Sharon "Sam" Maloney runs a school for young horses at her Dog Patch Farm in Warrenton, Va., breaking yearlings who go on to join the stables of many trainers throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.

So it's not unusual to find Maloney glued to a television set, watching races from far-flung locations.

There is hardly anyone in Florida's Thoroughbred breeding and sales industry who hasn't met, done business with, or heard of J.B. "Luke" McKathan. He is the father of J.B. Jr. and Kevin McKathan, the McKathan brothers so often associated with Bob Baffert. He is the father of Gary McKathan, presently learning the farrier trade in Ocala, the uncle of David McKathan, who has his own sales and training business in Ocala, and the husband of Jocelyn, once of the Eastern establishment hunter-jumper set and now the McKathan Thoroughbred pedigree pundit.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Stick to Beauty, dam of 1982 champion sprinter Gold Beauty and four other stakes winners, was euthanized Friday at the age of 30. The mare will be buried at Taylor Made Farm in Nicholasville, Ky., where she had resided since 1999.

"She was having a hard time getting around, and with the weather getting hot, we didn't want her to suffer," said Frank Taylor.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Breeders' Cup's recent decision to boost purses for the Juvenile and the Mile to $1.5 million each wasn't based solely on marketing the Breeders' Cup. It was also based on marketing horses.

At a June 23 press conference announcing the increases, Breeders' Cup president D. G. Van Clief, Jr., said, "You have a dual rationale in both cases. One is an event or market rationale, and the other is a breeding rationale.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The two best older mares in the United States - Azeri, the Horse of the Year, and Ipi Tombe, the African-bred giant-slayer - do not appear to be on a collision course at the races.

The Big Apple Triple, which begins next Saturday with the $100,000 Mike Lee at Belmont Park, is proving difficult to win.

The series for 3-year-old New York-breds was created in 1999 when three restricted stakes, the Mike Lee, New York Derby, and Albany, were linked together. The closest a horse has come to winning the Big Apple Triple was in 2000, when Image Maker captured the first two legs.

Virginia's world-renowned Keswick Stables near Charlottesville, Va., owned and operated by Peggy Augustus, has been struck by misfortune over the past several years. But one runner is doing his best to carry the farm's reputation forward.

The Ocala Breeders' Sale's June sale of 2-year-olds in training, which ended Wednesday, pretty much followed the scenario of every other Florida 2-year-old sale this year. The average of $18,412 for 249 sold was down a hair from last year's average of $18,691, and the median price of $9,500 was down a fraction from last year's $9,700. The only major June sale change from last year was the buy-back rate, which climbed from roughly 25 percent last year to about 33 percent this year.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - This story may sound familiar.

Jerry and Barbara Dutton and partner Vladimir Popovich own a promising 2-year-old filly that catches the eye of the Team Valor syndicate. A private deal is completed, and the filly excels for her new owners and trainer, Jenine Sahadi.

Those were the circumstances three years ago when Golden Ballet changed hands. She eventually won five stakes races for Team Valor and partners.

This year, all of the participants have taken the same role with Bronze Route, a half-sister to Golden Ballet.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky., has purchased an interest in Grade 1 winner Sky Mesa and will stand the Pulpit colt when he retires from racing.