ARCADIA, Calif. - Bertrando, the champion older male of 1993 and a leading stallion in California in recent years, is suffering from a liver disease that could lead to him being pensioned after the current breeding season, owner Marty Wygod said.

In December, Bertrando underwent surgery for the second time to remove gallstones, a rare occurrence for Thoroughbreds, according to Greg Ferraro of the Center for Equine Health at the University of California-Davis. The chronic liver disease caused the stones, Ferraro said.

New York's breeding industry lost two influential people in the last month. In addition to Jerry Nielsen, the president of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders who died on Feb. 2, owner and breeder Einar P. Robsham died 20 days later at age 75.

Chestertown, an idyllic locale on the Chester River on Maryland's Eastern Shore, is maintaining its reputation as a hub of Thoroughbred activity. Two runners foaled near Chestertown won stakes at Laurel Park during a one-week span this month.

LAS VEGAS - I always suspected that Lion Heart, a son of high-speed influence Tale of the Cat, was a miler and never a Kentucky Derby contender, but after last weekend's San Rafael Stakes, it is now official.

Away since his Hollywood Futurity score on Dec. 20, Lion Heart was rank and never rated down the backstretch, pushing the fast fractions of Hosco (by Honour and Glory) all the way. While game in defeat, he hardly looks like a colt who will be a factor beyond 1 1/8 miles.

Tabasco Cat, winner of the 1994 Preakness and Belmont Stakes, has died at age 13 in Japan, where he was at stud, according to a published report.

The Thoroughbred Times reported that Tabasco Cat, a Storm Cat stallion, died of heart failure March 6 while covering a mare. The Japanese Bloodhorse Breeders' Association purchased Tabasco Cat in 2000 for $7 million and stood him at its Shizunai Stallion Station on Hokkaido.

POMONA, Calif. - Audrey and Richard Haisfield made a splashy debut at the 2-year-old sales on March 2. They bought two fillies out of The Thoroughbred Corp.'s racing-age dispersal, $700,000 Atlantic Ocean and $510,000 Honest Answer, and they were partners with John Sikura in buying the dispersal's top seller, $1.35 million Cat Fighter.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The final phase of The Thoroughbred Corporation's dispersal of racing stock was held Tuesday at Barretts, with 52 horses selling for $6,453,200. The highlights included the sale of this year's La Canada winner, the 4-year-old filly Cat Fighter, and the emergence of NeverTell Farm, a new buyer of high-end mares and racing prospects.

First-crop sire Booklet, the winner of the 2002 Fountain of Youth Stakes, was euthanized on Thursday after abruptly contracting a severe case of colic, officials at Glencrest said.

Booklet, a 5-year-old son of Notebook out of the Bob's Dusty mare Crafty Bobbie, was transported to Hagyard Davidson McGee Veterinary Clinic on Wednesday night after farm personnel diagnosed the colic, according to Allen Greathouse, an owner of the farm with the Greathouse family. Booklet was euthanized early the next morning.

"It all happened pretty fast," Greathouse said.

On the heels of the Ocala Breeders' Sale Company and the Fasig Tipton selected 2-year-old in training sales at Calder Race course - two of the more successful such sales on record - comes the Ocala-based OBS selected sale of 2 year-olds in training on March 16-17. Just after that, the Adena Springs auction of homebred 2-year-olds will be held on the Adena grounds on March 18 at 6 p.m.

The OBS has cataloged 484 horses for its sale. Adena Springs has cataloged 76.

New York-bred Private Emblem is well on his way to becoming the first millionaire produced by Merion Miss, a 13-year-old broodmare owned by Dr. Doug Koch and Tom Tatham.

Private Emblem, who won the Grade 3 Essex Handicap at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 21, has earnings of $769,103 and will go over $1 million if he wins his next start, expected to come in the $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap on April 3.