Three prominent commercial stallion farms in New York recently formed an unusual partnership.

Questroyal Stud in New Hampton will relocate its stallion operation 80 miles north to Metropolitan Stud - until recently called Silvernails Farm - in Pine Plains on July 15.

Jim and Lorna Mack, the owners of Metropolitan Stud, have leased their 300-acre farm to Michael Lischin, the owner of nearby Dutchess Views Farm. Lou Salerno and Barry Ostrager, partners in Questroyal Stud, have made arrangements with Lischin to board stallions and mares at Metropolitan.

Clayton O'Quinn, a respected member of Florida's horse community, died this past week at the age of 84. He had been ill for several months.

O'Quinn and his family moved from southeast Texas to Ocala in 1967 after he was offered the job of farm manager for Charlie Verhayden's Grosse Pointe Stud Farm. O'Quinn's experience until that time had been mostly with Quarter Horses.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - On June 6, the Red Ransom filly Casual Look narrowly won the English Oaks from the Sadler's Wells filly Yesterday, and the next day, Kris Kin, a son of Kris S., defied his competition through the stretch at Epsom to claim the Derby.

The winners of both of the 12-furlong English classics at Epsom Downs were sired by sons of the late Darby Dan stallion Roberto, and both were bred with associations to Lane's End Farm.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The death this week of 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Spectacular Bid brought back a flood of memories for Mrs. Madelyn Jason of Atherton, Calif. Mrs. Jason bred Spectacular Bid, a champion in each of his three seasons and the 1980 Horse of the Year, in partnership with her mother, Mrs. William Gilmore, from a modest California-bred mare.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Spectacular Bid, victorious in two-thirds of the 1979 Triple Crown before stepping on a safety pin and then losing the Belmont Stakes, died Monday afternoon at Dr. Jonathan Davis's Milfer Farm in Unadilla, N.Y. A 27-year-old Bold Bidder stallion, he died apparently of a heart attack.

His death came just two days after the popular New York-bred Funny Cide became the eighth horse since Spectacular Bid to fail in the Belmont after winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. No horse has won the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Japan's Shadai Stallion Station in Hokkaido has received breeding-related claims from two of the four companies that insured War Emblem, a farm spokesman confirmed. The winner of the 2002 Kentucky Derby has refused to cover his book of mares since retiring to stud at Shadai.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Two stakes wins by Joey Franco at Hollywood Park this spring has owner Jerry Frankel dreaming of capturing bigger prizes this summer.

"I'm hoping we can win the Triple Bend and the Pat O'Brien," he said. "That's not asking too much, is it?"

Not the way Joey Franco has performed lately. On April 26, he won his second career stakes in the $150,000 Tiznow Stakes for California-breds. On May 31, the 4-year-old Joey Franco won his first stakes against open company in the $91,325 Ack Ack Handicap over 7 1/2 furlongs.

Eclipse champion 2-year-old Vindication is back at the track. Not on a racetrack, but at the Padua Stables's training track where he is being prepared for his return to competition. The goal is the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita this fall.

"So far, everything is working out as we hoped it would," said Nadia Sanan general manager of Padua Stables, which owns Vindication. Nadia Sanan is the daughter of Padua Stables owner and founder Satish Sanan.

Vindication has been sidetracked since last winter with a suspensory problem in his left foreleg.

AUBURN, Wash. - Good timing and good luck are essential ingredients for success in the breeding industry, and Mary Lou Griffin has had generous portions of both since she purchased a 7-year-old mare named Cozzene's Angel for $35,000 at the November 2000 Fasig-Tipton sale in Kentucky.

Some of the more accomplished individuals in all of racing will step up to receive awards at the Maryland Horse Breeders Association's annual ceremony June 20 in the Carriage Room at Laurel Park.

Along with the previously announced 2002 Maryland-bred champions, the MHBA will honor Sondra and Howard Bender, breeders of the year; Shiner, broodmare of the year; and Not for Love, who stands at Northview Stallion Station, stallion of the year.