this weekend as the focus shifts to Laurel Park for the 21st running of the Maryland Million. The 12-race card, to be run on Oct. 14, is restricted to offspring of Maryland-resident stallions who are nominated to the Maryland Million. When pre-entries closed last Wednesday, 68 horses were listed, representing 42 Maryland sires.

With an emphasis on weanlings and the continuing sale of bloodstock owned in partnership by Becky Thomas and Lewis Lakin, the New York Breeders Sales Co. will conduct a fall mixed sale at Saratoga Race Course on Sunday, Oct. 15.

The auction, which also offers an open mixed session, begins at 11 a.m. and is the fourth conducted by New York Breeders Sales Co.

The weanling component at the company's first sale, at Saratoga on Sept. 28, 2004, attracted attention with a $57,000 colt by Thunderello.

There are 819 weanlings cataloged for the five-day Ocala Breeders' Sales fall mixed sale, which begins on Monday, and that's where Tom Ventura, the OBS general manager and sales director, thinks much of the action will be.

"The yearling sales were strong," said Ventura, "and when that happens pinhookers look to the weanling sales for weanlings who will sell as yearlings next year or as 2-year-olds down the road."

LAS VEGAS - If pace makes the race, then Saturday's 68th running of the Grade 1 Beldame could come down to two classy fillies - Balletto and Round Pond - who may get a dream setup. While the one-turn, 1 1/8-mile race at Belmont Park often favors speed, this year's Beldame is expected to feature at least four fillies who have shown they want the lead.

With Pennsylvania's racetracks moving rapidly toward the installation of slot machines, the state's breeding program is undergoing a major retooling of its own.

Changes in the Pennsylvania Breeding Fund requirements, announced last week by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, establish the steps that must be taken in order to share the anticipated wealth.

When a fire destroyed the stud barn at New Mexico's JEH Stallion Station in June and killed six stallions, including 1997 Horse of the Year Favorite Trick and Grade 1 winner Saratoga Six, the farm's co-owner Jim Helzer swore he'd rebuild. Now, just a few months after the blaze, Helzer says the farm will be ready to receive mares again for the 2007 breeding season. Its new stallion roster will feature two new Thoroughbred stallions: Minister Eric, a Grade 2-winning son of Old Trieste, and the Storm Cat horse Gen Stormin'norman, who is relocating from JEH Stallion Station's Texas division.