Book 4 of Keeneland September closes with a bang: a $925K session topper
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A $925,000 Twirling Candy colt sparked second-week fireworks as the Keeneland September yearling sale closed out its Book 4 portion with figures still comparing favorably to last year's record numbers.
The September sale closed out its two-day Book 4 portion on Tuesday night, with the eighth of 12 sale sessions overall. To this point of the sale, Keeneland has reported 1,805 yearlings sold for a total gross of $365,943,000. At the same point of last year's sale, which had the same format for books and number of sessions, 1,851 horses had been sold for $376,636,000.
The cumulative average price is $202,739, which is less than half a percentage point changed from $203,477 at this point of the 2022 sale. The median sits at $125,000, down less than 4 percent from $130,000. Last year's sale ultimately finished with record gross, average, and median figures.
The cumulative buyback rate is 23 percent, compared to 22 percent.
The $925,000 Twirling Candy colt fetched an unusually high price for this point of the sale as he was purchased by Jim and Dana Bernhard's Pin Oak Stud. Last year's Book 4 topper sold for $600,000. According to Keeneland, the Twirling Candy colt is the most expensive horse sold during the eighth overall session of the September sale - which has changed formats, and therefore, the book that session falls in, several times - since 1999.
The colt was consigned by Paramount Sales, as agent for breeders Alice Bamford and the Highfield Investment Group.
“He was a beautiful colt,” Pat Costello of Paramount said. “Everyone on the grounds was on him. We loved him from Day 1. We’re thrilled for the buyer, and I’m delighted for the breeder, a lovely lady. He was a special colt.”
The colt is out of the stakes-placed First Defence mare Hiking, a half-sister to Storming On, dam of Grade 3-placed stakes winner Fame and Power. Group 1 winners Cityscape and Logician appear on the catalog page.
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