LEXINGTON, Ky. - Lost and Found Horse Rescue, a 20-acre farm in Jacobus, Pa., is a modest salvage operation for horses. It is the last place you'd probably expect to find a Danzig colt.

But when the non-profit group's operator, Kelly Young, bought a handsome bay Thorough-bred for $250 at a recent New Holland, Pa., slaughter auction, she got a lot more than she bargained for. The horse turned out to be 3-year-old colt Media Empire, a Danzig half-brother to 2003 French Oaks winner Nebraska Tornado and a full brother to Group 2 winner Burning Sun.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - At the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale of selected yearlings this past week, quality sold at a premium. Most especially Elusive Quality.

The sire of Smarty Jones is the hottest young stallion in the country, and his yearlings received careful scrutiny from yearling inspectors and their buyers. The best and brightest of the group was Hip No. 370, a bay colt out of the Copelan mare Cercida consigned by the Dromoland Farm of Gerry Dilger.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Fasig-Tipton Kentucky's bellwether July yearling sale continued its strong showing Tuesday in its second and final session, thanks to an international array of buyers. A potent mix of regular players, new money, and profit-laden pinhookers pushed the auction to gains in all categories and raised optimism for the rest of the yearling auction season.

The top-priced lot was a $950,000 Elusive Quality colt that Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum bought from Gerry Dilger's Dromoland Farm.

, the popular California-bred whose victories included the Santa Anita Derby, Santa Anita Handicap, and Del Mar's Pacific Classic, died in an accident on Monday at Vessels Stallion Farm in Bonsall, Calif., where he had been standing at stud since his retirement. He was 10.

Free House died when, while being bathed, he reared over, fell backwards, and struck his head, according to Rich Decker, the farm manager at Vessels. Decker said Free House would be buried on the farm.

The Ohio Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners will for the first time offer $50,000 in incentives for buyers of Ohio-bred yearlings. The incentives will be in effect for horses bought at the group's Midwest regional sale at River Downs on Oct. 2.

There will be two 2-year-old races run in 2005 as sale bonus races, one for colts and one for fillies. The races, expected to be run late in the season at 1 1/16 miles as determined by the Ohio State Racing Commission, will each have $25,000 added to their purses for horses purchased at the Oct. 2 sale.

LAS VEGAS - Pedigree handicappers just drool over maiden races for 2-year-olds. While pedigrees are the most potent weapon in handicapping maiden turf races, they also are important in finding value in maiden dirt races. A prime example occurred last Sunday at Belmont Park, where Balletto won a 5 1/2-furlong maiden race for 2-year-old fillies in an explosive effort at 16-1.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Fasig-Tipton Kentucky's July yearling sale made the most of its position as the only summer sale in Lexington on Monday. The first of two sessions enjoyed strong selling early, buoyed in part by new players in the yearling market.

Bob Baffert, agent, signed for the $475,000 session-topper, a Point Given colt out of the Lord at War mare Pretty Eyes, but Baffert declined to identify his client. Gainesway, agent, sold the horse in partnership with an undisclosed number of partners.

"It exceeded our expectations," said Gainesway spokesman Michael Hernon.

Taylor Made Farm and WinStar Farm of central Kentucky have bought an interest in Speightstown, a Grade 2 winner, and will stand him when he retires.

Owners Eugene and Laura Melnyk, who will continue to race Speightstown, also will retain an interest in the horse at stud. A son of Gone West, Speightstown will retire at the end of this racing season. No fee has been set.

Speightstown, 6, won the Churchill Downs and True North Breeders' Cup handicaps, both Grade 2, this year. He also won the 2004 Artax Handicap.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Medallist and Christine's Outlaw swept last weekend's graded stakes at Belmont Park. A 3-year-old son of Touch Gold, Medallist won the Dwyer, and Christine's Outlaw, a 4-year-old by Wild Again, won the Poker. Both were bred by the late Albert G. Clay in separate partnerships with his sons.

Robert Clay, owner of Three Chimneys Farm near Midway, Ky., where Smarty Jones will retire to stud, co-bred Medallist and owns the colt, but his brother John and their father sold Christine's Outlaw, who races for the RC Hill Stable.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - For the second consecutive year, Fasig-Tipton Kentucky's July selected yearling sale will be the only summer yearling sale in Lexington. And, once again, sale company officials are expressing optimism about the 492-horse sale on Monday and Tuesday at Newtown Paddocks.

Last year, when Keeneland first announced it would cancel its tony select auction, many wondered whether the world's major yearling buyers would bypass the Fasig-Tipton sale. They didn't.