The West Virginia Thoroughbred breeding industry has experienced extreme highs and lows over the last few decades, but there has remained one constant presence - James W. Casey and his farms full of sire power. For more than three decades, Casey's stallions have been fixtures on the state's leading sire lists.

Led by Hollywood Gold Cup winner Lava Man, the 2005 California-bred divisional champions were announced by the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association earlier this week and include four other Grade 1 winners: Brother Derek, Dream of Summer, Leave Me Alone, and Proud Tower Too.

Eight horses were honored: Brother Derek, 2-year-old male; Sierra Sweetie, 2-year-old filly; Proud Tower Too, 3-year-old male; Leave Me Alone, 3-year-old filly; Lava Man, older male; Dream of Summer, older female; Valentine Dancer, turf horse; and Bordonaro, sprinter.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Successful young sire Wild Wonder, sire of Grade 1-winning 2-year-old filly Wild Fit, died Wednesday at Buck Bond Farm. A preliminary necropsy report indicates that the 12-year-old stallion died of a ruptured aorta, according to Buck Pond owner Doug Arnold.

Wild Wonder had been due to stand this season at Buck Pond for a $7,500 fee. Buck Pond recently had sold a three-quarter interest in the Wild Again horse to undisclosed investors, a move that had helped fill the stallion's book quickly for the coming season.

Glitter Woman, a Grade 1 winner, millionaire, and dam of last year's Nashua Stakes third-place finisher, Political Force, has died in Kentucky after colicking. A Glitterman mare, she was 12.

Glitter Woman had been due to foal a Fusaichi Pegasus filly at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., but she became colicky the morning of Jan. 12, according to Claiborne manager Gus Koch. Veterinarians determined that her stomach had ruptured. The mare died at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky. The hospital was able to save her foal initially, but the filly later died, Koch said.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Jess Jackson, owner of Stonestreet Stables, has formed a nonprofit organization to help investigate owners' claims of fraud in transactions for horses, and he is lending his support to state legislation designed to prevent such fraud.

ARCADIA, Calif. - The mating of the relatively unknown stallion Proud Irish to the mare Dora's Tower nearly a decade ago was one of convenience - two horses owned by Daniel Cardenas's Tricar Stable. It has developed into the cornerstone of a two-state racing and breeding operation.

Saturday at Santa Anita, Proud Tower Too, the third foal of that mating, will start in the $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic for California-breds and Florida-breds.

Round four of the annual Sunshine Millions races between Florida-breds and California-breds once again appears to be heavily slanted toward the Sunshine State.

The overall results from the first three years of competition show 18 wins for Florida-breds and only six for Cal-breds.

The Floridians have swept all three previous runnings of the Distaff, Filly and Mare Sprint, and the Dash. Florida-breds have taken two out of three in four other divisions. Cal-breds hold a 2-1 edge only in the Filly and Mare Turf.

The appeal of buying ready-made racehorses is obvious. You're getting a relatively known quantity with timed workouts, and the horse has already stayed sound enough to withstand the early training process. What's not to love?

The sales season for 2-year-olds is about to begin in earnest, which means John Brocklebank and the rest of the crew flying the BC3. Thoroughbreds banner already have packed up and headed West from their base of operations in the town of South Jordan, Utah, not far from Salt Lake City, where their pinhooked yearlings spend each winter learning the ropes.

In past years, 2-year-olds preparing to begin their racing careers for Niall O'Callaghan, the Kentucky-based trainer, would spend the winter in Ocala, Fla. That kind of strategy is typical of many trainers who choose not to fill racetrack stalls with 2-year-olds still months away from running.