Within the continental United States, size is defined by California's population and Texas's geographic area. In North American Thoroughbred racing, size is defined by Kentucky. Each year, it produces the most foals, breeds the most mares, houses many of the industry's most popular stallions, and is home to the world's largest commercial breedering farms.

For Kentucky, numbers often translate into performance. While Cigar is North America's leading earner, he was bred in Maryland and has called Kentucky home since his retirement. This year, Kentucky again will hold that honor, with dual classic winner Point Given atop the North American earnings list at $3.35-million.

Indeed, Kentucky is a world unto itself, and its numbers dwarf those of other states within the Midwest region. But this does not mean that other states do not produce quality runners. This year, a Michigan-bred filly was among the year's leading two-year-old fillies, and an Illinois-bred three-year-old filly placed in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).

Even those state-breds that do not star in graded stakes play an important role in the industry, especially in the states where they were bred. State-breds often are the bread and butter of track racing programs, and those races in turn provide purses and incentive payments to the state's breeders.

The following descriptions of leading earners by state where bred and the accompanying tables cover the 2001 calendar year through December 4 and are limited to North American earnings. The narratives are arranged by the earnings of each state's leading runner.

Kentucky

Bred and raced by The Thoroughbred Corp. of Ahmed bin Salman, a Saudi prince and publications mogul, Point Given stands atop Kentucky-bred runners by 2001 North American earnings, and he is a leading candidate for Horse of the Year, along with the reigning overall champion, Tiznow. The Horse of the Year race might not have been a race at all if California-bred Tiznow had not pulled out a dramatic second victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) on October 27.

Point Given was not around for the year's finale. After winning the Travers Stakes (G1), his fourth straight victory in a $1-million race, the Thunder Gulch three-year-old was retired with a leg injury. He will stand his first season in 2002 at Three Chimneys Farm near Midway, Kentucky.

Co-highweighted on the Experimental Free Handicap with juvenile male champion Macho Uno, the hulking colt was regarded as a potential Triple Crown winner after dominating victories in the San Felipe Stakes (G2) and Santa Anita Derby (G1), but he ran poorly at Churchill Downs and finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby (G1). The Derby, as disappointing as it was for Prince Salman and trainer Bob Baffert, would be his only defeat of the year.

Point Given crushed his opponents in the Preakness (G1) and Belmont (G1) Stakes before narrowly winning Monmouth Park's Haskell Invitational Handicap (G1) and humbling his opponents in the Travers on August 25. His string of victories gave him 2001 earnings of $3.35-million and virtually assures him the Eclipse Award as champion three-year-old male.

Albert the Great, who blossomed last year for trainer Nick Zito, put together an exemplary 2001 season, with two Grade 2 victories, a Hialeah Park track record for 1 1/8 miles (1:45.52) in the Widener Handicap (G3), and four second-place finishes in Grade 1 races. Bred by Albert Clay and owned by Tracy Farmer, the four-year-old Go for Gin colt finished second in the Woodward Stakes (G1) on September 8 and was fourth in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1), a race he won in 2000 and his only off-the-board finish in '01.

He closed out the season with a third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic, 1 3/4 lengths behind Tiznow and Sakhee. Still, his $1.74-million earnings were slightly more than half those of Point Given.

In third position by North American earnings was Monarchos, bred by Jim D. Squires and the winner of the Derby who finished third in the Belmont for owner John Oxley. A substantial part of his $1.71-million in 2001 earnings came from the Derby and his victory in the Florida Derby (G1) in March. Fourth was Unbridled Elaine, who upset the Breeders' Cup Distaff but then threw the divisional race into disarray by finishing third in Churchill's Falls City Handicap (G3) in November.

The Kentucky standings would be substantially different if earnings outside the U.S. were included in the tally. With his victory in the Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1), Captain Steve banked $4.2-million in 2001 for owner Mike Pegram and thus would have headed the '01 list. Fantastic Light, sparkling winner of the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) and Europe's Horse of the Year, would have been third after Captain Steve and Point Given with more than $2.6-million in 2001 purses.

Illinois

Such top-quality runners as champion Buck's Boy and Polar Expedition have proved that Illinois-breds can run anywhere, and 2001 top earner Two Item Limit made $648,760 while running on both coasts. Second in the Las Virgenes Stakes (G1), the three-year-old Twining filly trounced her competition in Aqueduct's Comely Stakes (G3) and then won the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) at Pimlico Race Course on May 18. The filly, bred by Hal Snowden Jr. and Raymond Simpson and owned by Joseph Graffeo, finished third in the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Chicago Six, a six-year-old Wild Again horse bred by Richard Duchossois's Hill 'N Dale Farm, capped a sharp spring campaign by upsetting even-money favorite Guided Tour in the National Jockey Club Handicap (G3) at Sportsman's Park. He also won the Prairie Meadows Handicap in Iowa and scored a second straight win in Hawthorne Race Course's restricted Illinois Coronet Handicap.

Illinois's third-leading earner in 2001 was Fan Club's Mister, a three-year-old Mr. Greeley colt who prospered on the grass, winning Arlington Park's American Derby (G2) in July.

Iowa

Prairie Meadows Racetrack's slot machines have done wonders for Iowa purses, and Sure Shot Biscuit is clear proof of how much purses have improved in the heartland state. Bred by Shady Bend TB and owned by Okoboji Racing Stables, Sure Shot Biscuit earned $359,885 last year and $368,985 this year.

Although the five-year-old Miracle Heights horse won a stakes race in Nebraska this year, he has cleaned up in his home state. He won six stakes races at Prairie Meadows, including repeat victories in the Precisionist Handicap and John Wayne Stakes.

Sharky's Review, a three-year-old Sharkey filly, won the Iowa Breeders' Oaks and two other Prairie Meadows stakes to finish second in 2001 earnings with $195,403.

Michigan

Michigan lost more than a racetrack when Ladbrokes shut down and sold Detroit Race Course in 1998. Although Thoroughbred racing was preserved at Great Lakes Downs, the state's racing industry lost James and Laura Jackson to Kentucky. Their Michigan-breds are still on the track and are still racking up significant numbers, though.

The Jacksons bred Cashier's Dream, a two-year-old Service Stripe filly who made a brilliant start and was sold to Heiligbrodt Racing Stable and Team Valor in early summer. For her new owners and trainer Steve Asmussen, Cashier's Dream scored a runaway victory in Saratoga Race Course's Spinaway Stakes (G1) and was second to You in the Frizette Stakes (G1). Her earnings totaled $353,230.

In second position was Jacksons-bred Secret Romeo, who earned $241,895 this year while cleaning up at Great Lakes. The three-year-old Service Stripe colt, owned by A. A. C. Stables, won seven stakes races at the Muskegon track, as well as the Shamrock Stakes at Sportsman's this year.

Ohio

Three-year-olds and older males usually are the end-of-year leading earners because they have more opportunities and run more often. In Ohio, however, the leading 2001 earn