LEXINGTON, Ky. - Adena Springs, which stands one of North America's leading sires, Awesome Again, has topped the list of North American breeders for the second year in a row.

Frank Stronach's breeding operation bred the winners of 400 races and $14,225,036 in 2004, according to statistics compiled by The Jockey Club Information Sys-tems. The rankings are determined by purse earnings, which put Stronach well ahead of his closest rival, the late John Franks. Franks-bred runners won 542 races last season and earned $10,296,813.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The sale of the young Storm Cat stallion Exploit to the Korean Racing Association came as a surprise to many breeders and observers. With his first crop of racing age now 4, Exploit has lifetime progeny earnings of $3 million, but despite that, he had not sired the major graded winner needed to keep a stallion competitive in the stallion season market in Kentucky.

The year 2004 was a good one all around for Florida's Thoroughbred industry. The numbers - while not complete, as foreign data dribble in - show that there were 51 graded-stakes winners. Florida-breds won 309 stakes, compared with 314 a year ago. Foal production was consistent with previous years, with 4,144 foals, compared to an average of 4,214 for 2002 and 2003.

"There are always late registrations," said Linda Leaf of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association. "The foal crops, though, have been pretty consistent of late."

Taking advantage of his past career as a two-hemisphere stallion, Roar earned the title as the leading stallion standing in California in 2004 even though his impact has yet to be felt in this state.

Roar's progeny earned $4,394,808, nearly all of which was generated by non-California-breds. He finished slightly in front of two-time defending champion In Excess, whose progeny, nearly all of whom are California-breds, earned $4,013,762. Lit de Justice ($3,117,396), General Meeting ($3,061,344) and Souvenir Copy ($3,032,922) rounded out the top five.

For the last couple years, Questroyal Stud general manager Chris Bernhard has been looking for a young stallion to complement his roster.

He found it when Edward P. Evans's Roaring Fever won the Alysheba Stakes at The Meadowlands Race Track last autumn.

Roaring Fever will stand his first breeding season in 2005 at Metropolitan Stud, near Pine Plains, N.Y., along with fellow Questroyal stallions Gold Fever and Tomorrows Cat.

Even an eight-time breeder of the year can go through a lull. Robert E. Meyerhoff, the dominant breeder in Maryland for much of the 1990's, has won numerous races over the past few years, but he has not had a major runner since Grade 1 Pimlico Special winner Include retired in 2002.

Following the efforts of Meyerhoff's horses during the last week of December, however, watch out in 2005.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Former Horse of the Year Azeri, North America's all-time female earnings leader and a candidate for the 2004 older female championship, probably will be bred to Storm Cat this season.

That's the word from Michael Paulson, son of Azeri's late breeder Allen Paulson and manager of the Allen Paulson Living Trust. The trust campaigned Azeri until her retirement in late December at age 6 with $4,079,820 in earnings.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Kentucky Equine Education Project approved plans to lobby for creation of a Kentucky breeders' awards program and for tax parity for horse farms and owners in the state.

KEEP also hired a lobbying firm, Capital Link Consultants, to represent horse-industry interests before legislators in Frankfort, Ky.

In other business, the organization's board approved a $1.345 million statewide advertising campaign designed to make Kentuckians aware of the horse industry's importance to the state economy and culture.

LAS VEGAS - For the seventh straight year, Pedigree Handicapping begins its annual multi-part series on the new class of freshman sires, with emphasis on how to bet their offspring.

The "glamour" first-crop sires this year include Tiznow and Point Given, each Horse of the Year. Runners from the first crop of Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos also will attract attention, as will 2-year-olds by accomplished stakes winners Albert the Great, Aptitude, and Black Minnaloushe.

Coolmore stallions Fusaichi Pegasus and Giant's Causeway have had their fees raised as the 2005 breeding season approaches.

Coolmore, which in November announced a $135,000 fee for Giant's Causeway and a $100,000 fee for Fusaichi Pegasus for 2005, has raised both to $150,000.

Giant's Causeway, a Group 1 winner in England and Ireland and runner-up in the 2000 Breeders' Cup Classic, is the sire of European champion juvenile Shamardal. He also has sired group stakes winners Maids Causeway and Footstepsinthesand. All are from his first crop of 2-year-olds.