Keeneland September: Blame, Quality Road among first-crop sires
A solid group of first-crop sires will be represented by yearlings at the Keeneland September sale, featuring several stallions that have a good chance to carve out productive careers based on their racing accomplishments, pedigrees, and opportunity at stud thus far.
Two North American stallions enter Keeneland September already boasting six-figure averages through the opening two months of the yearling auction season: champion Blame and multiple Grade 1 winner Quality Road.
Blame ($179,698 average for 10 sold through Aug. 27), the 2010 champion older male, has 38 yearlings (out of a total of 41 cataloged in the sale) in Books 1 and 2. Quality Road ($106,000 average for 13 sold), who set track records in two of his four Grade 1 victories, has 43 (out of a total of 59 in the sale) in the first two books. The other stallion with a six-figure average is European champion Makfi, who has just one yearling cataloged at Keeneland.
[More Keeneland September coverage: Bellwether auction will test strength of yearling market]
[Keeneland September: Hips to watch at first session]
[Keeneland September: Pinhookers ready to restock after strong juvenile season]
[Keeneland September: Q&A with Nick de Meric and Case Clay]
Blame, Quality Road, and Makfi are three of the four Keeneland first-crop sires who posted six-figure averages for weanlings sold in 2012. The fourth, two-time champion Lookin At Lucky, has had nine yearlings sold in 2013 for an average of $56,000, but there will be ample opportunity for that average to increase during Keeneland’s dozen sessions, as the sire has 52 cataloged, with 37 in Books 1 and 2.
Other first-crop sires who have had success at the early yearling sales include 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver ($73,875 yearling average, a first-crop-leading 61 cataloged at Keeneland), Grade/Group 2 winner Desert Party ($79,425 average, including the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July topper; 21 cataloged), Wood Memorial winner Eskendereya ($70,500 average, 60 cataloged), and Carter Handicap winner Warrior’s Reward ($73,159 average, 50 cataloged).
| Stallion | 2013 location | No. cataloged | 2012 no. wnlg sold | 2012 wnlg avg | 2013 no. yrlg sold | 2013 yrlg avg |
| Afleet Express | Gainesway (Ky.) | 9 | 5 | $28,400 | 7 | $19,700 |
| Blame | Claiborne Farm (Ky.) | 41 | 14 | 128,718 | 10 | 179,698 |
| Concord Point | Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms (Ky.) | 14 | 7 | 19,643 | 7 | 49,791 |
| Desert Party | Sequel Stallions New York (N.Y.) | 21 | 10 | 36,000 | 20 | 79,425 |
| Discreetly Mine | Lane’s End (Ky.) | 37 | 14 | 26,071 | 14 | 56,214 |
| Elusive Warning | Madera Thoroughbreds (Calif.) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3,500 |
| Eskendereya | Taylor Made Stallions (Ky.) | 60 | 7 | 71,286 | 6 | 70,500 |
| Grasshopper | Lane’s End Texas (Texas) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 13,600 |
| Harlem Rocker | Pensioned | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13,567 |
| Hold Me Back | WinStar Farm (Ky.) | 17 | 9 | 13,278 | 18 | 36,706 |
| Justenuffhumor | McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds (N.Y.) | 3 | 4 | 12,875 | 2 | 15,000 |
| Kantharos | Ocala Stud Farm (Fla.) | 1 | 4 | 21,625 | 25 | 41,300 |
| Lantana Mob | Lake Shore Farm (Ind.) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 45,000 |
| Line of David | Spendthrift Farm (Ky.) | 13 | 10 | 17,150 | 12 | 32,642 |
| Lookin At Lucky | Ashford Stud (Ky.) | 52 | 10 | 114,000 | 9 | 56,000 |
| Majesticperfection | Airdrie Stud (Ky.) | 39 | 16 | 55,000 | 13 | 51,462 |
| Makfi | Tweenhills Farm (Eng) | 1 | 17 | 119,722 | 12 | 143,542 |
| Marchfield | Moutonshoek Stud (SAf) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15,000 |
| Mast Track | Adena Springs Canada (Ont.) | 2 | 2 | 3,250 | 0 | 0 |
| Midshipman | Darley (Ky.) | 23 | 6 | 39,167 | 18 | 40,194 |
| Munnings | Ashford Stud (Ky.) | 37 | 18 | 34,694 | 28 | 45,686 |
| Musket Man | Elite Thoroughbreds (La.) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13,000 |
| Neko Bay | Haras Puerta de Hierro (Chile) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13,800 |
| Not Bourbon | Norse Ridge Farms (Ont.) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1,906 |
| Plan | Adena Springs Canada (Ont.) | 3 | 1 | 1,000 | 0 | 0 |
| Quality Road | Lane’s End (Ky.) | 59 | 14 | 122,857 | 13 | 106,000 |
| Sing Baby Sing | Lane’s End Texas (Texas) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Summer Bird | Shizunai Stallion Station (Japan) | 26 | 10 | 27,950 | 15 | 35,133 |
| Super Saver | WinStar Farm (Ky.) | 61 | 22 | 61,000 | 20 | 73,875 |
| Tale of Ekati | Darby Dan Farm (Ky.) | 21 | 8 | 36,125 | 16 | 48,906 |
| Temple City | Spendthrift Farm (Ky.) | 18 | 8 | 12,525 | 16 | 27,894 |
| Tizdejavu | Crestwood Farm (Ky.) | 12 | 7 | 10,857 | 5 | 13,240 |
| Warrior’s Reward | Spendthrift Farm (Ky.) | 50 | 21 | 34,667 | 17 | 73,159 |
Note: Number of yearlings sold and yearling average through Aug. 27