Dakota Light, the 2-year-old filly who won last Saturday's $100,000 Three Ring Stakes at Calder, is getting better as she matures. That's no surprise, considering her sire is Colony Light, a 13-year-old son of Pleasant Colony-Great Light, by Rube the Great who stands at Jim and Sheila DiMare's Rising Hill Farm in Ocala.

Colony Light, the only sire from the His Majesty line standing in Florida for 2003, is bred to 40 or 50 mares a year, said Jim DiMare.

"People who race come back to him, and they know his horses get better with age, like most of the sire line," he said.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Dat You Miz Blue has been retired and is headed to the breeding shed. In her final start, Dat You Miz Blue defeated last year's 3-year-old champion filly, Xtra Heat, in the Garland of Roses Handicap at Aqueduct last Saturday.

Jimmy Jerkens, Dat You Miz Blue's trainer, said he expects Dat You Miz Blue to leave his Belmont Park barn in about 10 days for Kentucky, where she will be bred. A 5-year-old New York-bred mare by Cure the Blues, Dat You Miz Blue is owned by Cynthia Knight and was bred by her late husband, Landon Knight.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Conquistador Cielo, whose dramatic Metropolitan Mile-Belmont Stakes double in just five days propelled him to the 1982 Horse of the Year title and a record syndication price, died Tuesday morning at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky. The Mr. Prospector horse foundered in his left foreleg, and Claiborne officials decided to euthanize him. Conquistador Cielo was 23.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Fasig-Tipton Kentucky's single-session December mixed auction got under way Monday morning with numerous buy-backs and low prices at the bottom end of the market, but sellers could find money for the few higher-quality offerings.

Dual Grade 1 winner and millionaire Manndar will start his stud career in 2003 at Wintergreen Stallion Station in Midway, Ky., the farm has announced. Manndar, now 6, will stand for $3,500 (foal stands and nurses). A son of the late sire Doyoun, Manndar was bred by the Aga Khan, who also raced him early in his career.

Maryland-breds met the challenge, and then some, at Sam Houston Race Park on Dec. 7.

Seven Maryland-breds made the trip to Texas for the inaugural Great State Challenge, and they came away with one victory and three third-place finishes. That was enough to earn Maryland third place in the overall competition with 29 points, behind Kentucky (36) and Florida (34), two states whose combined annual foal production is more than 10 times that of Maryland.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - There will be no shortage of potential starters for the inaugural $3.6 million Sunshine Millions for California-breds and Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita on Jan. 25.

Early-bird nominations closed on Monday with 326 horses eligible for the eight races. The Sunshine Millions is a new concept developed by Magna Entertainment, the parent company of both tracks.

The most popular race is the $250,000 Sunshine Millions Dash for 3-year-olds over seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park, which drew 58 nominations.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - When the Eclipse Award ballots go out, Virginia Kraft Payson's achievement as a breeder might not be obvious on rankings of money earned or number of stakes winners. But her name will appear in two important places, as the breeder of Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Vindication and dual Grade 1 winner Farda Amiga, runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Sez Who Thoroughbreds is a tale of two cities - Ocala, Fla., and Stillwater, N.Y. Both Sez Who operations are owned by retired insurance magnate Dick Simon. Management is mostly made up of the team that operated Harry T. Mangurian Jr.'s Mockingbird Farm, which is now closed, the exceptions being Ocala director of operations Steve Silver and New York farm manager Bill Leak. Mark Casse is the overall general manager.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Vindication will stand at John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale Farm near Lexington at the conclusion of his racing career, according to a Thursday announcement by the colt's owner, Satish and Anne Sanan's Padua Stables. The likely 2-year-old champion, Vindication is being pointed for the Kentucky Derby.