Sunday, Sept. 18
Lexington, Ky. - The second half of the Keeneland September Yearling Sales picked up right where the first half ended, with marked improvement over last year's weak numbers for the horse sale.
Saturday's session saw a 24 percent increase in gross sales from a
year ago and a 25.6 percent increase in the average price. Keeneland
sold 280 horses Saturday for $20,613,500, with an average of $73,620
and a median of $51,000.
Saturday was the start of Book 3, after a day off of selling on Friday.
The top selling horse of Saturday's session was colt sired by Elusive
Quality with Pinafores Pride as the dam. He was bought for $425,000 by bloodstock agent John Moynihan for Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables of Lexington and consigned by Anderson Farms, agent for Ron Ferguson.
Trainer Bob Baffert was the top bidder for the day's highest-priced
filly. He paid $400,000 on behalf of Mike Pegram for the daughter of War Pass, as well as $300,000 for a colt by Indian Charlie.
The sale continues today and runs through Sept. 24.
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Saturday, Sept. 17
Lexington, Ky. - Bernardini is a name being heard frequently at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
The sire who stands at stud at Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's
Darley Stud in Fayette County, was the leading sire by gross sales going into the sale's Book 3, which started Saturday at Keeneland Race Course.
Bernardini was fifth among sires in average price, but had sired 28 of the yearlings that were sold in Books 1 and 2.
The top Bernardini yearling this session, a filly out of Silk n' Sapphire, sold for $1.2 million to Benjamin Leon's Besilu Stables.
"I did not expect the price," breeder and consignor Catherine Parke of Valkyre Stud said after the sale. "I knew she was a lovely filly, and I was shocked by the level of people that looked at her; people that honestly I've never had the pedigree to attract before."
Parke sold another filly by Bernardini for $625,000.
Bernardini was the winner of the 2006 Preakness after Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro pulled up lame out of the gate. Bernardini does not have as many yearlings offered in Book 3 of the sale, as he did in Book 2.
As sales resumed Saturday after a day off Friday, one Bernadini yearling did not attain its sales reserve price and another was pulled out of the sale.
The top seller early Saturday went for $250,000: a colt by Leroidesanimaux out of Songthrush bought by J.S. Moss.
The sale, the premier horse sale in thoroughbred racing, runs through Sept. 24.
Top Sires at Keeneland September Yearling Sale by Average Price, Books 1 and 2
Sire / Gross / Average / High / No. Sold
1.Awesome Again / $3,165,000 / $452,143 / $1.35 million / 7
Comment: Sired highest price filly at the sale
2.A.P. Indy / $3,295,000 / $411,875 / $1.4 million / 8
Comment: Sired sales topper out of dam Malka
3.War Front / $2,850,000 / $356,250 / $625,000 / 8
Comment: Son of Danzig and Starry Dreamer stands at Claiborne Farm
4.Street Cry / $5,627,000 / $351,688 / $1.2 million / 16
Comment: Stands at Darley Stud with Bernardini
5.Bernardini / $8,885,000 / $317,321 / $1.2 million / 28
Comment: Son of A.P. Indy; first crop of foals included Stay Thirsty
Sales figure source: Bloodhorse.com
