Keeneland catalogs record number

The world's largest Thoroughbred yearling sale just got larger. The Keeneland Association has cataloged a record 5,553 yearlings to its 2007 September yearling auction, set for Sept. 10-25.

The catalog of 2,898 colts, 2,653 fillies, and two geldings eclipses last year's record of 5,161.

Preview catalogs will be at www.keeneland.com, and the full catalog will be online during the week of Aug. 6. Keeneland will print copies of the multi-volume catalog the week of Aug. 20. Among young sires with yearlings in the auction are the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, Smarty Jones; 2004 sprint champion Speightstown; and Pleasantly Perfect, winner of the 2003 Breeders' Cup Classic and 2004 Dubai World Cup.

Last year's auction set a world record for gross, selling 3,556 yearlings for $399,791,800. Its $112,427 average and $45,000 median set sale records. So did the top price of $11.7 million for a Kingmambo-Crown of Crimson colt, now named Meydan City, that Burleson Farms, as agent for Richard Santulli and George Santulli, sold to Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum.

The 2007 Keeneland September yearling sale sessions will begin at 10 a.m. daily in the Keeneland sale pavilion, and Friday, Sept. 14, will be a dark day for the sale.