The Turf Express Stud stallion operation in Texas is planning to give breeders a chance to as much as double the incentive awards they receive from the Texas Thoroughbred Association if they use one of the farm's stallions and board at the facility.

Turf Express Stud, in Collinsville, Texas, is home to stallions New Trieste, a full brother to Old Trieste, and Aggressive Chief, a half-brother to Open Forum.

Mark Cornett, president of Turf Express Stud, came up with the idea to combat breeding programs in slots-rich states that are luring mares from Texas.

One day after Keeneland's January 2005 all-ages auction surpassed last year's total income, Friday's next-to-last session saw prices winding down.

Friday's top price was $90,000 for the broodmare prospect Courriel and the broodmare Hash It Out.

Kingswood Farm, agent, purchased Courriel from Trackside Farm (Tom Evans), agent. A 4-year-old French Deputy filly, Courriel is out of Reboot, making her a half-sister to Group 1-placed Rebuttal.

It's difficult to imagine a more successful grand opening than the stallion showing held last Sunday at the Maryland Stallion Station.

More than 400 people, including numerous well-established breeders from Maryland and surrounding states, turned out for a firsthand look at the first major Thoroughbred operation constructed in Maryland in many years, and the five well-bred stallions set to stand there for its inaugural season.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The premium broodmares at this week's Keeneland January sale showed great consistency, as both session-topping mares sold for more than $1 million and already have produced Grade 1 stakes-winning juveniles.

The sale's leader was the Cozzene mare Cozzene's Angel, selling for $1.35 million. She is the dam of Toccet, a multiple Grade 1 winner in 2002, when he won the Champagne and Hollywood Futurity as well as the Grade 2 Remsen.

Being the student of pedigree that he is, Dr. Jonathan Davis was bound to take a close look at Fast Decision as a stallion prospect.

Davis and his wife, Deb, own and operate historic Milfer Farm in Unadilla, located in Otsego County.

Fast Decision, a son of Gulch, will begin his breeding career for the 2005 season at a fee of $3,500, live foal guaranteed, payable Sept. 1 of the year bred.

Winner of the Grade 3 Withers Stakes in 2002, Fast Decision is bred on a similar pattern as champion Thunder Gulch.

Rising or unsustainable stud fees are a concern to many breeders who wonder if the current bull market for foals, yearlings, 2-year-olds in training, and breeding stock will still be there one, two, or three years down the road. In the Florida Horse Stallion Register, issued by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association, 46 stallions are listed as having stud fees of more than $3,500 with live-foal guarantee terms. Red Bullet, the Preakness Stakes winner in 2000, has the highest price at $30,000 for Adena Springs South.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Keeneland January all-ages sale's returns dipped on Wednesday, but at Thursday's fourth session, upper-market horses were still commanding occasional six-figure prices.

A record 15,850 foals were nominated to the Breeders' Cup program in 2004, Breeders' Cup Ltd. announced Thursday. The figure tops the old mark of 15,786 foals nominated in 2000. The 2004 total also is a 5.7 percent increase from 2003. The results do not include Southern Hemisphere foals, which have an April 15 nomination deadline.

Revenue of $8,016,000 was generated by last year's crop, the most since the nomination process began in 1982.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - After a Tuesday session that produced a $1.35 million topper and three other lots above $800,000, Keeneland's January all-ages auction entered its third session Wednesday on a comparatively quiet note. But the bidding remained aggressive, if on a more modest level.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Cozzene's Angel, the dam of Grade 1 winner and new Castleton Lyons stallion Toccet, made Keeneland's January sale feel a little like Keeneland November on Tuesday when she brought a sale-leading $1.35 million from Eaton Sales representative Reiley McDonald.