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Friday, Sept. 16
Lexington, Ky. - After a couple of years of declining sales, there seems to be some sense of relief around the barns at Keeneland Race Course after a promising first week of the September Yearling Sale.
"Coming into this year, you are shell-shocked a little bit from the market dropping and everything," Frank Taylor, of Taylor Made Sales Agency said after the sale's opening day on Sunday. "I was kind of a little worried when we started out with three RNAs, but then we sold our next 12 or 13 in a row."
An RNA is "reserve not attained," with the reserve being the minimum bid a seller will accept. So in other words, an RNA means "no sale," and generally not a good thing for the most prestigious horse auction in the thoroughbred industry, which has suffered along with the rest of the economy.
But that opening session recovered to post positive gains over the opening day in 2010.
"Overall I thought it went well," said Taylor, with Taylor Made ending the first day as the top consignor.
The momentum has carried through the week. The top horses typically sell in Book 1, the first two days
of the sale. But as the third and final day of Book 2 continued Thursday, two horses topping the $1 million mark.
"The fact that we had two million-dollar-plus horses at this point in the sale speaks volumes," Keeneland Vice President of Sales Walt Robertson said. "Add to it that those horses rank second and third, respectively, among the top-priced horses so far in the sale is phenomenal. There are many good horses still ahead, so we're very encouraged as we move forward with a second week of selling."
Through day five of the 13-day sale, Keeneland has sold 753 horses for $145,216,500, up 22.3 percent over last year's $118,690,000. The average of $192,851 increased 17.6 percent over the $163,936 recorded in 2010. The median rose 36.3 percent from $110,000 to $150,000.
"The average is up, but the real indicator is that the median is up so high," Niall Brennan, of Niall Brennan Stables, said earlier in the week. "That's indicative of a very strong market. I think that's a wonderful sign for the industry. There's a lot of really nice horses and they're selling well."
One of the statistics that hasn't topped 2010 is the overall sales topper. Last year, a colt sold for $4.2 million, while a $1.4 million colt, sired by A.P. Indy and bought by Amerman, Evans and Co. from Hill 'n' Dale Sales agency, has been this year's top seller. And it's a far cry from the Keeneland September Yearling Sale record of $11.7 million for a colt in 2006.
But there have been six horses to sell for $1 million or more during this week's sale, double the number of $1 million and more horses at last year's sales.
"I think this sale has been excellent; the results show that. It sure has been for us," said Dell Hancock, of Claiborne Farm, which has one of the richest histories in thoroughbred racing. "It's life now: The horses aren't worth as much as they used to be. Ö But for us, it's gone fine. We've had a couple of breakout horses that have made up for the few I thought we could have done a little better on."
The are no sales today at Keeneland Race Course. The sale continues Saturday with the start of Book 3 and runs through Sept. 24.
Keeneland September Yearling Sale Top 5 Buyers:

