LEXINGTON, Ky. - With yearlings representing major sire power and principals of major international operations converging in the sale pavilion, the Keeneland September yearling sale, North America’s bellwether auction for the market, opened Monday with solid figures for all economic indicators, fueled by five seven-figure offerings. Leading the action was a $2.2 million son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, sold to Godolphin. The auction's other top lots were a $1.8 million Curlin colt sold to Larry Best's OXO Equine; a Tapit half-sister to Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Liam's Map sold for $1.4 million to Don Alberto Stable; a $1.3 million Medaglia d'Oro colt also bought by Godolphin; and a $1.1 million Tapit half-brother to two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome purchased by the Coolmore partnership. "You saw some seriously seven-, eight-minute horses in the ring," Bob Elliston, Keeneland's vice president of racing and sales, said of the spirited bidding at the upper end of the market. "And there are a lot of folks that we normally see on this list up front that aren't on the list. I think they're going to be heard from still. There's still a lot of money to be spent over the next few days, and from all that we've heard from buyers and from our inspection team from the summer, there's still a lot of really quality animals to come." Monday's opening session of Keeneland September, which runs through Sept. 23, finished with 138 yearlings sold for total gross receipts of $48,620,000, resulting in an average price of $352,319 and a median of $260,000. The buyback rate for the session finished at 35 percent. Keeneland revised the format of the September sale this year, expanding the marquee Book 1 portion from a single session with 167 horses in the catalog to four sessions totaling 989 yearlings to open this sale. With the change, session-to-session figures, particularly for gross sales, are not applicable for market comparison. Last year's narrow Book 1 was followed by three Book 2 sessions. Elliston says that with "effectively a blended Book 1 and 2" to open this sale, he feels a meaningful comparison for this year's Book 1 figures will be the cumulative Book 1 and 2 figures from 2017. That portion of the 2017 edition finished with an average of $288,759, median of $200,000, and buyback rate of 33 percent in a similarly selective market. "If you try to do some comparison, our thinking is, okay, what was the average after four days last year, what was the median after four days last year, what was the RNA rate?" Elliston said. "Those were the relative indicators. In every one of those, [today was] dynamite. I think you all saw there was strength in the middle market - the $250,000 to $500,000 horses were in here in a big way. The RNA rate was literally right on top of what the clearance rate was for last year. We're very encouraged and optimistic that the sale has gotten off like we wanted to." Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum is in attendance at the Keeneland September sale for the first time in several years, and his international Godolphin operation was a major force in the opening session, purchasing 11 yearlings for a total of $7.28 million. That group was led by the $2.2 million American Pharoah colt, who became the sixth seven-figure offering from the blockbuster first crop of his sire. American Pharoah entered the Keeneland September sale averaging $626,338 for his yearlings this year. Godolphin had to outslug longtime commercial foe Coolmore, which stands American Pharoah for its international bloodstock empire, in the final stages of bidding on the chestnut colt. Last year, Godolphin began breaking with a longstanding practice of not purchasing young stock by stallions from the rival Coolmore operation. The Coolmore operation of John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, meanwhile, regularly purchases young stock by its own stallions at the major auctions, again bringing it into line for bidding wars with Godolphin. "Sheikh Mohammed saw [this colt] at the barn and liked him very, very much," Jimmy Bell, president of Godolphin's Darley America, said of Monday's session topper. "On the walk, he was all class, with a lot of presence about him." The colt was consigned by Peter O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm, as agent. That outfit purchased him for $400,000 as a pinhook prospect out of last fall's Keeneland November breeding stock sale for Cavalier Bloodstock. "I knew when [Sheikh Mohammed] saw him today, his eyes lit up, and I just had a feeling he was gonna try hard to buy him," O'Callaghan said. "It took a