Quality Road colt brings $710,000 at Keeneland September

Hip 1814 was a surprise standout on Sunday (Screenshot from Keeneland.com) Hip No. 1814, a colt by Quality Road, sold for $710,000 to lead the Sunday session of Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale. Mark Reid, managing partner for Walnut Green, purchased the session-topper who is out of the Dehere mare Paris Notion and a half-brother to the stakes-placed Pointsman (Mt. Livermore). Consigned by Lane’s End, agent, the colt is from the family of Grade 1 winners Fabulous Notion (Somethingfabulous), Fabulously Fast (Deputy Minister) and Cacoethes (Alydar). The price is the highest recorded in Book 3 since 2007 when J.J. Pletcher, agent, paid $1 million for a colt by Johannesburg out of the Quiet American mare American Jewel. “I liked everything about him,” Reid said. “Beautifully-framed colt that we think will mature. It’s getting late for us and we wanted to get one bought and he fit the bill.” The colt was bred by Noreen O’Neill’s Ann Marie Farm of Paris, Kentucky, and represented the farm’s highest-priced sale at auction.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” O’Neill said. “I said, ‘Are you sure we brought
the right horse?’ We’re just dumbfounded. The horse was beautiful. We handled
him right. He did everything right, never got excited. I’m glad he went to a
good home. I really can’t believe it. I’m just so happy.”

At $280,000, the top-priced filly on Sunday was Hip 1746, a daughter
of Quality Road purchased by Ben McElroy Equine, agent. Consigned by Lane’s End,
agent, the bay miss is the first foal from the Bernardini mare Lemon Bay and
comes from
the family of Grade 2 winners Sweet Fervor (Seeking the Gold) and Concerto
(Chief’s Crown).

On Sunday, the first day of the Book 3 portion of the sale,
a total of 266 yearlings sold for $19,618,000, down 7.3 percent from the
corresponding session last year when 273 horses grossed $21,172,000. The average
of $73,752 decreased 4.9 percent from $77,553 in 2014. The median of $55,000 was
down 21.4 percent from last year’s $70,000. 

After six sessions, Keeneland has sold 1,234 horses for $224,536,000, down slightly when compared to last year’s seven-day gross of
$227,389,500 for 1,290 horses. The cumulative average of $181,958 increased 3.2
percent from $176,271 in 2014. The median rose 8.3 percent, from $120,000 to
$130,000.

“It was very exciting to see (a top price of $710,000),”
Keeneland Director of Sales Geoffrey Russell said. “A breakout horse is a
breakout horse. It can happen in any session and this one happened to come at
the start of Book 3. It shows there is still plenty of money around here if the
right horse shows up.

“It was kind of a transitional day of people arriving and
people leaving,” Russell added. “It started off very slow, gathered momentum
during the afternoon and finished up very well. There is a lot of traffic and a
lot of new people starting to show up. We hope to get out of the gates better
tomorrow.”

The September Sale continues through next Saturday, September 26.
Sessions begin at 10 a.m. (EDT) and are streamed live at keeneland.com.