With 6 sessions left, the Keeneland September yearling sale surpasses last year's total gross

With nearly a week of trade remaining, the Keeneland September yearling sale surpassed last year's final gross during Monday's session, which was topped by a $450,000 Empire Maker colt.

A total of 289 yearlings sold during Monday's session, the Book 3 opener and seventh of 13 sessions overall, for gross receipts of $22,360,500, pushing the sale’s revenues to $326,287,200 with six sessions still remaining. The 2017 sale finished at $307,845,400, surpassing $300 million for the first time since 2008.

The average price for Monday's session finished at $77,372, while the median was $55,000. The day's buyback rate finished at 20 percent.

Keeneland revised the structure of the first week of its September sale this year, expanding Book 1 to four sessions followed by a pair of Book 2 sessions, compared with last year's single ultra-select Book 1 session followed by three Book 2 sessions. With the changes, it is difficult to make comparisons with last year’s sale. Through seven sessions of this sale, however, the cumulative average is tracking at $227,695, an increase of 21 percent from the same number of sessions last year, when it was $187,834. The median price sits at $150,000, trending upward 25 percent from $120,000 at this point in 2017. The cumulative buyback rate tracks at 26 percent, improved from 30 percent.

The session-leading Empire Maker colt was purchased by the partnership of St. Elias Stables and Zayat Stables, with J.J. Crupi as agent.

:: DRF BREEDING LIVE: Real-time coverage of breeding and sales

The colt is from the return crop of his sire, who was repatriated to the United States for the 2016 breeding season after several years in Japan owing to his rising success back home, particularly in the American classics. His son Bodemeister finished second in the 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and his grandson American Pharoah swept the 2015 Triple Crown. Both were campaigned by Zayat Stables. Bodemeister's first-crop son Always Dreaming, co-owned by St. Elias, won the 2017 Kentucky Derby.

Empire Maker, himself winner of the 2003 Belmont Stakes, now stands at Gainesway, which consigned the session leader, as agent. The May colt is the second foal out of the Mr. Greeley mare Duke's Dream, who is a full sister to Grade 1 winner Sweet Lulu. Out of Grade 3 winner Successful Outlook, they are also half-siblings to Grade 2 winner Anchor Down and Grade 3 winner Iron Fist.

The session also included a trio of $400,000 yearlings: A Medaglia d'Oro filly sold to Rick Porter's Fox Hill Farm; an Into Mischief filly sold to Martin Schwartz, with Bluewater Sales as agent; and a Quality Road colt sold to bloodstock agent Ben Glass.