$500k Medaglia d'Oro colt tops Saturday session

Keeneland September yearling sale resumed Saturday after its Friday dark day with

Saturdays session-topper was a $500,000 Medaglia dOro-Game Trick colt that Zayat Stables purchased from Eaton Sales, agent. He is from the family of champion sprinter and sire Langfuhr.

The session sold 280 yearlings for $30,677,000, down four percent from the fifth session last season, when 267 yearlings sold. The average price of $109,561 was down by nine percent, and the $90,000 median represented a drop of 10 percent from last year.

The days most notable news came when Keeneland was forced to resell three yearlings bought Thursday by Karen Sanderson, including a $1.1 million Medaglia dOro filly out of Amizette. That yearling was reoffered privately and purchased by celebrity chef Bobby Flay for an undisclosed price. Sandersons other two purchases, an Afleet Alex-Real Cat colt and an Indian Charlie-Christmas Affair filly, brought $70,000 and $125,000, respectively, on Saturday when resold at auction. The Indian Charlie filly sold Saturday to Wes Carter, agent for Carolyn Vogel, and the Afleet Alex colt went to William H. Lawrence.

They initially sold to Sanderson for $75,000 and $120,000, respectively.

Sanderson defaulted on her purchases after failing to establish credit with the sale company prior to bidding, according to Keeneland vice-president Harvie Wilkinson. The auction house has filed a civil action action Sanderson, a dental surgeon from London, England, and her trainer and agent Paul DArcy.

The sale, which features a record catalog of 5,555 yearlings this year, was to continue through Sept. 23, with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.