THE 12-day Keeneland September Yearling Sale kicks off on Monday week, September 9th, when the first of 4,396 horses catalogued enters the ring.

Last year’s sale saw 31 yearlings break the seven-figure mark, the top lot being a $3 million son of leading sire Into Mischief.

Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier signed for four Keeneland ‘millionaires’ last year, two of them by Into Mischief including the now-named Bernard Shaw ($1.8 million) who won a Dundalk maiden by nine lengths earlier this month.

American owner-breeder John Stewart is also expected to feature prominently. Last year he spent over $8 million here on 13 yearlings, including $2.5 million for an Uncle Mo colt, and Stewart’s Resolute Racing operation has been on an international bloodstock spending spree lately.

Leading US owner Mike Repole is sure to be busy too over the next fortnight. He spent almost $12 million on 35 Keeneland yearlings last year, plus six others in partnership with Spenthrift Farm.

Shadwell bought four yearlings here a year ago and it will be interesting to see if Sheika Hissa’s agents are active again.

The average price during the first week of of the sale (Books 1 & 2) in 2023 was a record $367,818 and the median was $300,000.

There are 13 Irish-bred yearlings in the catalogue. Ten of those horses are by No Nay Never, and the others are by Wootton Bassett, Night Of Thunder and Ten Sovereigns.

Other lots of European interest include a filly by Invincible Spirit, a colt by Kingman and a filly by Bluepoint. There’s a Dubawi filly out of Fancy Blue, a colt by Sea The Moon, a filly by Siyouni, and a colt by Starspangledbanner,

Of the leading US sires, there are 76 yearlings by Constitution catalogued, 92 by Gun Runner, 75 by Into Mischief, 60 by Justify, 40 by Tapit, 65 by Uncle Mo, 15 by Goldencents, and 74 by Practical Joke.

For the fourth consecutive year, the format of the September Sale remains the same. Book 1 takes place on Monday and Tuesday, September 9th and 10th, with 176 yearlings on offer each day.

The next two days are dedicated to Book 2, followed by a ‘dark day’ on Friday, September 13th, before Book 3 kicks off the next morning. The sale ends with the final session of Book 6 on Saturday, September 21st.

Web: keeneland.com