Keeneland September: Market improvement continues into Day 10

Thursday’s 10th session of the Keeneland September yearling sale showed a resounding enthusiasm by middle-market buyers, demolishing last year’s figures for the corresponding session.

A total of 291 horses sold on Thursday for gross receipts of $9,038,600, an increase of 130 percent over last year’s 10th-session total of $3,937,500. The average sale price of $31,060 was a 77 percent bump from $17,500, while the median price rose 79 percent, from $14,000 to $25,000. The buyback rate was 14 percent, up from nine percent last year.

A pair of yearlings topped the session with final bids of $160,000, making them the only two offerings to sell for six figures on Thursday.
Hidden Brook, as agent, landed a Majesticperfection colt out of the winning Mining mare Thoughtful. The dam is a producer of three winners from seven foals to race, including stakes winner Meditations.

Consigned by Mill Ridge Sales as agent for breeder Lucy Bassett’s Lanark Farms, the colt is from the family of French champion Hippodamia, Grade 2 winner Regal Thunder, and Grade/Group 3 winners Bad Conduct and Lindon Lime. The transaction made the colt the most expensive foal out of Thoughtful, just beating out Bosserette, who brought $155,000 earlier this year at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. spring sale of 2-year-olds in training.

A Ghostzapper colt went to Cromwell Bloodstock, as agent, to tie for the session-topping price. His dam, the winning Cozzene mare Island Lore, has three winners from three foals to race and lists Grade 2 winner Laramie Trail and Mexican Horse of the Year Casty among her most notable relatives.

Consigned as agent by Paramount Sales, the colt was bred in Kentucky by James Witherspoon. Like his session-topping counterpart, the colt became the highest-priced foal out of his dam.

Boosted by their session-topping progeny, Majesticperfection and Ghostzapper finished as the session’s leading sires by gross and average, respectively.

First-crop sire Majesticperfection, who stands at Airdrie Stud, was the leading sire of the day by gross sales with six offspring changing hands for a total of $374,000.

Adena Springs stallion Ghostzapper was the leading sire by average sale price among those with three or more sold at the session, with three transactions for an average of $73,333.

Paramount Sales was the session’s leading consignor by gross, selling 19 horses for a total of $805,000.
Williston, Fla.-based pinhooking operation Eisaman Equine was Thursday’s biggest spender, securing seven yearlings for $251,000. The purchase list was led by a $50,000 Warrior’s Reward filly.

Through 10 days, gross sales for the Keeneland September sale total $273,475,100 from 2,313 horses sold, marking an improvement of 25 percent from last year’s 10-day figure of $217,976,500 from 2,370 sold. The average price is up 29 percent, from $91,973 to $118,234, while the median increased 30 percent from $50,000 to $65,000.

Book 5 of the Keeneland September sale begins on Friday, and the sale concludes the following day. Both sessions begin at 10 a.m. Eastern.