LEXINGTON, Ky. – A colt from the first crop of City of Light sold for $1.7 million to take over the sale lead, and a colt by Triple Crown winner Justify went for $1.55 million as youth powered a blockbuster Book 2 opener of the Keeneland September yearling sale. Keeneland reported that 211 horses sold through the ring Wednesday for a gross of $60,996,000. In the 2020 Book 2 opener, 185 horses sold for $40,861,000, before any private sales were factored in. Last year's Book 2 began after the single dark day off from the sale. This year, Keeneland positioned Book 2 immediately after Book 1 – the dark day comes Friday – in order to show buyers more horses during the week and to keep the momentum from the opening sessions. "People like the format that we ended up on this year," Keeneland director of sales operations Cormac Breathnach said. "So this might be something that we can build on. . . . Our goal will always be to get as many people on the grounds [as possible] – to get the quality up front, but to get the buyers here in the quantity that they're here this year, and let the market take it from there. And so far, it's working well this year." Market momentum was certainly seen Wednesday, with Keeneland September now in the surprising position of perhaps having the ultimate sale-topper emerge outside of the marquee Book 1 portion. "I think we've looked back in the last 15 years, and it's not happened," said Tony Lacy, Keeneland’s vice president of sales. Keeneland reported shortly after the close of business Wednesday that the day's average price was $289,081, soaring 31 percent from $220,870 in the comparable 2020 session. The median was $230,000, spiking 28 percent from $180,000. The buyback rate was 25 percent, compared to 39 percent last year. "That was amazing," Lacy said. "That's probably one of the best sale days I think we've seen in a while. Every time you picked your head up, here was another 500 or 600,000 yearling. . . . I think there's a lot of optimism, a very diverse group of buyers, really, really positive. I think we've got a great vibe around the grounds, and I think it leads up to another exciting day again tomorrow."  The top five yearlings of Wednesday's session all came from the first or second crops of their respective sires. Following the colts by City of Light and Justify, both first-crop yearling sires, came a $975,000 colt from the second crop of current leading freshman sire Gun Runner; a $900,000 filly from the first crop of Mendelssohn; and an $875,000 colt by Gun Runner. City of Light, winner of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup, recorded his second seven-figure yearling of this sale overall; he was the only first-crop yearling sire to break that threshold in Book 1, with a $1 million colt sold Tuesday. His blockbuster Wednesday horse surpassed a $1.6 million son of City of Light's own sire, Quality Road, for the overall sale lead. City of Light and Quality Road both stand at the Farish family's Lane's End Farm. The sale leader was purchased by the partnership of the Lane's End-affiliated Woodford Racing, Mike Talla's Talla Racing, and West Point Thoroughbreds. “I like the sire a lot," said Bill Farish of Lane's End. "He is a stunning individual, very strong, good-boned colt. A rare-type individual. . . . This horse could have been in Book 1 as easily as he is in Book 2, you can’t let that cloud your judgment. He was a Book 1 type, no question about it. One horse doesn’t determine the whole market, but he was exceptional.” Farish said the colt would go to Mayberry Farm in Florida for his early training, with a racetrack trainer yet to be determined. The colt is out of the stakes-placed Tapit mare Anchorage, whose four winners from seven to race are led by Grade 3-placed Chip Leader. The colt was bred in Kentucky by Rosilyn Polan, who consigned him via her Sunday Morning Farm. “I have always had a lot of confidence in this colt," Polan said. "You just can’t believe that you just sold something for a million dollars. He’s such a special colt, but you always know that people like them for a price, and there are very few buyers that say 'I have to have him, no matter what.' " Triple Crown winner Justify, who stands for the Coolmore group, struck for his first seven-figure yearling when Talla and West Point teamed to stretch to $1.55 million for a colt by him. Terry Finley of West Point, which also teamed with Farish on the $1.6 million Book 1 topper, noted the continued power of the partnership in this marketplace. "It’s incredible that the business has evolved, and it just goes to show you, if you’re in an industry that’s evolving, you have to evolve yourself," Finley said. "That’s what we’ve worked hard to do is to evolve, and we’re just part of a team. We like to think we’re good partners, and we bring on good partners. We all do our own thing, and it’s a special thing. These horses are very hard to buy, and I just couldn’t do it without an immense amount of support and people who are in a position to take chunks. “I don’t necessarily abide by the notion that these partnerships are bad for the sellers," he continued, "because oftentimes, you might get two of these groups [that bid against each other]. So everything evens out. . . . You can’t mess with the market. The market is what the market is.” The colt, bred and consigned by Stonehaven Steadings, is out of the Grade 3-placed Latent Heat mare True Feelings, dam of stakes winner Feeling Mischief and Grade 3-placed Royal Act. Out of Grade 3 winner Grand Charmer, True Feelings is a half-sister to the dam of Eclipse Award champion Wait a While. This also is the extended family of two-time Eclipse Award champion and now classic sire Lookin At Lucky. Talla said that the colt will go to trainer John Sadler. “It was an expensive horse, but you know, you never know what expensive is ’til he races," Talla said. "If he turns out good, then he could be cheap!” Horse of the Year Gun Runner has emerged as this year's breakout freshman sire, with Grade 1 winners Gunite and Echo Zulu and Grade 2 winners Pappacap and Wicked Halo already to his credit. A $975,000 colt from his second crop went to Jacob West, as agent for another prominent partnership, Repole Stables, and St. Elias. The colt will eventually be trained by Todd Pletcher. “He’s by Gun Runner – probably can’t name a hotter stallion, or a stallion that’s gotten off to a hotter start than him," West said. "And [this colt] looks a lot like his dad. The whole team loved him. . . . We knew we were going to have to fight off some pretty serious competition, and I’m just glad we got him.” The colt was consigned by Gainesway, as agent for breeder Winchell Thoroughbreds, which co-campaigned his sire with Three Chimneys Farm. The latter now stands Gun Runner in Kentucky. This colt is out of the unraced Tapit mare Time to Tap, dam of two winners from as many starters, including stakes-placed Backflash. She is a full sister to Eclipse champion Untapable, as well as a half-sister to Grade 1-placed Paddy O'Prado. Like Justify, Mendelssohn is a son of the late Scat Daddy standing for Coolmore. The versatile winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, he was represented by a $900,000 filly purchased by bloodstock agents Alex Solis and Jason Litt, on behalf of the Roth family's LNJ Foxwoods. The filly is out of the unraced Discreet Cat mare Acrobatique, a half-sister to dual Eclipse Award champion Covfefe, who was campaigned by the Roths. It is the female line of the influential broodmare Courtly Dee. Gun Runner had another high-ticket horse later in the session, as an $875,000 colt was purchased by Courtlandt Farm from the consignment of Lane's End, as agent. The colt is out of the unraced Smart Strike mare Distorted Lies, a daughter of Grade 2 winner Broadway's Alibi. It is the extended family of champion Eliza and Grade 1 winner Dialed In. For hip-by-hip results, click here.