WITH a strong economy in the USA and Brexit a word that they hardly recognise, trade at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale has been very strong, and the decision by the sale’s executives to revamp the format is paying dividends. The strength of the market will be a relief to all in the industry stateside, and with the major European yearling sales in full swing, the upward indicators in the USA will hopefully have a positive knock-on effect in the months ahead.
SATURDAY
After a vibrant first week of trade at the 13-day Keeneland September Yearling Sale which featured no fewer than 26 millionaire yearlings, the momentum continued on Saturday after a one-day break in selling. The highlight of the fifth session of the sale was an Uncle Mo colt named Wall Street Lion who sold for $1 million. The colt is the first seven-figure sale of the sale’s fifth session since 2011.
On the day 284 yearlings sold for $51,059,700, an increase of 63%, with the average rising 44% to $179,788 and the median of $140,000 was up 40%.
“Today was an excellent session, very strong in all numbers,” Keeneland director of sales operations Geoffrey Russell said. “When you increase the average and the median by how much we did and still have a very low buyback rate (22%), it shows the strength of today’s session. It started off very strong and finished very strong too; it was all go all day. Auctioneers said it had a great feel with people bidding left, right and centre.
“Book 2 over Saturday and Sunday is a very important book, because consignors like to sell right after the break,” Russell added. “We have always stressed to people that this should be a very strong conformation book because people have plenty of time to look at the yearlings. Strong physicals are what sells. And today really was a phenomenal session.”
China Horse Club/Maverick Racing purchased Wall Street Lion, whose dam is the Grade 2-placed Street Cry mare Sweet Bliss. The colt is from the family of champion Sweet Catomine and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic winner Life Is Sweet.
“He was really well received and was extremely popular,” consignor Lane’s End director of sales Allaire Ryan said. “He exceeded our expectations, but we did have high hopes. We wanted him to stand out, and we wanted to put him in the right spot. That goes with our strategy overall for this sale.”
“Just a gorgeous, athletic colt,” China Horse Club’s Mick Flanagan said about the purchase. “He’s by a fabulous stallion in Uncle Mo; there’s a lot of good blood on the page. There’s Giant’s Causeway, Street Cry, even a bit of Arch on there, so he’s got a mix of all those good stallions. His dam was very, very good, obviously. She could run a bit, too, so we’re very happy to get the colt.
“It was probably a little more than we wanted to give for him but we were very, very high on him, and that’s what the good horses are making, so that’s where we had to be,” Flanagan added. “It seems like a good sale; it feels like a good sale. There’s lots of people still looking to buy, and there are good horses out there.”
West Bloodstock/Robert and Lawana Low paid $850,000 for a colt by Tapit out of the stakes-placed Giant’s Causeway mare Flores Island. He is from the family of champion Heavenly Prize and Grade 1 winners Furlough, Dancing Spree, Fantastic Find, Good Reward and Oh What a Windfall.
Mayberry Farm went to $800,000 for the session’s top-priced filly named Sense Of Time, a daughter of Street Sense. She is out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Test Of Time and from the family of Grade 1 winners To Honor And Serve, Angela Renee and Japanese Group 1 winner Mozu Ascot. “That was as lovely a filly as walked up here,” bloodstock agent David Ingordo said. “The market is strong.”
Larry Best’s OXO Equine paid $750,000 for Spanish Mischief, a colt by Into Mischief out of the Empire Maker mare Spanish Empiress and from the family of champions Gold Beauty and Sky Beauty, English Horse of the Year Dayjur and Grade 1 winners Pleasant Home and Tale Of Ekati.
SUNDAY
Book 2, comprising Saturday and Sunday’s sessions, concluded with brisk trade again on the closing day of that section of the sale. A total of 264 yearlings sold for $36,054,000, up 34% over the sixth session in 2017. The average increased 25% to $136,568 and the median of $117,500 rose 47%.
The day was again headlined by the sale of an Uncle Mo colt and this half-brother to the 2016 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes winner Creator sold for $875,000 to the partnership of Winchell Thoroughbreds and Amer Abdulaziz’s Phoenix Thoroughbreds. The session-topping colt is out of Peruvian champion Morena.
A colt from the first crop of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, a half-brother to two-time Breeders’ Cup winner Secret Circle, sold for $800,000 to Zayat Stables which bred and raced the sire. The colt is out of the stakes-winning Dixieland Band mare Ragtime Hope. He is the first offspring of American Pharoah acquired by Zayat Stables at the September Sale.
“His pedigree is a stallion’s pedigree, and he kind of reminded me of American Pharoah,” said Justin Zayat. “We’re going to be sending him to Bob Baffert in the future and hopefully he can be a Grade 1 winner for his dad and his first crop. We’re very excited about him and excited to take him home.”
Zayat is thrilled with the reaction to American Pharoah’s progeny at the sale which includes colts for $2.2 million and $1.4 million and a filly for $1.2 million. “They’re all very cool, level-headed horses, and they’re selling like hot potatoes – it’s absolutely insane,” Zayat said.
“It even exceeded my expectations. I knew it was going to be exciting but to see the averages where they are and all the million and multimillion-dollar horses, it’s really unbelievable. So we’re enthusiastic, we’re excited.”
A colt by Empire Maker from the family of champion Althea and Grade 1 winners Ketoh and Aldiza sold for $540,000 to Baoma Corporation. On behalf of Zedan Racing Stables, Bob Baffert paid $500,000 for a colt by Tiznow consigned by Kerry Cauthen’s Four Star Sales. “We put our horses where we think they have value,” Cauthen said. “We do that months in advance. He is not a horse we strategically put here. These horses change and mature and this one certainly matured the right way.”
MONDAY
Strong demand for yearlings continued on Monday when turnover reached $326,287,200 after seven sessions of the 13-day sale, exceeding total sales of $307,845,400 for last year’s 12-day sale. “The positive energy from week one is carrying forward to week two, as evidenced by gross sales to date surpassing last year’s gross for the entire sale,” Geoffrey Russell said.
St. Elias and Zayat Stables partnered to pay the day’s highest price of $450,000 for a colt by Empire Maker out of the Mr. Greeley mare Duke’s Dream, a full-sister to Grade 1 winner Sweet Lulu, Grade 2 winner Anchor Down and Grade 3 winner Iron Fist.
Three yearlings brought $400,000 each; a filly by Medaglia D’Oro who is a half-sister to multiple Grade 3 winner Thiskyhasnolimit, a daughter of Into Mischief from the family of champion Tepin, and a Quality Road colt.
TUESDAY
The buoyant trade evidenced since the first lots sold a week earlier showed no sign of slowing down on Tuesday, when the eighth session of the sale was highlighted by a Quality Road filly sold for $420,000 to bloodstock agent Jamie McCalmont. On Tuesday, the second day of Book 3, Keeneland sold 271 yearlings for $19,603,400, up 26% compared to the same session last year. The average of $72,337 was 32% and the median of $50,000 rose 25%.
WEDNESDAY
Spirited trade fueled significant increases in turnover (up 51%), average (up 42%) and median (up 40%) on Wednesday. Trade was led by the sale of a colt by Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver for $370,000 to Alex and JoAnn Lieblong. The colt is out of the winning Unbridled’s Song mare Welcome Guest and from the family of Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Unbridled Elaine.
THURSDAY
A colt by Union Rags brought $250,000 to top another strong day of selling during Thursday’s 10th session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. With three days to go in the 13-day auction, Keeneland has sold 2,259 yearlings for $368,264,600, a 21% rise from last year. The average is up 21% to $163,021 and the median of $85,000 is a rise of 13% over 2017.