LEXINGTON, Ky. - When Keeneland opens the first session of its September yearling sale on Monday, the yearlings aren't the only things attendees will notice. The auction is the first that Keeneland will conduct in its newly remodeled sale pavilion.

Phil Capuano's homebred Dale's Prospect, trained by Capuano's son Dale, capped off an eventful week with a rousing victory in the Taking Risks Stakes on Labor Day at the Timonium State Fair.

The first stakes victory for Dale's Prospect came just seven days after the 4-year-old chestnut gelding finished fourth in an overnight stakes at Delaware Park. But the chart of that race doesn't tell the whole story. Dale's Prospect lost a shoe and slipped, nearly going down.

With sires Gold Fever, Gold Token, and Tomorrows Cat having a fine year with their progeny, Questroyal Stud's Barry R. Ostrager is optimistic about the future.

Each of the three, all owned by Questroyal, rank high among New York stallions in progeny earnings through Sept. 7.

"We're bullish on the New York program," said Ostrager. "Even with the uncertainties related to the franchise, most thoughtful people would agree that the VLT's will result in increased purses for New York-breds and for open company."

Florida's stallion ranks will have at least eight newcomers for the 2006 breeding season. Satish Sanan's Padua Stables is welcoming two of them, and each is a Grade 1 winner.

"Proud Accolade has already arrived," says Bruce Hill, Padua's stallion manager. "Pico Central still has some racing to do, and I expect he'll be here after the October Breeders' Cup."

Proud Accolade, winner of last year's Grade 1 Champagne Stakes, is by the former Padua resident sire Yes It's True, who relocated to Kentucky for the 2005 season.

Pebbles, winner of the 1985 Breeders' Cup Turf at Aqueduct, has died in Japan at the age of 24.

Retired from the breeding shed three years ago, she was euthanized at Darley Stud's Fukumitsu Farm, where she had been living since 1996.

While none of her 12 foals ever amounted to much, Pebbles made a name for herself as one of racing's best fillies in the latter part of the 20th century.

The North American members of the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers have ratified two changes to the guidelines for North American black-type races in 2006.

Starting next season, the auctioneers' group and the International Cataloguing Standards Committee will implement the following guidelines:

Races containing preference clauses based on criteria other than the quality of the horse in the race will be considered restricted races.

Morgan Firestone bought both co-sale-toppers, for $190,000 apiece, during the select session of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's Canadian-bred yearling sale at the Woodbine Sales Pavilion on Tuesday.

Firestone's first sale-topper is a three-quarter sister to Canada's reigning champion 2-year-old filly, Simply Lovely. A daughter of Bold n' Flashy, the filly was consigned by Gail Wood's Woodlands, as agent.

AUBURN, Wash. - The average price rose 10 percent at the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association's annual summer yearling sale on Tuesday, when 150 yearlings brought $2,781,900 for an average of $18,546.

Gross receipts were up 9.2 percent from last year and the median price of $14,250 was up 9.6 percent, while the percentage of yearlings who failed to meet their reserve declined 12.2 percent to 43.

"All of the arrows are pointing in the right direction," said WTBA general manager Ralph Vacca. "We're very happy."

LAS VEGAS - Recent stakes winners Leroidesanimaux, Intercont-inental, and Three Valleys have something in common. They all have the broodmare Kerali as their second dam. Now, there are good broodmares, and then there are those very special broodmares - the rare blue hen - who not only produces stakes winners, but also continues to be a major influence through their daughters.

Operations are under way to rescue and treat horses stranded and injured during Hurricane Katrina, the number of whom was largely unknown on Monday.

In Kentucky, the American Association of Equine Practitioners announced it will establish a foundation to aid horses in disasters, while area horsemen stopped by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation facility at the Kentucky Horse Park to donate veterinary supplies and horse-care items for local veterinary teams traveling to the stricken Gulf Coast.