The 74th Keeneland September Yearling Sale opens Monday with a new twist to its premier Book 1, an enhanced first week, and a bonus program to reward graded/group-winning graduates.
Now distilled into a single session beginning Monday at 3 p.m. (EDT), Book 1 comprises just 167 yearlings. That boutique collection is followed by a three-day Book 2 on Tuesday through Thursday, each session scheduled for 11 a.m. The revamped first week now makes Friday the dark day, giving a pause in the action before Book 3 begins Saturday. The remaining sessions kick off at 10 a.m. daily through the finale on September 23.
Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell explained that the new schedule eases the logistics for buyers who couldn’t prolong their stay. Now with just about twice the number of yearlings on offer in the first week – 1,203 compared to 607 last year – purchasers have that many more opportunities.
“These changes reflect Keeneland’s efforts to streamline operations for our clients and to provide the deepest buying bench possible,” Russell said. “Buyers tell us about their travel challenges and limited availability to attend the sale. For their convenience, we doubled the number of exceptional yearlings cataloged before the Week 1 break on Friday.”
“Globally, the September Sale is the primary source of champions and graded stakes winners year after year,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing and Sales Bob Elliston said. “Keeneland is excited to kick off the sale with a revised Week 1 format featuring an exclusive one-day Book 1 followed by a three-day Book 2, and the debut of the lucrative September Sale Bonus Program.”
The bonus program has two elements. The Book 1 Bonus will offer cash rewards to sellers and owners of horses who graduate from the new-look Book 1 and go on to win a Grade/Group 1 stakes at age two or three. The Seller Bonus will have a wider reach, rewarding the seller of any September graduate who wins a graded/group stakes as a two- or three-year-old. The bonus program applies only to graded/group stakes in eligible countries – the United States, Canada, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.
“The positive support from horsemen with regard to the Book 1 Bonus, announced in April, prompted Keeneland to fast-track the rollout of the program’s second tier, the Seller Bonus,” Elliston said. “Based on race results from 2015 and 2016, Keeneland projects it will pay nearly $3 million in cash rewards over the program’s first two years to the sellers and owners of graduates of this year’s September Sale.”
Details of the bonus program are available on the sale microsite, september.keeneland.com, which also features a Digital Book 1 catalog with a wealth of resources ranging from conformation photos to videos.
The entire 12-day sale encompasses 4,139 yearlings. In addition to the first known yearling by Japanese supersire Deep Impact to be offered at public auction in the Northern Hemisphere, Hip No. 151 in Book 1, the catalog includes 83 horses from the final crop of renowned Scat Daddy.
Among other top sires represented are Bernardini, Bodemeister, City Zip, Curlin, Dansili, Distorted Humor, Dubawi, Empire Maker, Frankel, Galileo, Ghostzapper, Giant’s Causeway, Into Mischief, Kitten’s Joy, Malibu Moon, Medaglia d’Oro, More Than Ready, Orb, Pioneerof the Nile, Smart Strike, Speightstown, Tapit, Tiznow, Uncle Mo and War Front. And the freshmen with first-crop yearlings cataloged include Cairo Prince, Cross Traffic, Fed Biz, Goldencents, Magician, Noble Mission, Strong Mandate, Verrazano and Will Take Charge.
According to Keeneland, September Sale graduates have won 143 graded and/or group stakes so far in 2017, as of September 4. That total reflects 33 Grade/Group 1 victories scored by the likes of Pegasus and Dubai World Cup champion Arrogate, Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming, Preakness victor Cloud Computing, Travers winner West Coast, Arkansas Derby scorer Classic Empire, Haskell hero Girvin, Practical Joke, Pacific Classic victor Collected, sprint champion Drefong, leading three-year-old filly Abel Tasman, Arlington Million victor Beach Patrol, and turf stars Lady Aurelia and Lady Eli.
For the full spectrum of sales information, and live streaming of the auction, visit september.keeneland.com.
