Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher on Friday signed into law a bill creating a state breeder-incentive program for all breeds of horses.

The new law will apply the state's 6 percent sales tax on stud fees for stallions standing in Kentucky to encourage breeding and foaling horses in Kentucky. The funds will be split among Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, Quarter Horses, and other breeds. Each breeders' group will develop its own distribution plan for the funds.

The sales tax on stud fees generated $14 million in revenue for the state budget in 2004.

Lord Carson, California's 15th-ranked stallion this season, died of a head injury at Tommy Town Thoroughbreds after falling in the breeding shed on Wednesday. A son of Carson City, Lord Carson was 13 and standing his third season at the Santa Ynez, Calif., farm.

Lord Carson had bred 30 mares so far this season and was to cover a total of 55. With six crops to race so far, he is the sire of seven stakes-winners, including multiple graded winner Windsor Castle and Puerto Rican champion 3-year-old filly Andiroba. Lord Carson's progeny earnings stood at $9,009,241 at his death.

The New York State Breeding and Development Fund has changed the procedure for verifying a horse's New York-bred status.

Under the new procedure, the fund's registrar will issue a New York-bred certification card once the horse's status has been confirmed via a Jockey Club website and all other registry requirements have been fulfilled. The certification card effectively replaces statebred seals affixed to horses' Jockey Club certificates, and owners and breeders will no longer have to forward their horses' Jockey Club papers to the Fund.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Pin Oak Stud stallion Maria's Mon - already the sire of one classic winner and several interesting prospects, such as Lucky Bid and Dearest Mon, this year - has his brightest classic candidate in High Limit, who won the Louisiana Derby last weekend.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Barretts March select juvenile sale's results on Tuesday in Pomona, Calif., provided more evidence that the boutique juvenile auction market is not for fainthearted sellers.

The Maryland Horse Breeders Association's selections for 2004 breeder, stallion, and broodmare of the year were as formful as the statebred champions that were named less than a month ago.

Charles and Cynthia McGinnes, top breeders in the state in 2004 by earnings and number of stakes winners, were named breeder of the year.

Not for Love, the nation's highest- ranked stallion standing outside of Kentucky, repeats as stallion of the year.

Fourstars Allstar, who died last week in England at 17, was one of the best New York-breds of modern times.

Like Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide and Belmont Stakes winner Ruthless, he was a classic winner. Fourstars Allstar, bred and owned by Richard Bomze, won the Irish 2000 Guineas in 1991, becoming the first American-trained horse to win a European classic.

The Ocala sales and festival week will begin when the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company renews its annual day at the races Monday with six black-type races worth an aggregate of $380,000. The races will be contested over the one-mile OBS training track, with the first post set for 1:30 p.m. Eastern.

Criminal Type, 1990's Horse of the Year, died of a stomach rupture in Japan on March 9, just weeks before he was to be pensioned at a Kentucky equine retirement facility. A son of Alydar, he was 20.

Michael Blowen, who operates the Old Friends equine retirement facility at Hurstland Farm in Midway, Ky., announced the death.

POMONA, Calif. - A pair of California-based buyers turned out to be the Barretts March select juvenile sale's biggest supporters on Tuesday. Bob Lewis and Sidney Craig surprised onlookers in the middle of the one-day sale by hooking up in a bidding duel that ended with Lewis the owner of a sale-topping $1.9 million colt by freshman sire Songandaprayer.