The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company auction on June 21-22 produced mixed results for New York-bred 2-year-olds.

With 40 selling for $668,100 this year, the average price of $16,703 represents a decline of slightly more than 16 percent compared to 2004.

But with nine more statebreds selling this year, the gross increased and pushed total receipts for New York-bred juveniles at major Eastern sales to $12,487,600 for 243 sold. For the same auctions in 2004, New York-breds grossed $11,487,200 for 234 sold.

By most measures, this was a solid year for those yearling pin-hookers who resell at the 2-year-old sales. The number of horses offered at such sales was more than in 2004, and the market handled the increase with millions in additional sales.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Bob and Beverly Lewis, major buyers at public auction in the last decade, will not purchase yearlings this season.

"I'm going to stay away," Bob Lewis said.

According to Lewis, he and his wife currently have 27 2-year-olds in training and are not in immediate need of young stock for their racing program, which has produced such runners as Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners Silver Charm and Charismatic, and champion filly Serena's Song. The stable is ranked 10th nationwide with more than $1.3 million in earnings.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - When Kentucky Derby winner Unbridled was euthanized because of complications from colic surgery in the fall of 2001, it was obviously a sad day for the sport, for the breeders who were part of the syndicate that owned the stallion, and for Claiborne Farm, which stood Unbridled. The horse's death, however, has proven to be a loss of even greater significance because of the stallion's continuing importance to breeding and racing.

This year's Santa Anita Derby winner, Buzzards Bay, will head for auction this month at Fasig-Tipton after his owners decided to dissolve their partnership.

David Shimmon and Bill Bianco will go their separate ways, and Shimmon will continue to race under the stable name of Fog City Stable. As a result, 3-year-old Buzzards Bay will make an unusual addition to Fasig-Tipton Kentucky's July yearling sale, where he will sell as the last lot on July 18, the two-day auction's opening session.

Three Kentucky horse industry groups working on a proposal for how to distribute the state's breeder incentive awards have extended their deadline for presenting their recommendations.

Fasig-Tipton Midlantic's "extra" sale on Tuesday, a one-day juvenile and horses of racing age auction, new this year, ended with a $74,000 top price and a 33 percent buyback rate.

EQB Inc. purchased the sale-topper, Hip No. 75, a Tiznow colt out of Grade 3 winner Scratch Paper, by Notebook. Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree agency consigned the colt, a half-brother to the winning filly Our Nancy Lee and the winning colt Scratch Off.

A Tiger Ridge filly posted the fastest eighth-mile time of 10.20 seconds at Monday's under-tack preview for the June 28 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds and horses of racing age sale. The workouts took place at Timonium. Md., where the auction will be held starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

The Tiger Ridge filly is a daughter of Xcept Your Address (Silver Deputy) who will sell as Hip No. 4 in Hank Bird's Steephollow Farms consignment.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Coolmore's hot young sire Giant's Causeway won't be on the shuttle taking the operation's stallions from Kentucky to Australia for Southern Hemisphere duty this season. The global breeding operation has announced that it will give the 8-year-old Giant's Causeway the summer off before he takes up his Northern Hemisphere duty again in 2006.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The victory by Lava Man in the Grade 2 Californian was another solid success this season for the good Seattle Slew stallion Slew City Slew. With Grade 1 winner Sis City also among the stallion's 33 lifetime stakes winners, Slew City Slew has carved a niche for himself in the Kentucky stallion market and has gone a long way toward justifying Brereton C. Jones's belief that "Slew City Slew is the best $5,000 stallion in the world."