LEXINGTON, Ky. - Better Than Honour, the dam of back-to-back Belmont Stakes winners Jazil and Rags to Riches, is Kentucky's broodmare of the year.

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders made the announcement Wednesday, confirming what many had considered a foregone conclusion since last June, when Rags to Riches became the first filly in 102 years to win the Belmont.

With Rags to Riches's victory, Better Than Honour became the first broodmare to produce two consecutive winners of the Belmont Stakes.

The Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders named Curlin the Kentucky-bred Horse of the Year Wednesday as it honored Bluegrass-bred champions at Keeneland.

Curlin, North America's 2007 Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old, also picked up the Kentucky-bred 3-year-old championship for 2007 at the awards luncheon. Highlighting Curlin's 2007 racing season were his victories in the Preakness, Breeders' Cup Classic, and Jockey Club Gold Cup. He was bred by Fares Farm.

Churchill Downs Inc. and its simulcast-marketing company remain locked in stalemates with Florida horsemen and a company that is negotiating contracts on behalf of horsemen for the rights to provide signals to account-wagering companies, officials on both sides of the dispute said on Tuesday.

The ongoing dispute has already resulted in the blackout of the signal from Churchill's Calder Race Course at nearly all interstate betting locations and account-wagering operations. Calder opened on Monday, and its next scheduled live racing day is Friday.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum's Darley organization, which shocked Australia's Thoroughbred industry last month by purchasing Bob Ingham's entire Woodlands Stud for almost a half-billion dollars, came back on Tuesday to pick up the top two horses at the Inglis Easter select yearling sale.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s spring 2-year-old sale endured slides across the board in its opening session Monday in Ocala, Fla.

The session-topper was a $250,000 Macho Uno colt signed for by Klaravich Stable agent Terri Pompay. The gray or roan colt is a son of Enterprizing Cat, a Storm Cat mare who is a daughter of Grade 1 winner Family Enterprize. Woodside Ranch, agent, consigned the colt, who worked an eighth-mile in 10.20 seconds at the auction’s under-tack preview.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Australia's select yearling auction season, which got under way last month with a record-producing run at Magic Millions, continued in a similarly strong fashion at William Inglis & Son's Easter yearling sale Sunday and Monday.

The Easter yearling sale, held this year in a two-part format and on later dates than in previous years, will hold select sessions through Thursday in Sydney.

All-sources handle on races in the United States declined in the first quarter of 2008 by 3.1 percent from first quarter of 2007, according to figures released by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and Equibase on Monday. Purses declined as well, by 1.5 percent compared with the first quarter of 2007.

Wagering on U.S. races in the first quarter of this year was $3.43 billion, according to the organizations, compared with $3.54 billion in the first quarter of last year. Purses declined from $227 million to $223.6 million.

The New York Racing Association announced Friday that its racing secretary, P.J. Campo, has been named vice president and director of racing, effective immediately. In addition, Liz Bracken, the director of simulcasting, has been named vice president and director of simulcast sales and content acquisition.

NYRA also announced hiring Tom Thill as vice president and chief information officer. Thill had worked at Daily Racing Form as senior vice president of operations.

A company set up by horsemen to negotiate contracts on signal rights for account-wagering operations is beginning to influence the shape of the in-home betting market.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Tattersalls Craven 2-year-old sale in England that ended Thursday was a good one for American sire Mr. Greeley and for British- and Irish-based pinhookers that took a gamble on his progeny last year.