Keeneland November sale passes 2021 gross with two sessions remaining

The young stakes-placed broodmare Taylor Avenue sold for $130,000 to lead the session at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale, as horses sold Monday helped the auction surpass its total 2021 gross sales with two sessions remaining.

Through the first eight sessions of this 10-session sale, 1,826 horses have sold through the ring, not yet factoring in private sales, for $205,696,600. Last year's 10-session sale finished with 2,470 horses sold through the ring for $203,585,500.

Keeneland reported 260 horses sold in Monday's session, the opener of a three-day Book 5, for $4,313,300. The day's average price was $16,590, while the median was $11,000. The buyback rate for the day was 18 percent.

True session-to-session, year-to-year comparisons from the final days of Keeneland November will be difficult to make. Last year's three-session Book 5 included 938 cataloged traditional breeding stock offerings – mainly broodmares, broodmare prospects, and weanlings – as well as an initial catalog of 254 racehorses on the final day of the sale, with those offerings helping to buoy the figures for that session. This year's three-session Book 5 has more horses cataloged in the traditional breeding stock offerings, with 1,070 hips in that catalog. Keeneland will then break out the horses of racing age into a separate sale with separate figures, on Thursday.

Taylor Avenue was purchased by Charles Fipke's C.F. Farms from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales, as agent. The 4-year-old daughter of Mshawish sold carrying her first foal, to a June cover by Speightstown.

Taylor Avenue, second in the Louisiana Champions Day Lassie Stakes as a juvenile, is out of the winning Friends Lake mare Aqualane Shores, dam of five winners from six starters. Her other runners are led by stakes winner Respect the Hustle.

For hip-by-hip results, click here.