Buyers were back in force on Saturday after a one-day break that followed a successful new opening format at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
A Paynter colt sold for $200,000 to kick off the fifth session, but it wasn’t until after the midway point that the day’s topper entered the sales ring.
Hip No. 1547, a bay Pioneerof the Nile colt, saw the gavel fall at $525,000 to headline Saturday’s session. Steven W. Young, agent, purchased the Kentucky-bred colt, who was consigned by Gainesway, agent, and is the first registered foal out of Brazilian Group 1-placed Bella Fafa.
“He’s a really nice horse,” said Young, who purchased the colt for an undisclosed client. “I thought he was a Book 1 horse. He cost about what we thought he would.
“(It seemed like) everyone in the Pavilion bid on him once. (Bidding) is very competitive for good horses. Whether you lead them up there in the first 100 hips or (later in the sale), there is money if it is a really good horse.”
Much earlier Saturday, Ron Winchell of Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC went to $480,000 to secure the session-topping filly and second-highest price on the day. The chestnut daughter of Trappe Shot was consigned by Elm Tree Farm as Hip 1276.
“She was way more expensive than I thought she would be,” Winchell admitted. “We were looking from a perspective of eventually breeding, so it was more than just looking at a racehorse. Maybe we will breed her to (Winchell co-owned multiple Grade 1 winner) Gun Runner. We’re looking long term.”
The Kentucky-bred miss is out of the unraced Quiet American mare In Truth, making her a half-sister to dual stakes winner Mr Palmer. Her female family includes the likes of not only Grade 1-winning millionaires Behrens and Commentator but also Horse of the Year and top sire Mineshaft.
“(We sold the filly) for breeder Nancy Shuford of North Carolina, one of our longtime clients,” said Jody Huckabay, who owns Elm Tree Farm with his wife, Jody. “She couldn’t go to a better home.”
Elm Tree Farm, agent, also consigned the third-highest price at Saturday’s session when Hip 1586, a First Samurai colt, was bought by Mr. and Mrs. J.S. Moss for $475,000. The dark bay Kentucky-bred is out of the stakes-winning Congrats mare Coastal Sunrise and comes from the same female line as Grade 1-scoring sire Journey at Sea as well as Grade 2 heroes Ruler’s Court and Whata Brainstorm.
A grandson of Grade 1 queen Madcap Escapade was purchased by Oussama Aboughgazale’s International Equities Holding for $460,000. Consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, agent, as Hip 1298, the Stormy Atlantic colt is the first registered foal out of La Quintessa, who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Mi Sueno and a daughter of Madcap Escapade.
“He really stood out as a good-walking, athletic horse,” said Frances Relihan, Aboughgazale’s bloodstock manager. “We are trying to buy good physical specimens that move well. We thought we might have been able to get him at a little bit of a lower price, but with his physical he really stood out. We had to push a little bit to get him but we wanted him.”
Rounding out those yearlings bringing $450,000 or more on Saturday was Hip 1385. The More Than Ready dark bay lass sold to Don Adam’s Courtlandt Farm and was consigned by Lane’s End, agent for Kinsman Farm. She is the first registered foal out of Quality Rose and comes from the same female family as champion Heavenly Prize as well as Grade 1 winners Dancing Spree, Furlough and Fantastic Find.
“She is a beautiful filly from a great young family,” Courtland manager Ernie Retamoza Jr. said. “We bought (yearlings during week 1 of the September Sale), and now we are gathering up some good physicals from good families.
“We love More Than Ready. He is a racehorse sire. On the weekends, his horses run all over the country and all over the world. We are concentrating on fillies in this book.
“She will go with me to Courtlandt Farm in Ocala and then ultimately to (trainer) Mark Hennig at the track.”
For Saturday, Keeneland sold 253 yearlings for $31,392,500, averaging $124,081. Last year’s comparative session saw 224 yearlings bring $30,383,000 for an average of $135,638. The median remained steady at $100,000.
With five days of the 12-day sale now in the books, 934 yearlings have been purchased for $228,037,500, resulting in a $244,151 average and $172,500 median. By the fifth session in 2016, a total of 812 yearlings were sold for $189,506,000 at an average of $233,382 and a median of $170,000.
“Today’s session started off very quickly and successfully, and that energy went all the way through day’s end,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell said. “The prices were very fair and the bidding was quite spirited at times. People are still hungry to buy.
“The transition into the next group of buyers has gone very well,” he said. “We still have some buyers staying over from the first week, and now we are seeing some new fresh faces participating. If a good, special horse entered the ring, there was plenty of money for it.”
The September Sale continues through Saturday, September 23, with all sessions beginning at 10 a.m. (ET). Please visit www.keeneland.com for full results and to watch live streaming of the auction.
