Multiple stakes-placed You’re to Blame brought a final bid of $440,000 from Steven Young, agent, to top Tuesday’s eighth session of the 2017 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Consigned by Lane’s End, the 3-year-old riddling possesses a 10-2-3-1 career record.
By Distorted Humor, You’re to Blame appears close to a break through at the stakes level. Third in the Bay Shore (G3) earlier this year, he recorded a good second to subsequent Travers (G1) and Pennsylvania Derby (G1) winner West Coast in the Easy Goer Stakes at Belmont in June and exits a runner-up in a September allowance/optional claiming event at Belmont Park.
“I think he is the best horse selling today,” Young said. “He has a lot of blue sky to him. He is a horse who has a chance to build on what he has done.”
Young, who led all buyers Tuesday after purchasing two horses for $590,000, said You’re to Blame will be sent to Todd Pletcher.
Lane’s End also had the second-highest priced offering, That’s a Lady, a 4-year-old stakes-placed daughter of City Zip who Machmer Hall acquired for $240,000.
A half-sister to Grade 3-placed Desert Dynamo and Ambusher and from the family of Grade 1 winners Sailor’s Valentine and Coup de Fusil, That’s a Lady hails from the Dixie Union mare Competition.
“I probably just paid $100,000 more than they wanted me to pay, so I said, ‘It’s my birthday present,’ which was last month,” said Sandy Fubini, who owns Machmer Hall with her daughter and son-in-law, Carrie and Craig Brogden. “We waited all day for this one. Carrie talked about running her next year. We knew she was going to be expensive. When Craig saw her yesterday, he said, ‘Buy that mare.’”
Keeneland reported receipts of $10,174,500 for 270 horses on Tuesday, down 6.08 percent from the comparable session last year when 287 horses brought $10,833,700. The average, $37,683, remained nearly even from $37,748 in 2016 and the $27,000 median rose 35 percent from $20,000 last year.
Last year’s eighth session included the sale of 50 horses of racing age for $4,250,500 in the males’ portion of the Complete Dispersal of Conquest Stables.
From eight days of sales, a total 1,734 horses have sold for $193,781,900, down 5.01 percent from the $204,011,000 for 1,695 horses 12 months ago. The average has dipped 7.15 percent, from $120,360 to $111,754, and the median of $52,000 is the same.
WinStar Racing was Tuesday’s leading consignor, selling 24 horses for $1,275,500.
The sale runs daily through Saturday with sessions beginning at 10 a.m. (EST). Full results can be found at keeneland.com.
