Champion raccemare Stellar Wind will be retired and bred to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah after selling for $6 million to Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale on Tuesday.

The $6 million paid for Stellar Wind is the co-second-highest-price ever paid for a broodmare prospect at Keeneland, equaling the amount paid for champion Take Charge Brandi at the 2015 November Sale.

The champion three-year-old filly of 2015, Stellar Wind is a five-year-old daughter of Curlin and the Malibu Moon mare Evening Star.

“She checked all the boxes for somebody who wants to breed a really top horse,” her former trainer John Sadler said. “She’s a lovely mare and she’s been great. To see her go is going to be sad, but she’s going on to her next career, so we’re happy that she’s got the world’s best connections. It’s very exciting.

"We had her for three years and we loved her and she was so great for us, gave us a lot of great thrills winning a lot of Grade 1s. We’re going to miss her a lot, but we’re happy to see her get such a good result and see her go to such nice people, so that’s really exciting.”

With the purchase of Stellar Wind, Magnier was the session’s leading buyer.

Tuesday was the first of two sessions in the sale’s premier Book 1 catalogue. Keeneland sold 96 horses for $42,304,000, down 15.65% from last year. The average of $440,667 rose slightly from last year’s $436,130, and the median rose 15.38% to $300,000 from $260,000 in 2016.

Eight horses sold for more than $1 million each.

Also on Tuesday Bridlewood Farm and Don Alberto paid $2.3 million for Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia, carrying her first foal by Pioneerof the Nile.

Bedouin Bloodstock sold three of the day’s top-priced horses. In addition to Cathryn Sophia, Bedouin consigned Grade 1 winner Her Emmynency, sold for $1.5 million, and the session’s highest-priced weanling, a filly by Tapit who brought a final bid of $775,000.

Bridlewood also paid $1.5 million for Grade 1 winner Street Fancy sold in foal to Medaglia d'Oro.

The November Sale continues until Saturday, November 18th.

MORE KEENELAND SALES NEWS IN THE IRISH FIELD NEXT WEEKEND