$700,000 City of Light colt tops sixth session at Keeneland September sale

A colt from the first crop of City of Light sold for $700,000 and a filly by the stallion sold for $575,000 on Sunday at the Keeneland September yearling sale, both continuing a strong run for their young sire and strong results for the bellwether yearling auction, which has surpassed its 2020 gross sales.

Through Sunday's session, which marked the sixth of 11 sessions overall, Keeneland had sold 1,169 yearlings through the ring for a total gross of $278,883,000. Last year's 12-session sale finished with a gross of $248,978,700.

Keeneland reported 280 horses sold through the ring Sunday, the second of two Book 3 sessions, and the sixth of 11 sessions overall, for gross receipts of $33,461,000. In the 2020 Book 3 finale, 239 horses sold for $18,364,200, before any private sales were factored in.

The session's average price was $119,504, up 56 percent from $76,838 during the corresponding session last year. The median was up 67 percent, to $87,500 from $52,000.

The session's buyback rate was 23 percent, compared to 27 percent.

The session-topping City of Light colt was purchased late in the session by bloodstock agent Jacob West, on behalf of Repole Stable and St. Elias. Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup winner City of Light, who stands at Lane's End Farm, is enjoying an outstanding first run at Keeneland September. He has had 11 yearlings sell for $500,000 or more, including a $1.7 million colt in Book 2 who currently leads the entire sale and a $1 million colt preceding that in Book 1. His overall sale average is $387,500 from 44 sold.

Sunday's session-topping colt was consigned by his breeder, Farfellow Farms. He is the second foal out of the Giant's Causeway mare Hessie's Girl, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Bullsbay, Grade 3 winner Our Khyrysty, and stakes winners Vegas No Show and Hidden Expression.

Earlier in the session, the $575,000 City of Light filly was purchased by Breeze Easy LLC, with Tom McGreevy acting as agent. She was consigned by Warrendale Sales, as agent.

The filly is out of the stakes-placed Stormy Atlantic mare Donna Getyourgun, dam of Bison City Stakes winner Mizzen Beau. Donna Getyourgun is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Clearly a Queen, a successful broodmare who produced stakes-placed Queen of the Waves and Nefertiti. The latter is the dam of Grade 2 winner Engage, while another of Clearly a Queen's daughters, Town Belle, is the dam of stakes winner Ryono Tesoro.

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