Name / No. of Horses / Gross Avg. / Comment

1. John Ferguson - 36 / $8,870,000 $246,389 / Buyer for Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

2. Besilu Stables - 12 / $7,675,000 $639,583 / Florida health care executive Ben Leon has paid more than $1 million each on two fillies

3. Shadwell Estate Co. - 17 / $6,355,000 $373,824 / Owns two stud farms in England

4. Ben Glass, agent - 13 / $3,845,000 $295,769 / Bloodstock advisor to Gary and Mary West, a California couple who own Dell Ridge Farm in Fayette Co.

5. D.L. O'Byrne - 6 / $2,805,000 $467,500 / Agent for Ireland's Coolmore stud, a Bernardini colt was top buy.
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Thursday, Sept. 15:
Lexington, Ky. - Two more million dollar horses sold Thursday during the Keeneland September Yearling sale, adding some exclamation points to a session that was already making a very positive statement over last year's sale.
Benjamin Leon Jr. of
Besilu Stables snapped up a filly by Unbridled Song for $1.3 million and just minutes later, Adena Springs paid
$1.35 million for a bay colt sired by Awesome Again with Legs Lawlor as the dam.
It's the first million dollar horse to come from Greenwood Lodge Farm in Bourbon County, owned by Bill and Carole McAlpin.
Mark Roberts, manager of the Adena Springs South farm in Florida called him "a very elegant" horse.
"I didn't think he would bring that much early on, till I was back in the walking ring,"
Roberts said, referring to the crowd of interested bidders who scope out the upcoming offerings.
McAlpin said he knew he had a good horse that was drawing plenty of interest from prospective buyers, but wasn't sure what to expect from a yearling market that has suffered in recent years but is showing signs this week that it is on more solid footing.
"It's been a very solid sale," McAlpin said.
Sales figures have been up ever day of this week's sale and in every category when compared with last year.
The $1.3 million for the filly beat this year's record price for a filly in North America, a record that had been set Tuesday, another horse purchased by Besilu Stables, during the first week of the thoroughbred industry's top yearling sales event.
The filly by Unbridled Song is out of Lady of Choice and consigned by Dromoland Farm.
"We are focusing on the horses that will feed our program." Leon said. "When we find something that fits our program, it's difficult to let 'em go."
Leon, a Miami-based health care executive, is among the biggest spenders at this year's sale. In addition to the two fillies, he has paid $925,000 for a colt out of Street Cry and $725,000 for filly sired by Tapit. In 2010, he bought the September sale topper, now named Mr. Besilu,
for $4.2 million.
Last year's overall top price is one that has not been topped this year.
But there now have been six horses to sell for $1 million or more this week at Keeneland Race Course, double the number of $1 million and more horses at last year's sales.
The sale runs through Sept 24, with no sales Friday.
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Wednesday, Sept. 14:
Lexington, Ky. - A colt sired by Tapit and bred at Gainesway Farm topped Wednesday's bids at the Keeneland Yearling Sale, which is seeing improvement over the opening days of last year's auction.
Jon and Sarah Kelly of California paid $650,000 for the son of Tapit, who raced in the 2004 Kentucky Derby, and Don'tellmichelle. The colt is a full brother to Hightap, a grade III stakes winner.
Earlier Wednesday, it looked like for the second day in a row, a horse sired by Bernardini would top the bids.
John Ferguson, who buys horses on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, bid $625,000 for a colt by Bernardini, who won the Preakness in 2006 after Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro pulled up lame.
Bernardini now stands at stud at the sheikh's Darley Stud farm in Fayette County.
Ferguson had high praise for the colt's dam, Ava Knowsthecode. "It's as solid as a rock; the mare has done it every time," Ferguson told BloodHorse.com of the dam's ability to produce runners, the best of which has been Keyed Entry.
Wednesday was the second day of Book 2 at the Keeneland Sales. The Book 1 sales, which typically draw the highest bids, were Sunday and Monday.
In this year's Book 1, 129 yearlings sold for $45,600,000, for an average of $353,488 and a median of $300,000. During last year's yearling sale, 127 horses sold during the two-evening select sale for $44,305,000, for an average of $348,858 and a median of $285,000.
"We saw a good cross-section of buyers, including new faces as well as familiar ones," Keeneland Vice President of Sales Walt Robertson said after Book 1 of the premier sales auction in Thoroughbred racing closed Monday. "There was an improvement in the percentage of horses sold this session, which is important to consignors because that means horses are moving. Looking at the whole of Book 1, we are up in average and median."
Wednesday saw 215 horses sold for $32,819,500, an increase of 37.5 percent over 2010, when 196 horses brought $23,859,000. Average price for the day of $152,649 rose 25.4 percent and the median price of $130,000 was up 52.9 percent from 2010.
Tuesday, the first day of Book 2, was topped by a yearling sired by Bernardini. The $1.2 million paid by Benjamin Leon is the most paid for a yearling filly at public auction in North America this year. It was the fourth million-dollar baby sold at this year's September sale, compared with three year.
Ferguson was active Wednesday, bidding $325,000 for another Bernardini colt, and putting in the top bids for a Street Boss colt, a colt and a filly by Raven's Pass, and a colt and a filly sired by Street Sense, winner of the 2007 Kentucky Derby.
After four days of selling, 544 yearlings have been sold for $111,176,000, up 16.4 percent from last year's $95,456,000, according to a Keeneland statement. The average of $204,368 rose 12.8 percent from the $181,131 reported at this point in the sale a year ago, while the median of $170,000 increased 41.6 percent from $120,000 in 2010.
The sale is scheduled to run through Sept. 24 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, with no auction on Friday.