Crew Dragon sells for $310,000 to top Keeneland April sale

The stakes-placed colt Crew Dragon sold for $310,000 as the Keeneland April sale of horses of racing age made a solid debut in its new format Monday.

Keeneland’s April 2-year-olds in training sale went on hiatus following the 2014 edition. The company revived the sale in 2019 as a combined sale of 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age; it planned to host a similar sale in 2020, but that was among the cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The sale was revived and re-imagined as a horses of racing age sale held in an integrated format, taking advantage of Keeneland’s digital sales platform unveiled in 2020. Horses were presented for sale on Monday both physically at Keeneland, as well as digitally at off-site locations, at the choice of the sellers and consignors. Keeneland auctioneers presented and presided over all offerings on-site, with buyers both on-site and working remotely able to bid on the offerings.

When the single-session sale closed Monday, 37 horses had changed hands for a gross of $2,440,000. That included 13 horses sold online for $415,000. There were 11 buybacks.

The average price was $65,946, while the median finished at $45,000.

“We are happy with how well the sale was received,” Keeneland director of sales operations Geoffrey Russell, who also announced his retirement Monday, said in a press release. “We wanted to give people who raced here an opportunity to sell some of their horses before they go to other parts of the country.”

Bloodstock agent David Ingordo signed the ticket for sale-topping Crew Dragon, saying that he purchased the 3-year-old colt on behalf of clients in California.

“Keeneland did a great job putting this sale together,” Ingordo said. “The timing of it is good: right before the summer meets. … I hope they continue to build on this.”

Crew Dragon, who has raced for Kinsman Stable and trainer Bill Mott to this point, was consigned by Lane’s End, as agent. The Exaggerator colt has not missed the board in six career starts. After winning his maiden in January at Gulfstream Park, he finished second in the Columbia Stakes on March 6 at Tampa Bay. In his most recent outing, he was third in an allowance race last Friday at Keeneland.

Crew Dragon is the first foal out of the Malibu Moon mare Go Go Dana. She is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Liam's Dream, dam of Grade 2-placed Local Hero; to Grade 2-placed Holdontoyourdream, dam of stakes-placed Tightly Twisted; and to Daddy's Dreamgirl, dam of Grade 3-placed Easy Shot. This is the immediate family of multiple Grade 2 winner and perennial standout sire Distorted Humor.

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