Authentic continues first-crop success at Keeneland November sale

Led by 2020 Horse of the Year Authentic, a variety of first-crop sires with a variety of accomplishments drew praise for their weanlings at the recently concluded Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

Because the Keeneland sale ran over 10 days – from Nov. 7-16 – it includes a bigger selection of weanlings and greater representation from first-crop sires than the highly selective single-night catalog at Fasig-Tipton’s November sale, which precedes it, making it an important litmus test for young stallions. This year’s highest-priced weanling at the Nov. 6 Fasig-Tipton sale was a $1.35 million filly by proven classic sire Uncle Mo, and nine of the top 10 weanling prices were accounted for by established stallions.

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The only first-crop sire to break into those top 10 prices at Fasig-Tipton was Authentic, with his $575,000 half-brother to Grade 1 winner Cyberknife.

At Keeneland November, Authentic finished with the highest average price among first-crop sires with three or more weanlings sold, with his eight horses sold averaging $213,750, led by a $300,000 filly.

“I thought he had some nice horses overall,” said Peter O’Callaghan of Woods Edge Farm, a consignor and noted pinhook operation.

Authentic is by leading sire and emerging sire of sires Into Mischief, and holds the distinction of being that stallion’s first classic winner, taking the 2020 Kentucky Derby followed by the Breeders’ Cup Classic among four Grade 1 wins that season. Standing alongside his sire at Spendthrift Farm, Authentic’s first foals were conceived on an advertised stud fee of $75,000.

Following Authentic with the highest average prices for first-crop weanling sires with three or more sold at Keeneland November were McKinzie (standing at Gainesway), a Grade 1 winner both sprinting and routing at 2, 3, and 4; champion juvenile Game Winner (Lane’s End Farm); Preakness Stakes winner War of Will (Claiborne Farm), who was also a Grade 1 winner on turf; and Vekoma (Spendthrift), a multiple graded stakes winner around two turns who went on to be a Grade 1-winning sprinter as an older horse.

McKinzie had 23 weanlings sold for an average of $137,478 (against an introductory stud fee of $30,000). Game Winner averaged $125,250 ($30,000) from eight sold; War of Will, $97,789 ($25,000) from 19 sold; and Vekoma averaged $95,227 ($20,000) from 22 sold.

Vekoma, a son of Candy Ride, was led by a $290,000 colt sold to Oreo Racing. He proved popular with the middle marketplace, siring the session toppers of the sixth, seventh, and ninth days of the Keeneland sale.

“The pick of the first-crop sires was probably Vekoma,” O’Callaghan said. “He had a lot of representation, and they were just very solid and good movers. It was easy to like quite a few of them. We bought two and bid on several others. He was probably the most consistent. Volatile had some nice horses, and we saw some nice Game Winners early in the sale.”

While noting the strength of the weanling market overall, Archie St George of St George Sales also offered praise for Vekoma, among others.

“We did have to stretch a lot, especially on the nicer ones by proven stallions,” St George said. “It’s been like this for a couple of years. The bottom line is there are a lot of good judges out there and it’s very competitive. We’ll take a shot with newer stallions; it all boils down to the physical comes first. The young stallions that stuck out in my mind were Vekoma and War of Will.”

Volatile (Three Chimneys Farm), a Grade 1-winning sprinter, did fetch the top price overall among first-crop weanling sires at Keeneland November. He had a colt sell to XXY Stud for $325,000. Instagrand (Taylor Made Farm) and McKinzie each had a colt sell for $300,000.

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