monumental effort to outbid Coolmore, I'd say. That's what [consignors] all dream of - that two of the great racing powers get stuck into your horse and go at it." The colt is the second foal out of the Indian Charlie mare Kindle, a multiple Grade 2-placed stakes winner. She is a half-sister to Grade 3-placed stakes winner Tonopah and to Grade 1-placed Latigo Shore. It is the family of French champion Play It Safe and Irish highweight Prudent Manner. "He was a tremendous physical specimen, but his temperament and his demeanor was almost his biggest selling point," O'Callaghan said. "He'd come out of the stall and prick his ears, and his eye was the right tone ... nothing ever fazed him. In the field, he's like the true leader of the pack." Later in the day, Godolphin supported one of its own stallions with the purchase of a $1.3 million Medaglia d'Oro colt who is the first foal out of Grade 2 winner Moulin de Mougin, by Curlin. The colt, consigned as agent by Lane's End, is from the immediate family of Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner California Flag, and of Roaring Lion, a Group 1 winner in Europe this season. Bell said that decisions on which of Godolphin's purchases would remain in the U.S. and which would be trained in Europe for the international Godolphin operation would be finalized by Sheikh Mohammed at a later date. Two of the youngsters were purchased in the name of Godolphin Japan and are ticketed for that arm of the outfit. "As you know, he's a very busy man," Bell said of Sheikh Mohammed, who be believes last attended the September sale in 2010. "Everybody, the staff at the farm, we're so excited for him to come over here and have the opportunity to go through the farm, see the yearlings. He just enjoys the horses so much, [and] he loves the sales. ... We're just delighted he's here, and it makes it exciting for everybody." :: DRF BREEDING LIVE: Real-time coverage of breeding and sales Coolmore did land one of the session's most anticipated lots later in the day, going to $1.1 million for the half-brother to California Chrome. Coolmore's M.V. Magnier said that the colt would remain in the U.S. and would be trained by Todd Pletcher. "He's a very nice horse," Magnier said. "Michael Tabor, when he saw him, he was really taken by him. The mare's a good producer, he's a brother to a very good horse." Dam Love the Chase, a winning daughter of Not for Love, has produced three winners from four starters, all by the late Lucky Pulpit. That trio is, of course, led by 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and 2016 Dubai World Cup winner California Chrome, who won seven Grade 1/Group 1 events and earned more than $14.7 million. The high-ticket sale was fueled by the same cross as California Chrome and his winning siblings. Perennial leading sire Tapit is by the late Pulpit, as was Lucky Pulpit. This colt, a January 2017 arrival, was consigned by Bedouin Bloodstock, as agent. SF Bloodstock purchased Love the Chase, carrying this colt, for $1.95 million at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall selected mixed sale. Tapit, who stands at Gainesway Farm, was represented by another seven-figure lot later in the session, as Don Alberto Stable went to $1.4 million for one of his daughters. Powered by those two high-ticket yearlings, Tapit led by average price on Monday among sires with three or more yearlings sold, with his seven offspring sold averaging $864,286. Don Alberto campaigned the recently retired champion Unique Bella, who is also by Tapit. "Unique Bella was the same, we like good pedigrees in mares," said Liliana Solari, who owns Don Alberto with her son Carlos Heller. The filly, consigned by Taylor Made Sales, as agent, is out of the Grade 3-winning Trippi mare Miss Macy Sue, dam of Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Liam's Map, Grade 3 winner Not This Time, and stakes winner Taylor S. Shortly following that filly was the Curlin colt purchased for $1.8 million by relatively new high-end auction player Best. Storms in the Lexington area on Saturday night and heavy rain on Sunday that postponed the start of Monday's session by two hours worked in this colt's favor, as Best took refuge near his barn on Sunday. "I was stuck in the rain, and I was stuck there for an hour, so I saw the horse five times," Best said. "And I fell in love with him." The colt, consigned by Summerfield Sales as agent for Stonestreet Farm, is the first foal out of Molly Morgan, winner of the Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes and three other graded events. It is the family of Canadian champion Wavering Girl and Grade 1 winner Military. - additional reporting by Matt Hegarty